Category: Music
Hamilton, Meritocracy, and Patriotism
I held out for as long as I could. My resistance was sustained chiefly by a stubborn contrarianism that resists as many trends as possible, particularly those that can be credibly connected to New York City, Washington, San Francisco, or Los...
A World Where Love Can Be at Home–Josh Ritter and Francis Schaeffer
“Christianity should never give any onlooker the right to conclude that Christianity believes in the negation of life.” — Francis Schaeffer I’ve often wondered what might happen if Josh Ritter, one of my favorite modern songwriters, were ever to meet Francis...
The Best U2 Recordings You’ll Hear
For your Saturday listening pleasure come two songs from U2 that no self-respecting fan should go without hearing. The first is With Or Without You. A famous song, yes, but this live version includes a bridge (taken from the Book...
Understanding vocation, humanity, and politics through the metaphor of music
Maya Angelou says he “thinks like a sage, acts like a warrior and writes like a poetical prophet.” Henry Louis Gates, Jr. says he is “the pre-eminent African-American intellectual of our generation.” And Marian Wright Edelman says he is “one...
The Double Entendre of African-American Music: A Lesson for the Church
Music has undergone serious theological neglect according to Jeremy Begbie, a professionally trained musician and theologian at Duke Divinity School. In his introduction to Theology, Music and Time, he writes: In the twentieth century, the corridors of theology were not...
Soul Music, or Plato Was Right
There is no better or faster way to out yourself as a curmudgeon than to pick on the music that kids are listening to, especially if you do it without the ironic and self-mocking flair that my generation has perfected....
Funny Swithfoot Video: Awakening
Rock n’ roll, Virtual reality, on screen and cardboard diorama, Refreshing self-deprecation, 80’s retro, Buster from Arrested Development, Longing fulfilled, and childhood dreams, Ironic reversals, John Foreman singing his God-lovin’ guts out, The secret solidarity and sudden revelation of friendship…...
Music and the Soul
We’re living in a time when there is a manifest crisis of worship in the church. It’s almost as if we’re in the midst of a rebellion among people who find church less than meaningful. They’re bored. They see the...
Christians by Faith, not by Genre: Sufjan, Swithfoot, and the Nature of the Artist
I received a great many presents this Christmas. I almost felt guilty about this. But then my philosophical training saved the day. I began to think about the nature of giving gifts to celebrate Christmas and I could hear my...
At a Party with Elgar: The Enigma Variations
The Enigma Variations is one of the most enjoyable set of variations that classical music can boast. What makes them particularly interesting is that Elgar wrote a variation for each of his friends, making the reconstruction of their personalities a...