This Is My Father’s World
Written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock, an American Presbyterian minister, and published posthumously in 1901, “This is My Father’s World” packs a theological punch.
The church has a high calling to bear witness to the Father’s glory throughout the entire world, which ultimately belongs to him. “This Is My Father’s World” is no ordinary hymn; it’s a powerful reminder of God’s sovereignty and the goodness of his creation. Unlike many of the kitschy and theologically anemic songs of today, it... Continue Reading
The Best Hymn Writer You’ve Never Heard Of
Writing amid debilitating physical symptoms and emotional pain, Anne Steele didn’t spend time in the limelight.
She has reminded me of God’s holiness that makes me tremble—and God’s compassion that never fails. Because of her ministry, I’m slower to be spiritually flippant and quicker to run to Jesus for comfort. Steele has helped me keep this life’s suffering in perspective as I look forward to heaven’s joy. She has deepened my love for... Continue Reading
How to Use Your Hymnal
Good hymn writers take the beautiful words of God and turn them into beautiful pieces of poetry.
Most hymnals will group the songs by theme. For instance, you want to sing a song about the resurrection. You can look at the themes in the back of the hymnal or at the top of the pages and find whole sections of songs about the resurrection of Christ. Or what about songs about God’s... Continue Reading
Take “Rich Men North of Richmond” Seriously
There’s a social and spiritual level to the song beyond its obvious economics.
If the counties (and states) north of Richmond were red instead of blue and treated the working men south of Richmond with magnanimity rather than neglect or contempt, there still would be a problem because what those men need isn’t patronage; it’s control over their own lives and a say in the fate of their... Continue Reading
Heresy at the Heart of Derek Webb’s “Boys Will Be Girls”
Webb’s new album, The Jesus Hypothesis, is anything but subtle: it’s a celebration of gender transition and drag.
As Pride Month and its demands increasingly invade all of life, Christians must understand the semireligious nature of the culture war we’re fighting. Homosexual behavior and cross-dressing are nothing new, but as Scrivener, Holland, and (I suspect) Chesterton would argue, the way these things are sold today—as a matter of oppressed and outcast minorities in... Continue Reading
Handel’s “Messiah”, A Prophetic Masterwork – Part 6: The Prophesied Sacrificial Lamb
The Crucifixion
You would think that a musical representation of the Crucifixion would use the Gospel accounts as the primary source. But Charles Jennens did not use even a single verse from those accounts. Instead, the bulk of his presentation of the event comes from Isaiah and Psalms. We come now in our study of the... Continue Reading
Listen as “Hi Ren” Gives Countercultural Rebuttal to Godless Mental Health Industry
While Ren Gill claims he doesn’t identify with any particular religion, deep and ancient Christian themes take center stage in "Hi Ren."
Gill recognizes that as a sinful human, he is meant to struggle, and there is power in embracing that struggle. Indeed, the only real way for people to flourish is to let go of pride and accept and even embrace the humiliating realities of life. Gill gets this, making his song a radical departure from... Continue Reading
The Truths of Which We Now Sing (1 Tim 3:16)
Six lyrical phrases from what was most probably an early Christian hymn, sung in three stanzas of two lines each. Let’s consider the truth revealed in each line.
We sing because we have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of sinners. We sing because we have received and are resting upon Christ alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel. Don’t sneer at us who sing. Join us in our confession and sing with us... Continue Reading
Doing Well in the Things that Count
How are you really doing, that is, in the things that really count?
Helen Lemmel, a member of Ballard Baptist Church, died in Seattle on November 1, 1961, thirteen days before her 98th birthday; she had written nearly 500 hymns. Due to her extreme poverty, her remains were cremated and nobody seems to know where they were disposed of. No matter. Those are things of earth. Strangely dim.... Continue Reading
Handel’s “Messiah,” A Prophetic Masterwork—An Introduction
Great music has a paradoxical effect: it is both anchored in its own time, and yet timeless.
When you think of a work that has Jesus the Messiah as its sole subject, you would reasonably assume that the text is heavily dependent on the New Testament, and primarily the Gospels. But when you look through the text, roughly two-thirds of the passages used are Old Testament. That alone suggests its prophetic nature. We... Continue Reading
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