Singing the Living Tradition was published by the Unitarian Universalist Association in the United States in 1993. In many ways, it's an excellent collection of hymns, songs and spiritual writings. HOWEVER, I have some question about what they do with traditional hymns.

The Unitarians provide a welcoming home for progressive-thinking people who come from a huge variety of traditions, and they bend over backwards to be inclusive. To such an end, they're careful not to sing hymns that would be offensive or off-putting to anyone. But it bugs the hell out of me when they change traditional hymns. Actually, I can't say I mind the way they've changed "We Gather Together" because they've rewritten the entire song, and I think they did a pretty good job of it. What bugs me is when they change a word here or there to make a traditional song "politically correct."

I've found I can't use Singing the Living Tradition as a reliable resource for the authentic texts of hymns, because it has too many songs that have been altered, and you never can be sure if you're getting the correct text.

I think Mudcatter Dan Schatz, a Unitarian minister, would agree with me.

-Joe-