#Christian theology in music

[compassionmattersmost]

Bob Marley: A Christian Mystic in the Rastafarian Tradition

When we think of Christian mystics, names like St. John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, and Thomas Merton often come to mind. These individuals, through their writings and lives, embodied a deep and profound connection with the divine, often expressed through personal, mystical experiences of God. However, the notion of Christian mysticism is broader than traditional Catholic or Protestant…

[austerity-audacity-asceticism]

sharing some resources on the works of st. hildegard of bingen!

Texts and Chants

Hymn to the Virgin (w/ sheet music and commentary)

Scivias

Selected Writings of Hildegard von Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen: Visions and Validation

The visions of Hildegard of Bingen. 1928.

Hildegard of Bingen and the Greening of Medieval Medicine

fair warning, though. some of them are behind a paywall. do with them what you will.

[cupcakegalaxia]

Hill 👏 song 👏 is 👏 not 👏 a 👏 bib-lic-al 👏 CHURCH 👏

[straynoahide]

tolkien meta: the melodic structure of the ainulindale, arda's endgame, and the doom of men

so basically this is about what one can learn and connect to the rest of the legendarium's lore from the ainulindale, and also peer into tolkien's psyche as a side effect i guess. expect excessive theology or more fun imo philosophy of divinity and lengthy tangents about melkor, the nature of evil and theodicy

a small disclaimer - this touches thorny topics in philosophy like the problem of evil, the nature of redemption/salvation, death...

this isn't about my beliefs but presenting and reflecting on tolkien's own within the history of ideas. i acknowledge anyone who reads this also has their own, and can agree or disagree with tolkien. my views may seep in unintentionally but i try to go deeper than that.

pd: I write Eru/One/God indistinctively on purpose. it's for rhetorical emphasis, not so much out of (default cultural) christianity.

part I - introduction (in this post) part II - the themes/structure, discussion part III - discussion (cont): themes of arda and life part IV - discussion (cont 2): theme of the children part V - discussion (cont 3): aftermath/second music

Introduction (i rec reading even if you're versed in the lore)

for those who are not so familiar with parts of the legendarium but still interested in a deep dive, the ainulindalë ("song of the ainur") is the creation myth of tolkien's world.

i rec just reading it if you haven't even if it's after reading this. it's quite beautiful and unique and it's brought admiration even from ppl who study that kind of thing professionally about real cultures. i'm not given to flattery but idk just check it out.

so anyway, the ainur, spirits born from the One creator's mind directly, sang under (or despite) His direction and the melody (both harmony and discord) that resulted, is the history of the world.

by the world we have two concepts here, the entire universe (eä) and the planet (arda) 'earth', of which middle-earth is a later-stage continent. the music itself was a creative process that the ainur partook in before knowing the full implication of their singing.

God showed the ainur the vision of what their music had created and when they saw the world they wanted to live it, to dwell on it and experience it.

God granted this but said they had to remain in it until the full music, the full story had played out.

this includes everything that happens in the Silmarillion, the LOTR movies and sequels/prequels, the TROP series, games, etc, and in some stages of Tolkien's opus, our own world (WWI, WWII, etc).

the Discord refers to the rebellious effect of Melkor on the music as much as his part of the music - the dissonance born from his part's coexistence with the rest of the melody that is in harmony, and takes a 'life of its own'.

this is not unimportant, but i'm not going to discuss it at any point. i will point out here that it has been argued -controversially- by some people to be relevant in compatibilizing or explaining otherwise difficult-to-reconcile lore points that deal with "non-Melkorian evil". this is about things like Ungoliant or the nameless things 'whose mention darken the light of day', whose in-world origins are unclear.

on a broader note, this represents two very different intuitions about evil and divinity (Tolkienian v Lovecraftian, we could say). these are difficult to compatibilize and more than Tolkien's psyche, represent ancient tensions within monotheistic religions themselves, i think. so within Tolkien's world, which has an Abrahamic/monotheistic god, you still find traces of Lovecraftian horror.

all that follows is about Tolkienian evil (meta) i.e. Melkorian evil (in-world), that is uncontroversially and explicitly under the governance of the One, although non-Melkorian evil is a fascinating subject.

