Anglican Church in Jamaica to Add Bob Marley to Hymn Books

By Daniel Blake, Christian Post Contributor
Saturday, August 18, 2007

Anglican Church hymnals in Jamaica are set for a musical shake up with the addition of songs by homegrown reggae legends such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

Church leaders said that Marley's "One Love," and Peter Tosh's "Psalm 27" will be the first reggae tunes to be added to the collection of Anglican Church hymnals that will bring in a hybrid between reggae and traditional worship music from the island.

The move has come despite the fact that the two musicians were against the Church.

The Rev. Ernle Gordon said the two musicians may have been anti-church, but they weren't anti-God or anti-religion. He said the songs would help modernize the hymnals, according to Canada-based publication The Record.

Marley and Tosh, who both died in the 1980s, practiced Rastafarianism, a religious movement founded by descendants of slaves in response to black oppression.

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