Singing and Sounding the Sacred – the Function of Religious Songs and Hymns in the Public Sphere

Hymns are commonly sung in the public space of worship. They often also function in other public as well as private spheres. Religious singing in public spaces forms bridges between personal faith, the church, and public Christianity, while at the same time also forming bridges to a pluralist, secu...

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Main Author: Elsabé C. Kloppers
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa 2020-07-01
Series:Journal for the Study of Religion
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ReligionStudy/article/view/276
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author Elsabé C. Kloppers
author_facet Elsabé C. Kloppers
author_sort Elsabé C. Kloppers
collection DOAJ
description Hymns are commonly sung in the public space of worship. They often also function in other public as well as private spheres. Religious singing in public spaces forms bridges between personal faith, the church, and public Christianity, while at the same time also forming bridges to a pluralist, secular, and post-secular society. I depart from the premise that the singing of hymns in the public sphere constitutes a form of religion lived in public. When the singing is reflected upon and discussed in public, also in social media, it can be seen as a form of public theology. Aspects of the reception histories and narratives of hymns, functioning in the wider public sphere in various countries and in various contexts and times, are discussed with regard to the possible functions that the singing could fulfil in these contexts. It is shown that hymnody forms a part of the beliefs, self-concepts, values, symbols, identities, ideologies, instruments of power, sets of myths, and the collective cultural memory of people
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institution Kabale University
issn 1011-7601
2413-3027
language English
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publisher Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa
record_format Article
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spelling doaj-art-e11364587728439bbf661bc3468e23752025-01-29T09:01:25ZengAssociation for the Study of Religion in Southern AfricaJournal for the Study of Religion1011-76012413-30272020-07-01331Singing and Sounding the Sacred – the Function of Religious Songs and Hymns in the Public SphereElsabé C. Kloppers Hymns are commonly sung in the public space of worship. They often also function in other public as well as private spheres. Religious singing in public spaces forms bridges between personal faith, the church, and public Christianity, while at the same time also forming bridges to a pluralist, secular, and post-secular society. I depart from the premise that the singing of hymns in the public sphere constitutes a form of religion lived in public. When the singing is reflected upon and discussed in public, also in social media, it can be seen as a form of public theology. Aspects of the reception histories and narratives of hymns, functioning in the wider public sphere in various countries and in various contexts and times, are discussed with regard to the possible functions that the singing could fulfil in these contexts. It is shown that hymnody forms a part of the beliefs, self-concepts, values, symbols, identities, ideologies, instruments of power, sets of myths, and the collective cultural memory of people https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ReligionStudy/article/view/276Religious songshymnshymnologylived religionreligious singing in publicreception histories
spellingShingle Elsabé C. Kloppers
Singing and Sounding the Sacred – the Function of Religious Songs and Hymns in the Public Sphere
Journal for the Study of Religion
Religious songs
hymns
hymnology
lived religion
religious singing in public
reception histories
title Singing and Sounding the Sacred – the Function of Religious Songs and Hymns in the Public Sphere
title_full Singing and Sounding the Sacred – the Function of Religious Songs and Hymns in the Public Sphere
title_fullStr Singing and Sounding the Sacred – the Function of Religious Songs and Hymns in the Public Sphere
title_full_unstemmed Singing and Sounding the Sacred – the Function of Religious Songs and Hymns in the Public Sphere
title_short Singing and Sounding the Sacred – the Function of Religious Songs and Hymns in the Public Sphere
title_sort singing and sounding the sacred the function of religious songs and hymns in the public sphere
topic Religious songs
hymns
hymnology
lived religion
religious singing in public
reception histories
url https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/ReligionStudy/article/view/276
work_keys_str_mv AT elsabeckloppers singingandsoundingthesacredthefunctionofreligioussongsandhymnsinthepublicsphere