Review of Love Shine Through, by Tim Hughes

Tim Hughes, Love Shine Through (Kingsway)
Released: April 19, 2011 

Tim Hughes is not necessarily a household name in evangelical modern worship, but his breakout song, “Here I Am to Worship,” has established him as a notable songwriter, despite the fact that his material since then has probably gone under-noticed and under-appreciated.  In my opinion, he is on par with the other Brits (e.g. Matt Redman, Vicky Beeching) who continue to trend toward greater biblical and theological depth in their text-writing.  Hughes’ home base is Holy Trinity Brompton, a vibrant and evangelical community of the Anglican Church in London.

SUMMARY

Love Shine Through is a rich 12-track album (with one repeat song).  Musically, it is well-produced and sonically creative within the broad pop rock genre, and textually it is solid and biblically-informed.  The songs I would most likely incorporate into my church’s worship context would be “Counting on Your Name,” “Jesus Saves,” and “Keep the Faith.”

MUSICALITY

The album is a polished, in-studio project complete with masterful mixing and effects, and yet it is well-rounded in its musical expression such that it can’t be accused of being “pop kitsch.”  From flanged vocals (“Wake Up”), to pulsating loops (“Jesus Saves”), to programmed synths (“At Your Name”), the work is a treat for the ear.  Tim Hughes has a clear and enaging voice, with a surprisingly high range and beautiful color on the top end.  Counterbalancing the programming, there is tasteful employment of strings (“Keep the Faith”) and magisterial bursts of brass (“Love Shine Through”).  There are moments of soaring black gospel-style (“All Glory”), intimate solo piano ballad (“Ecclesiastes”), and everything in between.

THEOLOGICAL CONTENT

Love Shine Through is a biblically-rooted, God-centered record.  Traditionalists may still balk at the repetitive nature of the songs, but we can no longer accuse modern worship of being “fluffy.”  To date, there are too many counter-examples for this to be accurate even as a generalization, at least among the current heavy-hitters in modern worship.  Perhaps there is no shortage of first personal pronouns on this record, but that observation does not take away from the fact that the trajectory of the texts is away from self and toward God.

“Ecclesiastes” is an intriguing song.  It’s not quite a lament, though it’s not really a typical “worship song,” either.  It’s an attempt to offer the congregational song a voice for the polarities and vicissitudes of life so well-captured in the book of wisdom that gives the song its name.  Here’s verse one:

There’s a time for tears
And a time to dance
There’s a time to let go
And a time for romance
There’s a time for war
And a time for peace
There’s a time to embrace
And a time to release

It has been said well by many worship thinkers that if the church could expand her worship-vocabulary to more adequately reflect the full range of humanity captured in Scripture, she would be prepared to more steadily handle the ups and downs of life.  A Christian wouldn’t be shaken in the face of suffering or war or disaster.  Often times, Christians who fall away from “the faith” have fallen away not from the faith but from some poorly constructed, highly diluted form of Christianity.  And often this is a result of the impoverished and emaciated worship language they have engaged in when they’ve attended worship services.  Songs like “Ecclesiastes” continue to fuel me with hope and excitement that our mainstream worship songwriters are sensing this impoverishment and addressing it. 

Modern worship albums are often found requesting God’s “fire to fall.”  The phrase is a bit nebulous, though it seems (given modern worship’s heavy charismatic influence) that the request is for the Spirit’s presence to fall like the tongues of fire at Pentecost (Acts 2).  “Keep the Faith,” interestingly, makes the request with an entirely different biblical allusion in mind:

I’m laying out all the pieces of my life
On the altar I’m your sacrifice
Let your fire fall
I’m waiting here
Come and take it all
This heart of fear

This fire is not that of Pentecost but of Carmel.  It is a beautiful twist on this oft-used phrase (“let your fire fall”), melding the “living sacrifice” themes of Romans 12 with the Old Testament episodes of miraculous heaven-borne bursts of flames which all but incinerate their target.  It’s a powerful image of the intensity of our offering ourselves to God—the wholeness of consecration.

American evangelicals know “Jesus Saves” as a Jeremy Camp radio hit, but this exciting and mission-focused song actually belongs to Hughes and co-writer Nick Herbert.

