Summer Concert Series: The Veil is Torn Album Release with Kelvyn Koning | St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Sunday, June 9, 2024, 8:48 PM

From Kelvyn Koning, St. Paul's Music Minister:

“The Veil is Torn” is a queer Christian album I am writing as a way of affirming LGBTQ+ people in the church, where we have so often been judged, silenced, erased, gaslit, spoken against, treated as enemies or others, and harmed physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. The title references when the veil between the Holy of Holies and the rest of the temple was torn at Jesus’ death, signifying that there is no longer a boundary between God and us. There are six “clobber passages” in the Bible that have been used to “prove” that being queer is wrong (even though scholars debate the translation and the word “homosexual” wasn’t even in the Bible until 1946) and I’ve decided to respond to people who have used the Bible that way by writing seven songs based on scriptures that indicate to me that God loves and welcomes everyone. These numbers are significant too because six is a Biblical number of evil or failure and seven is the number of perfection or completion, which signifies to me that each of us are perfect and complete as God made us. It is my hope that these songs will help heal and encourage queer Christians in our faith, reclaiming words that have been used to tear us down as building blocks for a better church. And I hope that those who do not identify as queer and/or Christian will find this to be challenging, healing, inspiring, or thought-provoking. The music in this album is a blend of folk, gospel, and contemporary Christian music (CCM) and ultimately is a message of love and harmony.

Album Release is June 23rd at St. Paul's Natick.

To learn more about Kelvyn, follow them on social media or check out their website: https://www.kelvynkoning.com/.

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