[francesderwent]

so I heard you wanna talk religion in ttpd! let’s talk I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can).

“they shake their heads saying ‘God help her’ when I tell ‘em he’s my man.” this isn’t the outright controlling judgment of the saboteurs in But Daddy I Love Him. nobody is trying to tell her what to do or force her to break up. this is a simple admission that the situation she’s in is difficult, that she’s chosen a hard path and needs help. and what is her response? “your good Lord doesn’t need to lift a finger, I can fix him, no really I can.” she admits salvation is needed. but Taylor is casting herself as the savior. she doesn’t need any help, any grace, any divine assistance. in fact, she doubles down: “only I can”. she and she alone has the power to reform this man, because of the love between them. it’s reminiscent of False God, except now the idol isn’t their love, it’s just her. she’s going to save him.

what’s interesting to me is we don’t know how the themes of salvation would have been recapitulated in light of the reversal at the end of the song, “whoa maybe I can’t”, because the song ends there. maybe she can’t fix him because he is ultimately unfixable, irredeemable, worthless. or maybe she can’t fix him because she’s not God. and honestly, I think the song is meant to leave us wondering. she’s waking up to reality, but is the reality his smallness of soul or her power trip?

so what is the blatant Christian language in this song for? is it telling us that Christianity is evil for implanting the idea of redemption into our minds when it doesn’t really exist? or is it a hint that trying to become our own gods, even with the best of intentions, is a pathway that leads only to death?

[theooboy]

Getting into eating healthy a lot lately and honestly loving it.

I still have the occasional cookie or pancake here and there tho.

But oh how good God is that he’s given us good food for the body to be active and get at it💪🏽

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

Ask #19 — Do you have a favorite Christian song, either traditional or contemporary? 💚

I love so many Christian songs (unfortunately not many traditional ones; am always taking requests tho). But my favorite might be Soldier Poet King. No other song perfectly sums up my thoughts on the Coming of Christ.

Disclaimer: I am well aware that this might not *technically* be a "Christian" or "religious" song. I don't care. For the sake of exegesis and discussion we're all going to assume it is one. Get it? Got it? Good.

The song deceives you with it's folksy and joyous melody into thinking this will be a folksy and joyous song - and it is. For the Christian. It's like a nursery rhyme: a song that's so silly and childlike you don't realize it's horrifying until you open your ears. And when you do what do you hear? Soldiers. Swords. The Destruction of the City. Slaying. A Crown of Thorns. A New King. This isn't giddy and jovial imagery, but the tone is exceedingly so!

When I listen to this song I have compared it to a nursery rhyme sung by children, skipping around, in a cemetery. There is a baroque horror - an "irresistible horror" to quote C.S. Lewis - to these lyrics. Because the fall of Babylon is the disintegration of the cosmos, the undoing of creation (as we know it). It is decreation and it's too late to stop it. But to the oppressed, to the slave, to the child, the fall of the city is the best of news. This is the song of martyrs. The song of exiles and slaves, pilgrims and refugees. We long for the Kingdom of the Skies to come upon earth. And the song perfectly encapsulates the "irresistible love" and overwhelming joy that would fill those who professed faith in the Anointed.

But also important is that the sword only tears down the city, the slaying is done by the tongue. The sword which proceeds from the poet(-prophet)'s mouth. Because the coming Anointed One isn't out for our blood, but it is his words that proclaim justice, his words that define good and evil.

[pomacanthidae]

"I Just Wanna Be Loved"

To encompass my relationship with myself would be to admit the complexity I face daily in my identity -- or identities. The Red Clay Strays prefer to be called rock n' roll, but they have a lot of the same sound as country artists I listened to fresh out of the religion I was raised in and looking for an identity.

I would highly recommend listening to the full song, even (and especially) if Christianity is a complicated subject for you. I feel a lot of us who have not found warmth in the arms of churches can understand and relate to the desire to just belong somewhere.

When I left, I was 12. I did not initially decide not to have a relationship with organized religion or god (in whatever form that deity takes) but the lack of inclusion of groups who experience significant marginalization tore my heart to pieces. I did not learn what being gay was until middle school, and I didn't understand why it was such a horrible shame when my church leaders publicly denounced it. I didn't understand why a good god would let people hate other people, or let them die for burdens they were not born to bear. I could not believe I was loved by a god who did not love other people the way he loved me, and for that injustice, I walked away.

As a neurodivergent, I lost the entirety of my sense of myself, and the only community I had. I was "weird", had a tendency to rock in my seat because sitting still was a struggle, and in the hyper-religious context of my personality, often couldn't make connections with my peers. To those who understand, I am so sorry you had to endure the loneliness, and to those who made it through before me, thank you for paving the way.

In my search for self, I tried a lot of different "things" to give me a place in the world, or to help me find friends -- country music being one. I eventually found my place at the LGBTQIA+ lunch table, and they soon became my people. The "queers" were kinder and more welcoming than any religious group, and stuck up for me when I was bullied by the "religious" kids because the group of mismatched queers understood how it felt to be an outsider and protected the downtrodden and marginalized with a gentle ferocity christianity should emulate.

I could have become bitter, and hateful, and resentful towards everyone involved at my former church and school, because I was hurt and hurting. I was in a position many others have been in, and where they chose hate groups or extremism I did not. I did not choose a bad path because the people who could have ignored me became my fiercest allies (and I, theirs.)

I say all of this to illustrate both a part of my personality, but also the intersectionality of religion and rights -- the complexity of identities. I think the sense of soul searching in religion is similar to that of the queer experience; it is not possible to understand the wholeness yourself without also understanding those who have come before you, and while religion is not necessarily the place for a lot of people to do that, I think there is common ground in experiences -- as soon as people are willing to have those difficult conversations. There will be queer people in every space for perpetuity, whether or not they are publicly recognized, just as religion will always be an aspect of American culture.

I feel strongly there is common ground for us to stand on, as Americans, and to show up for the common experiences we have as people. This is not a class issue, this is not an identity issue, this is an issue of loving those who need love and supporting those who need support. Period. Even if you disagree, you should show up, because the powers that be want us to do anything but.

We fight by existing as the best, most generous versions of ourselves. We don cowboy hats and sing country while welcoming those of all nations to join us. We do not become bitter, though it is not unreasonable to feel bitterness, because we are too busy reaching out to those who need to belong. We become a home for those who need to be loved by reaching past prejudice and welcoming people into the fold. We fill the spaces hate can grow with all the love we have to give, and then we give more.

We need to understand the most revolutionary thing we can be is kind.

[queenlucythevaliant]

Why can't the churches with choirs and pipe organs and stained glass windows have a bit more theological rigor??

[catboygirljoker]

thank you SOMUCH for all the asks :] if you sent an anon and didnt see your reply check my asks tag !! i am getting to or have gotten to all of then. and please send more i love them so very much

[friendrat]

So we were singing this worship song today, the one that goes, "You are good, you're good oohhh, you are good, you're good oohhh..." and I just had pop into my mind, "but He's not tame." Thank you, CS Lewis, for that memorable bit of dialog.

And it just had me thinking all through the song. Do you think that weird attraction to bad boys that so many girls have is a corrupted longing for God? Because we put so much focus on God's goodness, and we ignore that He is not *safe*. This is the God of the wild. He isn't just the one who can calm the waves... He is the one who first *created* the waves. And I just don't think we really think about or appreciate that enough.

[liewithm3]

Statue Of Liberty

Little River Band, live in Australia with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra 1979!

[darknesscannotsaveyou]

top favorite CityAlight songs 🥰

[brainypixel]

We are excited to welcome you all to the first installment of our new blog series, "The Theology of Storytelling", now available on the Brainy Blog!

Check out "Introduction of Terms" below!

[compassionmattersmost]

Heaven on Earth: The Teachings of Jesus and Bob Marley

Introduction In a world often divided between the sacred and the secular, it can be refreshing—and deeply inspiring—when we find connections between contemporary culture and ancient spiritual wisdom. Bob Marley’s iconic song “Get Up, Stand Up” is more than just an anthem of empowerment; it’s a profound reflection on the nature of heaven, the divine, and our place within it. Surprisingly,…