Hughes and his songwriting cohorts, perhaps typical of modern worship, lyricize more often impressionistically than in complete sentences or progressive thoughts.  “Saviour’s Song” reads:

The Creator
Humbled by creation
You kissed a world in mercy
Embraced us at the cross

“All Glory” sings:

How great is Your love
It never gives up on me
Stronger than shame
It carries me back to You
Jesus, my redeemer
You have made a way

Much of the album is expressed in this manner.  Two things are noteworthy about this phenomenon in modern worship songwriting.  First, it is a departure from how nearly every generation has expressed its sung praise to God.  From our earliest hymns, through the Reformation, and into the twentieth century, our hymns have been more or less readable as stand-alone poetry, with more cohesive expression and thought-patterns.  Second, it is at least partially indicative of the erosion of language which can be attributed to a text-messaged, Twitterized culture—short bursts of expression with less need for grammatical and conceptual connections from one line to the next.  Is this a direct criticism of Hughes and Love Shine Through?  By no means.  I am merely pointing out indicators and attempting to raise awareness.  As a worship leader, though, I want to temper this kind of linguistic expression with what is more typical of the last two thousand years of worship songwriting.  

It is interesting to examine modern worship albums through the lens of sociologist-anthropologist Jenell Williams Paris, whose chapter in The Message in the Music (2007)¹ explored the use of romantic language in the top CCLI songs between 1989 and 2005.  She summarizes her findings by saying that our songs exhibit “an overreliance on the American romantic ideal in worship.”²  Prevalent stylistic motifs convey God as a "knight in shining armor" and "riding off into the sunset" with His beloved.  Paris is not criticizing this expression as much as its prevalence and dominance in our worship.  With this grid in mind, I believe Paris would point out the line in “God is Coming”:

Here You come
Running to find me
King of the universe

Hughes seems to balance this well with other takes on our relationship with God throughout the album, but perhaps with the abundance of such expression, our modern worship songwriters can continue to broaden our worship expression beyond the romantic.

All in all, Love Shine Through is a wonderful record, musically and textually, and it is worth a listen, especially for worship leaders scouting out new material that may be slightly off the beaten path.

¹Jenell Williams Paris, “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever: American Romance in Contemporary Worship Music,” in The Message in the Music: Studying Contemporary Praise & Worship, ed. Robert Woods and Brian Walrath (Nashville: Abigndon, 2007), 43-53.

²Paris, “I Could Sing,” 45.



Review of Aftermath by Hillsong United

Hillsong United, Aftermath (Sparrow)
Released: February 15, 2011

Within the “imprints” of the Hillsong brand (Hillsong, United, Live, and Kids), it is United which propels their style and artistry forward.  In the case of Aftermath, their movement is a retro-progression (different from a retrogression) into 80s sounds and styles.  This album is atypical of what has come before in that it feels much less like a “worship album."  The backing choir, congregational sound, and crowd noise are absent—it’s only solo voices and faint BGVs.  There are no arena sounds and reverberant air.  It is a clean, tight, studio album that appears to have been recorded on three different continents.  I have no doubt that, because this is not an “arena worship” recording, there will be many Hillsong United fans at least initially disappointed.  But this should not take away from the fact that Aftermath is a fabulous sonic feast, expanding our United palette with fresh tastes from the not-so-distant past.

REVIEW SUMMARY

If you are looking for new material for congregational singing, you’ve come to the wrong place.  With some exception (e.g. “Rhythms of Grace”), though United undoubtedly uses these songs in their worship contexts, the melodic complexity of these songs lend themselves to performance-material rather than lifting voices in corporate worship.  That said, Aftermath is still a well-produced, musical, and artistic achievement.  Furthermore, the album is Christ-centered and God-exalting in its texts, though it suffers a bit from theological imprecision and scattered logical flow.  If United’s goal was to provide the Church with more worship songs, I would say that previous albums (e.g. Tear Down the Walls / Across the Earth and All of the Above) have done a better job at accomplishing that end.  If their goal was to artistically stretch themselves and their listener-ship musically, they have succeeded greatly.  No song stands out as one I would enthusiastically recommend for congregational worship, but many songs could be fitting.

MUSICALITY

The best way I can describe the unity of styles on this album is with the label “neo-80s space galactica punk.”  It is as if Talking Heads, Enya, Green Day, and the creators of Tron all got together in a collaborative project.  From Cars-like moog intros (“Light Will Shine”), to Top Gun-ish airy keys and staccato bass lines (“Nova”), to programming and legato lines mixed with Enya-style vocals (“Bones”), to pumping, tremolo synths (“Search My Heart”), United appears to be jumping on the 80s retro bandwagon that pop, rock, and hip-hop artists alike have been exploring as of late.  United seems to be stepping off their penchant toward heavy tom-work in the drumming.  “Rhythms of Grace” is a great example of this, where, at about the 3:20-marker, the drummer has chosen a creative, unorthodox, indie-style beat.

Track six, “b.e. (interlude),” gives a shout-out to Hillsong Live’s “Beautiful Exchange,” with the haunting choir in the background, singing,

Holy are You, God
Holy is Your Name
With everything I’ve got
My heart will sing, how I love You

Joel Houston, as Executive Producer and songwriter/co-songwriter for many of the tracks, is extremely talented and creative.  This project seems to reveal that Houston was challenging himself with something different.  This album is an enjoyable listen, with authentic artistry in the musicality and production from top to bottom.

THEOLOGICAL CONTENT

That Brooke (Fraser) Ligertwood had very little involvement with the album (the credits indicate that she sang BGVs) shows, especially in the songwriting.  Ligertwood, especially in recent years, has provided a bit more biblical depth and theological reflection in her material.  Aftermath has no “standout” song, textually speaking, which parallels the depth of “Desert Song” (Ligertwood) or “You Hold Me Now” (Morgan/Crocker) from United’s previous album, Tear Down the Walls / Across the Earth (read my review of that album here).  That said, Aftermath is beautifully Christ- and Gospel-centered.  The unifying theme and song of the album, “Aftermath,” is a rich metaphor for how the Gospel reaches sinners in the beautiful mess of the incarnation of Christ:

The skies lay low where You are
On the earth You rest Your feet
Yet the hands that cradle the stars
Are the hands that bled for me
In a moment of glorious surrender
You were broken for all the world to see
Lifted out of the ashes
I am found in the aftermath

“Aftermath” implies that an important and decisive battle took place, yet the battle was not clean.  This is a wonderful picture of the cross—the deepest love possible poured out, combined with the greatest injustice that ever took place.  The cross is simultaneously a place of healing and a place of wreckage.  “Aftermath” gathers all those concepts into one word filled with rich imagery, which is quite remarkable. 

Especially against the backdrop of historic Christian hymnody and the biblical Psalms, United’s texts continue their general trend of being more “impressionistic” as opposed to logically coherent.  Take, for instance, the opening verse and pre-chorus of “Go”:

In the Father there is freedom
There is hope in the Name that is Jesus
Lay your life down, give it all now
We are found in the love of the Saviour
We’ve come alive in You
Set free to show the truth
Our lives will never be the same

There isn’t much that helps these statements hang together in a logical progression, which ends up seeming more like mere emoting than making any cohesive statement in the song.  The same song also exhibits the triumphalism that some have rightly criticized in the past:

We’re giving it all away, away
We’re giving it all to go Your way
We are sold out to Your calling

Certainly we need to make room for consecration.  We should sing statements of commitment, even whole-hearted commitment.  But I have dialogued with not a few folks who are weary of singing such words when they know that their sinful, broken hearts feel very inauthentic when such lyrics are sung.  I admit myself that, much of the time, I don’t feel sold out to God’s calling; I don’t give it all to go God’s way.  Such triumphal lyrics need to be administered in careful dosages, set in the context of Gospel-response and consecration as opposed to an “I’m trying, God! I can do it!” mentality.  I’m not saying that this is what United has done or that this was the songwriter’s intent, but I am saying that too much of this can either drive people away or lead them to false senses of their own spiritual power and moral success.  “Like an Avalanche” is a good counter-example to that issue of triumphalism, displaying consecration as Gospel-borne response:

Trading Your righteousness for shame
Despite all my pride and foolish ways…
Oh, take my life
Take all that I am
With all that I am I will love You

One other concern on the album is with some “Trinitarian confusion” in the song “Father” (I mention this issue in my article on my criteria for choosing worship songs.)  A problem exists in evangelical worship that shows up more than we’d like to admit.  There are times when our prayers or our songs can speak to or of one member of the Trinity about works or characteristics that really are attributed to another member.  In “Father,” the following is sung:

Father
Let heaven and earth collide in the endless wonder
Of Your love upon the cross

The collision of heaven and earth is most precisely a reference to the incarnation of Jesus, God the Son, the second member of the Trinity.  Furthermore, though the Father’s love was certainly present at the cross, “Your love upon the cross” is a phrase one would expect to be singing to God the Son.  But the whole chorus begins with the vocative, “Father,” indicating that what follows is addressed to Him.  Hillsong has an incredible international platform, and because of that, they must be aware that they have the privilege of teaching and conveying both spirituality and theology to a broad swath of the Church catholic.  Theological precision should be a high-priority analytical grid that they perpetually apply to their new material.  The scope of their influence demands it.

