And we will build Jerusalem

Clayboy tells us about the underpants-wearing former vicar who warns all straight couples not to marry in church if they want to sing "Jerusalem".
Tripe. Not Clayboy, who talks much sense. But the underpants-wearing former vicar.

If you care that much about "Jerusalem", I suggest you ask the vicar - not the underpants-wearing former one, but the real one you're presumably meeting if you're getting married in church.  Before getting into the important questions about "obey" or not and Common Worship vs older language - ask does (s)he allow Jerusalem? If the answer is "no", tell him/her that (s)he is a communist-sympathising apparatchik of the New Labour state. Ask if they'd rather live in Russia. Realise what a stupid question that was, struggle to think of a currently Communist country, and walk out. Don't slam the door, that's just petulant.

The good news is, with the new rules there's a good chance that you'll be equally qualified to wed in at least one nearby church where the incumbent will allow this goodly song - and if not there's always the Methodists. And they're lovely, although a little short on 12th century church buildings. Honest, there's almost certainly no need for you to convert to being gay in order to sing "Jerusalem".

Here at the Beaker Folk we're particularly happy to sing "Jerusalem" at all times. For did those feet in ancient times not walk on Glasto's mountain green? If that's all eyewash (and some of us suspect it might be, in our darker moments) then the whole Beaker project is endangered by the suspicion that it's only powered by wishful thinking. And then where would we be? Broke, that's where. We're gonna stick by our principles no matter how hard that is - as long as we can keep turning over the handfasting ceremonies.