Monday, August 26, 2024

*** This is a rough transcript of today’s show ***

 

It is the 26th of August 2024. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A very happy Monday to you- even if you’re listening to this on another day- you’re still here and we are better for it.

A quick note to start: in a few weeks, I will be off leading my tour in Germany, and for one week, I will have an all-mailbag week, so- if you have any questions if you’ve asked before and it fell through the cracks… send me a note at danv@1517.org.

And yes, there are certain ways in which your question jumps to the front… it usually involves questions about music or sports and church history- and it doesn’t hurt if you are related to me, or someone I know. Ol’ John from the Denver area scores a double as he has a question about pop music and happens to be the father-in-law to Erick Sorensen. 

“One of my favorite songs from Mr. Mister is Kyrie. Do you know the story behind it? Are they Christians?”

Heck yeah, John! This is also one of my wife, Beth Anne’s, favorite songs.

And yeah, on the radio, we heard part of our church service!

[also, for basketball fans- do you still read “Kyrie” Irving whenever you read about the oft-traveled Dallas Maverick?]

So, it turns out there is some controversy about this song- one of two hits by the band (the other was “Take These Broken Wings”), which was made up of session musicians in LA. They had three albums, the main players being Richard Page on lead vocals and bass, with Steve George on vocals and keyboards.

Richard’s cousin, John Lang, has written credits for the song with Page and George. He wrote on an online rock website to clear up some confusion: “Richard Page wrote the music and melody, but I am the one who wrote the lyrics. I got the inspiration from singing it as a kid in an Episcopal church in Phoenix, Arizona.”

So- it’s not necessarily Christian- or it is without necessarily meaning to be? What other songs might we fit in this category or similar categories?

There are the obvious: Joan Osborne’s “What if God Was One of Us” was perhaps unwittingly explaining the incarnation.

You’ve got the “Jesus Take the Wheel” and other on-the-nose country/faith songs.

U2 is famous for blending the faith of three of its four members—so many of its songs are meant to be understood theologically. I’ve read of “U2Charist” services that combine U2's music for worship.  

There are some you may not know: Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way?”- the good riff attached to a decent song was reportedly a play on Jesus’ call to his disciples.

Even more curious- Prince’s Jehovah’s Witness rock- “Let’s Go Crazy,” is an ironic take on waiting for heavenly pleasures- he also wrote a whole JW album called “Rainbow Children.”

The Bird’s “Turn, Turn, Turn” is taken from Ecclesiastes.

And, because you are Erick’s father-in-law I’m going to mention the Smoking Popes- a shared love of mine and Erick’s. Their lead singer Josh sang, obliquely, “You Spoke To Me” about his conversion and later came out and left the band for a period- asking the question so many have with the combo of Rock and Jesus- how much is too much? What’s the right amount of each? This also happened to Jeremy Enigck and Sunny Day Real Estate- so, if you are in your mid-40s or older, you might remember that sad breakup.

A modern favorite among the hip set is Sufjan Stevens- who comes in and out of explicitly Christian themes and has an extensive catalog of Christmas songs. No one asked me, but when it comes to music by a Christian that isn’t explicitly Christian, no one beats John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats- maybe the only band I care much about now as an old.

Thanks for the question, John. While “Kyrie” was written as a memory of a church service, not as a worship song, we can recognize good music as a gift from God to us, even if we’re not explicitly using it to sing praise to Him.  

Thanks for the question. And remember, send me your questions for our mailbag week next month.

 

The last word for today is from John 16: 

29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

 

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 26th of August 2024, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who can “Take these broken wings, and learn to fly again and learn to live so free…. And when he hears, the voices sing…” he is  Christopher Gillespie. 

The show is written and read by a man, "Going down the road that I must travel, Kyrie Eleison through the darkness of the niiiight.” I’m Dan van Voorhis. 

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.