I thank God for Hillsong United.  Like never before, more tribes, tongues, and nations are unified in worship in ways previously unthinkable.  God is using them to stir hearts, to promote justice, and to form people into the image and likeness of Christ.  May God bear fruit for His kingdom through Aftermath.

Review of Matt Redman's new album, We Shall Not Be Shaken

Matt Redman, We Shall Not Be Shaken (August, 2009) Summary My recommendation is that worship leaders and worshipers alike should buy this album.  My three favorite songs, which I hope to use at my church, are “You Alone Can Rescue,” “How Great is Your Faithfulness,” and “Remembrance.” Overall Comments I must say I’ve been following Redman for a long time—since the late 90s.  His early albums were great. In the 2000s, Where Angels Fear to Tread was a powerful album for me, mostly because, well before it became famous, “Blessed Be Your Name” became a heart-song of mine as God took my wife and me through the valley of the shadow of death.  After Angels came Beautiful News, and I must admit that I was disappointed in it.  My expectations were probably too high, but too many songs seemed either unsingable, too bland, or attempting too much chordally/musically.  We Shall Not Be Shaken is, in my mind, a few large leaps back up “great worship album” hill. As I’ve said about every album Redman has put out, We Shall Not Be Shaken shows Redman to be a worship leader who actually reads His Bible.  His songs, while existential, are filled with Bible quotes, Scriptural allusion, and theological depth.  In this respect, he seems to be getting better with every subsequent album. The production on this album is great…better than previous collections.  There is a nice sonic variety within the pop/rock genre.  Electric guitars aren’t monochromatic.  Some songs are piano-driven rather than guitar-driven.  There are U2 and Coldplay overtones here and there, and I’m hearing a more noticeable use of sampling/programming/looping than what has been on previous albums.  There are more mid- and up-tempo songs (which, personally, I find harder to write [with any substance] than slower songs).  Redman’s voice has never been a flashy one.  In many ways, I view him as the Rich Mullins of modern worship, in the sense that his recordings are admired not because he’s a virtuoso vocalist but because he writes incredible texts.  And there’s something refreshing about a “straight up” vocalist every once in a while.  You can tell Redman is a worship leader rather than a performer.  (I like Brenton Brown’s recordings for a lot of those same reasons.) Gospel-Centered, and God-Centered I praise Redman and this album chiefly for its gospel-centeredness.  Too many worship songs ignore the gospel, probably because the whole concept of gospel-as-entrance-ticket (but not as our ongoing source of sustenance and sanctification) is still pretty prevalent in evangelicalism.  So, that Redman continually points to the life and work of Christ, and that he roots our worship in God’s finished work in Jesus, are necessary correctives/emphases for mainstream evangelical worship.  The album is a gospel-centered album. I also applaud Redman and this album for its God-centeredness.  There’s a lot of “You” and much less of “me.”  And any time there is “me,” it’s always set in the context of “You.”  Song after song exalts God’s greatness, faithfulness, and enduring love.  As John Witvliet has pointed out about the Psalms, Redman grounds praise in God’s attributes and His deeds.  Worship is not a mere mystical encounter with the force of the Divine, it is a recounting of the works of God in history, ushering forth an overflow of praise.  Bravo, Mr. Redman!  The title track, “We Shall Not Be Shaken,” repeats a mantra similar those used by Hillsong United lyricists: We shall, we shall not be shaken. But, unlike the self-triumphalism one sometimes finds in the texts of modern worship songs, Redman points back to the reason that we are not shaken: For You are, You are never changing. Our triumph is grounded in Christ’s.  I appreciate that Redman makes that explicit, because when it’s not, it has a subtle way of educating our congregations to be boastful in ourselves or to think that we’ve got the spiritual fortitude to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.  The theme of God’s triumph and what that means for us reverberates throughout many tracks on the album—our glory is only great as it is derivative of God’s. Even in Redman’s communion song, “Remembrance,” where it speaks of our remembrance leading us into worship, Redman is quick to point out: By Your mercy we come to Your table By Your grace, You are making us faithful What a great line! We’re only faithful because God made us so.  More God, less me.  Amen!  “Remembrance” is a great song for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (not enough modern worship songs are written for this sacred, vital act of Christian worship!).  Redman seems, too, to be stretching his theological boundaries, coming from the charismatic side of evangelicalism.  Probably more implicit than explicit, there are overtones of Christ’s real presence in the sacrament, in climactic lines such as: Lord Jesus, come in glory. One can understand this line from a Zwinglian, purely symbolic perspective by saying that Redman is just referring to how the table points to the wedding feast and that the request for Jesus to “come in glory,” is a longing for Jesus to come in the eschaton.  However, I think the context shows that Redman intended for this request to be a desired reality in the moment of Holy Communion.  In this instance, Redman sounds more Reformed than Pentecostal...though I'm definitely willing to admit to biased lenses.  So, for Redman, it seems that this song goes further than its title…communion is more than remembrance.  It is an encounter with the living Christ—albeit mysterious and veiled in the “how’s.”  An aside to this song:  I love the opening programming on “Remembrance;” it reminds me of some Radiohead song I can’t quite recall right now (I think it’s on Kid A). The Three Best Songs on the Album I have three favorites on the album, which I will not rank, because they are too fresh.  They’re merely in order of appearance.  The first is “You Alone Can Rescue.”  It’s a slow to mid-tempo song with a nice dynamic contrast.  The lyrics are singable and attainable.  I love it for its high view of God’s work in our salvation: all God, no me. The second favorite is “How Great is Your Faithfulness.”  It’s an accessible song in a steady, mid-tempo 6/8 beat.  It’s got a splendidly climactic chorus (the recorded key is probably a bit high for congregations…I’d probably set it in G at church).  Though he doesn’t mention the word “covenant,” the song is filled with covenantal overtones.  It points to God’s promises, His unfailing love and justice, His steadfast, unwavering will.  I love it! The third favorite is the aforementioned “Remembrance,” mostly because it puts a celebrative spin on Holy Communion (while still engendering reverence) and because I find myself in agreement with its apparent stance on the presence of Christ in communion (see above). Other Comments “For Your Glory” is a nice song to encourage dancing in congregations (still tough for me to encourage in my congregation whose history has engendered a lot of stiffness!).  It’s a 120-ish bpm up-tempo number.  Its chorus is grounded in the famous Psalm often used in Advent, Psalm 24: “Lift up your heads, O you gates, be lifted up you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” “My Hope” is exciting for me personally because Redman has set an old hymn (“My Hope is Built on Nothing Less”) to a new melody.  He’s replaced the standard chorus with a different one, equally beautiful, while a bit more personal.  The music in this song is epically exquisite—piano and strings.  With an interesting interplay of key-structure: verses are in G-minor and the choruses are in G-major (with a V of vi used to transition from minor to major).  Redman only uses two verses from the original hymn, but it would be easy to incorporate all the verses of Edward Mote’s original text.  The album ends on this song, which is a soft and beautiful “period” given to a beautiful set of songs. One Note, One Minor Error Don’t confuse “The More We See” with a song Redman sings that was hot on Christian radio a few months back, called, “King of Wonders,” which has the ending line, “the more we see the more we love You.”  This “The More We See” is a different song.  I don’t think it’s close to being the best on the album, but I wanted to point it out to any who might think that they’re getting “King of Wonders” when they’re not. There’s an error in the iTunes digital booklet.  The lyrics to “We Shall Not Be Shaken” were duplicated under “Through it All”…no doubt an editorial cutting and pasting issue.  Fortunately (and this isn’t always the case on recordings), the vocals are sung, EQ-ed, and mixed in such a way that the text is clearly audible and understandable.

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matt redman confesses to "girly" worship songs

This is impressive.  Matt Redman, upon reflection on Scripture, speaks quite candidly about modern worship's use of romantic love language.  He specifically mentions regret over the final line of the chorus of his famous song, "Let My Words Be Few," which says,

Jesus, I am so in love with you.

