CCOG announces and makes available ‘The Bible Hymnal’

The Bible Hymnal of the Continuing Church of God Consists Mainly of Psalms and Biblical Passages Set to Music

Have you seen the 2013 edition of The Bible Hymnal?

On June 26, 2006, Grace Communion International (the group that ended up with legal title to a variety of Worldwide Church of God literature) announced that it was releasing the hymns composed by Dwight Armstrong into the public domain (see Dwight Armstrong hymns in public domain). This meant that any one could use them without a fee or royalty arrangement with GCI.

Since its formation on December 28, 2012, the Continuing Church of God has used the 1974 edition of The Bible Hymnal of the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG) for its song book and made it available online. But it was always our goal to produce additional song books by the Feast of Tabernacles for 2013.

Several have asked if other hymns, such as those composed by Dr. Ross Jutsum, could go into the new hymnal. So, after a series of attempted, and finally successful, contacts, an arrangement between the the Continuing Church of God and Nazarene Books with Dr. Jutsum was agreed to and finalized last week. So certain additional hymns from Dr. Justum were added to the song book. The late Herbert W. Armstrong had long ago approved the hymns by Dr. Jutsum for use in WCG church services. Many will recall such titles by Dr. Jutsum as By This Shall All Men Know, How Good and How Pleasant, and It Won’t Be Long Now.

So, the new 2013 hymnal of the Continuing Church of God consists of all the hymns, etc. that were in the 1974 edition of The Bible Hymnal of the old Worldwide Church of God, plus 17 additional pages added after them for the additional ten hymns that were composed by Dr. Jutsum. The front and back covers were changed (the front cover shows the remains of what could be the oldest Christian worship building; see also Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill).

Now, I, through Nazarene Book, have arranged to make the paperback edition of The Bible Hymnal via Amazon. The Continuing Church of God is not selling the book, but Nazarene Books via Amazon is. The list price for The Bible Hymnal is $8.99, but Amazon is temporarily selling it for $8.54. Since Amazon has recently been selling used 1974 editions of The Bible Hymnal of the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG) for USD$22.73, and since the new version of The Bible Hymnal contains all the same unedited hymns, etc. that the 1974 edition contains (plus more), some looking for a COG hymnal may find it a bargain.

Mainly since Dr. Jutsum’s hymns have not been released into the public domain, Amazon has a copyright notice on the book The Bible Hymnal. If you go to Amazon, it has a ‘Look Inside’ feature that allows you to see that this truly is the slightly expanded 1974 WCG hymnal with the added hymns.

We had Amazon send 100 of the new hymnals to East Africa this week and so that they can be used by people from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and perhaps elsewhere in Africa during the upcoming ‘Fall’ Holy Days. We in the Continuing Church of God expect to get additional copies for use at our Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2013.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Praises to Jesus Christ or Biblical Hymns: Which Should Christians Primarily Sing? This biblical article on music is in response to an advertisement critical of WCG’s 1974 The Bible Hymnal. It also address early church practices here.
The Bible Hymnal via Amazon. This is the paperback edition of the hymnal used by the Continuing Church of God. It consists of all the songs that were part of the 1974 edition of ‘The Bible Hymnal’ used by the old Worldwide Church of God, plus ten other hymns that Herbert Armstrong approved that were written by Ross Jutsum. The songs in this book are essentially the Psalms and other passages in the Bible set to music.
Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill Could this building, often referred to as the Cenacle, possibly have been the oldest actual Christian church building? There is also a video titled Does the ‘Cenacle’ deal have prophetic ramifications?
Did Early Christians Observe the Fall Holy Days? The ‘Fall’ Holy Days come every year in September and/or October on the Roman calendar. Some call them Jewish holidays, but they were kept by Jesus, the apostles, and their early faithful followers. Should you keep them? What does the Bible teach? What do records of church history teach? What does the Bible teach about the Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day? Here is a link to a related sermon: Should you keep the Fall Holy Days?
The Book of Life and the Feast of Trumpets? Are they related? Is so how? If not, where not?
The Day of Atonement–Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians “The Day of Atonement”. Does it have any relevance for Christians today?
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians? Is this pilgrimage holy day still valid? Does it teach anything relevant for today’s Christians? What is the Last Great Day? What do these days teach?
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time to Learn the Law The Bible teaches that every seven years that the law should be read at the Feast of Tabernacles. This is what I did at the first Feast site were I gave an actual sermon (as opposed to a sermonette) in 2006.
Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2013 This is information on the expected Feast of Tabernacles’ sites for the Continuing Church of God for 2013. The Feast in 2013 begins the evening of September 18.
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2024, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur 🙂 In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos.