Red-Back Hymnal

The Songbook of Choice for Appalachian Christians

I am careful to stay away from hyperbole, so let me say it like this: if you used another songbook besides the Red-back hymnal in church you would probably have been in the crowd that chose Barabbas over Jesus in front of Pontius Pilate. And I say this with all humility. As a matter of fact, right before I wrote this essay, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me I was the most humble person on Substack.

Here are a few selections from the Appalachian version of the Book of Kells: I’ll Fly Away (333), Meeting in the Air (10), Amazing Grace (57), Victory in Jesus (120), Near the Cross (410), Everybody Will Be Happy Over There (180), When We All Get to Heaven (393), Heaven’s Jubilee (110), Deeper, Deeper (230), and Joy Unspeakable (167).

These are the songs I grew up on in Appalachian church. While there might be a touch of humor in this essay, you shouldn’t mistake that humor for disdain. I loved growing up on these songs. I loved learning harmony singing these songs with mom and dad on long car trips. I even love the period of our history when people who loved these songs became agitated by the newfangled “off the wall” singing that started in the late 70s and early 80s with their fancy overhead projectors and slides.

The liberal churches were singing “This is the Day” and “What a Mighty God We Serve”. Those of us fortunate enough to be on our way to Heaven refused to do so. If the song was not contained in that 67th book of the Bible, The Red-Back Hymnal, we took a pass.

We sang them with an out-of-tune piano in small local churches scattered across Appalachia. But we would also sing them with full bands at Campmeetings! And the more God moved, the more likely the drummer was to transition to cut time. And when that happened the roof literally exploded off the Raleigh County Armory in Beckley, WV, and 2000 pentecostals began to run the aisles with such vigor that the sheriff was called to direct traffic and prevent injury (for those who got in the flesh).

I still remember my own mother playing “Jesus Hold My Hand” (p. 52) on the piano in our local church and spiritual pandemonium breaking loose.

MawMaw Mullins wasn’t even a pentecostal but claimed to the day of her death that she once saw someone playing from the Red-Back Hymnal at Cedar Grove Church of God in West Virginia when the Holy Ghost started moving. The piano player became so overwhelmed by the Spirit that she lifted her hands (both hands) in worship to God.

And the piano just kept right on playing…itself.

You might think that’s crazy, but, again, you probably also voted for Barabbas. And if you dare sully my MawMaw’s good name, you and me might just fist fight…right in front of Jesus and His angels. And I’ll come off the top rope like Hulk Hogan and knock you down with the broad side of a Red-Back Hymnal for a three count.

Without even crumpling the pages.

Yes, where I come from the Red-Back Hymnal was the source of musical inspiration and even a tool for revival. There was a fire once that devastated an entire town except for 14 copies of the Red-Back Hymnal in the small church across the tracks. They were miraculously left untouched. I’ve never personally heard of this story, but I feel certain that it happened. It’s not in the Bible, but it should be.

As we moved through the 80s and into the 90s, more and more churches began to let go of the RBH (that stands for Red-Back Hymnal!) in favor of transparency slides and, eventually, television screens projecting lyrics on the wall. Integrity Music was followed by Vineyard and then Hillsong and Bethel and Jesus Culture and Shane and Shane (who often return to the RBH). And I suppose much of this music is good.

But can’t you just close your eyes and return to whatever small Appalachian church in which you were raised and see the people lifting up their voices singing “Living By Faith” or “Looking for a City”? Or the sweet moments when we would turn to page 341 and sing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”?

People like to make fun of it. But these songs from that hymnal were foundational to my growth in worship and fellowship. I know it wasn’t cool to reach into the rack on the back of the pew in front of you and hold a songbook in front of your face during congregational singing. I mean, how can you cup your hand and pound it into your chest on the quarter beat while holding a hymnbook? But we weren’t there to be cool. We were there to rehearse the shared experience of the goodness of God in a geographical region that didn’t always have a lot to be happy about.

We were there to remember the former things in order to get through the present things. And one way we remembered was singing those songs.

So I close by asking you to turn with me to Page 162:

I care not today what tomorrow may bring
If shadow or sunshine or rain
The Lord I know ruleth o'er everything
And all of my worry is vain

Living by faith (yes, living by faith)
In Jesus above (in Jesus above)
Trusting confiding (trusting confiding)
In His great love (yes, in His great love)

From all harm safe (from all harm safe)
In His sheltering arms (His sheltering arms)
I'm living by faith (I'm living by faith)
And feel no alarm (feel no alarm)

And I’m serious. MawMaw really saw that.