The reason this is impressive is because we have a truly humble man who is willing to admit that he's on a journey of greater depth of knowledge and insight.  It is also impressive because Redman is one of the top ten most recognized modern worship leaders and songwriters in the world. I also just want to say how big a fan I am of Redman, and why.  When modern worship was in its "fluff" heyday, which I would place around the mid to late 90s, Redman was carving a different path.  You look at his early albums in and just after that era (The Friendship and the Fear, The Heart of Worship), you really do get a sense that here we have a worship leader who reads his Bible.  Yes, early Redman was full of the romantic stuff, too, but there was substance.  My appraisal is that part of the reason we're seeing modern worship make a shift toward more biblical literacy, more God-centeredness, more theological depth, is because Redman paved the way.  I really can look at the "heavy hitters" of worship in that era, and I don't see many that were writing as Redman did.  Now, many more are. I haven't spoken directly about the topic at hand, i.e. modern worship's penchant for so-called "girliness," but much ink and HTML have already been spilt over that, so I leave it to my readers' comments.  I just think this video is remarkable.  And I thank God for humble public figures like Redman.

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the modern worship request to "see God's face"

"I want to see Your face."  That line and derivatives thereof are a common request in modern worship songs.  We are often telling God we want to see Him.  Some notables: "In the Secret," by Andy Park: "I want to touch You, I want to see Your face." "Better is One Day," by Matt Redman (albeit from Ps 27): "One thing I ask and I would seek, to see Your beauty." "Open the Eyes of My Heart," by Paul Baloche: "Open the eyes of my heart, I want to see You." "Show Me Your Glory," by Third Day: "Send down Your presence, I want to see Your face." I myself have added a refrain to Isaac Watts' great hymn, "Come, We That Love the Lord," which reads, We have come to give You praise Almighty God, lift up our gaze Lord, we long to see Your face Won't You come and fill this place? No doubt some of my theologically conscious worship-leading buddies, especially those in the hymns movement, are rolling their eyes...maybe even furrowing their brows.  Not only have I added to the already perfect hymn of the greatest hymn-writer, I've inserted some spurious theology, capitulating to the likes of mainstreamers like the four aforementioned songwriters. The seriousness of the request of seeing God/God's face/God's beauty/God's glory (they're all pretty much the same request) was first pointed out to me by Michael Horton in a book that was very formative for my theology of worship, entitled, In the Face of God. In it, he wrote,

Any aspect of worship that attempts to take the seeker into the Holy of Holies without going through the Mediator and the sacrifice leads to judgment. Israel's faith was filled with a sense of awe and respectful distance, fearful even to spell out the divine name. his reverence stands in sharp contrast to today's 'God is rad; he's my dad' informality. We must beware of scandalous familiarity with God. Perhaps we do not know him as well as we thought we did.*

This resonated in my soul at a time of life when my view of God's power, glory, and sovereignty was rapidly expanding, concurrent with my increasing dissatisfaction with how carelessly some in the modern worship camp seemed to approach Yahweh Sabaoth.  That was the early 2000's, and I'm happy to find modern worship nowadays being steered in a direction of higher praise, loftier theology, and a more transcendent Deity.  So why have I seemingly come full circle, to the point of inserting a "face request" in one of my own songs? (Ooh...just had a revelation of a new cheesy book title: The Bible: God's Facebook...actually there's a lot of analogical substance there...anyway.) The answer is that I find "face time" with God to be a scripturally sound concept: (1) marked as a blessing of the new covenant to be fully realized at the eschaton; (2) encouraged in portions of the old covenant, where one would think such talk would be banned. Job 33:26 He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God's face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state. ~Seeing God's face here is framed in a positive light. Psalm 11:7 For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face. ~Seeing God's face is a reward for (ultimately Christ's) righteousness.  We can conclude that we who are in Christ do and will partake of that reward. Psalm 17:15 And I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. ~Here the Psalmist seems to be speaking of the hope of the eschaton, and through a righteousness which is ultimately not his, but Christ's...nonetheless a moment of face-longing. Psalm 24:6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. ~Face-seeking is a positive thing, a habit esteemed and encouraged. Psalm 27:8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. ~Much like the previous, but an even bolder claim of commitment to seek His face. Hosea 5:15 Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me. ~Repentance and the pursuit of justice, mercy, and godliness is summarized in the concept of seeking God's face.  Seeking God's face is not only a good thing, it is the right thing. 1 Cor 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. ~I understand that interpretive directions could lead to a variety of ends, but given the rest of the "face talk" of scripture, I see warrant to interpret at least part of "face to face" as our face and God's face. 2 Cor 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Besides biblical quotations about seeking God's face, the modern worship request is backed by a biblical theology of the new covenant (see especially the book of Hebrews).  The veil is torn in the temple.  We have access to God's very throne-room through the meritorious blood of Jesus Christ.  So biblical soteriology (salvation theology) supports this kind of face talk. Christology (the study of the person of Jesus) also supports it, for in Him, we behold God incarnate, the face of the eternal One.  We read the eyewitness accounts of the gospel writers and of Paul, and by the Spirit we mysteriously behold the face of God through the Word of God. Sacramentology (a biblical understanding of the sacraments), at least for the Presbyterian/Reformed, Catholic, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox, also supports face talk.  For in the Lord's Supper there is a genuine communion between Christians and Christ (however that happens)--authentic "face time," seen and experienced with the spiritual eyes of faith (1 Cor 10:16). The biblical evidence, to me, is overwhelming.  Requesting and expecting the face of God not only seems to be allowable, but encouraged.  But, as Horton has reminded us, there's a scriptural balance of, in Matt Redman's words, "the friendship and the fear."  Depending on your disposition, you will be inclined toward one or the other, and your inclination will often cause you to subtly discount the other end of the spectrum.  Stately, fear-minded worshipers might scoff at face-statements as too brash, too disrespectful, too irreverent, too assuming.   Casual, face-seeking worshipers might balk at overly transcendent worship language as too distant, too cold, unworshipful, and mood-killing.  The reality, as in many instances, lies somewhere in between.  And perhaps a good marker of being somewhere in the middle is a fully authentic willingness to say or sing, "Lord, I want to see your face," while in the back of your mind remembering, "but I know that is a potentially dreadful and awesome request." Such balanced face-seeking in worship actually makes the face-seeking all the more rich and meaningful.  It ups the ante of the request instead of cheapening the manifest presence of the Almighty One.  It's my hope that we all can grow in seeking God's face together. ----------------------- *Michael Horton, In the Face of God (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1996), 16-17.

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lincoln brewster's "today is the day" needs theological precision

Lincoln Brewster's popular song "Today is the Day" seems like a flash in a pan.  I think its popularity has peaked (KLOVE plays seem to have lessened).  I have no doubt that churches are using it.  Brewster writes accessible, singable melodies and has a gift for crafting texts which are accessible and easy to remember.  He has given new vitality to a passage that is well-worn in Christian worship--Psalm 118:24 (though check out the TNIV's translational decision about this passage, which, if correct, means that this passage is saying something different than what we've thought).  The song seems to be putting lyrical feet to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding...," and that is always a welcome reflection in worship and the broader Christian life.  However, the first verse is theologically troubling: I'm reaching my hand to Yours Believing there's so much more Knowing that all You have in store for me is good Is good It's a simplification at best, and a distortion at worst, of a popular and powerful passage of Scripture: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Cutting to the chase, the thrust of this passage is quite different than Brewster has construed it.  To the contrary, not all that God has in store for us is good.  God just promises to work good in all things (be they good or bad).  This is a huge misunderstanding of this passage which has led to prosperity gospel thinking, crippling the church by stripping it of a theology of suffering.  Jesus prayed for the church, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one" (John 17:15). This and other countless passages let us know that trial and tribulation is something the church WILL experience (we're not going to be removed from the world and its suffering).  And trial and tribulation are NOT good.  Yet Romans 8 reveals that God can and does use them in the lives of His people for good ends. Trying to be fair to Brewster, I can think that perhaps Brewster has this in mind as he writes this verse.  "All you have in store for me is good," perhaps, is looking at the end after the trials.  However, this is so touchy and potentially damaging when misunderstood that it's not good to leave things fuzzy on this issue.  So I land a bit harder on Brewster than on "Mighty to Save" because the collateral damage is potentially much more devastating.  What would a new Christian do, upon believing this, with future trials?  I fear they would despair in their faith, believing God to be a liar. So my plea to my brother and colleague, Lincoln Brewster, is: Please rewrite this section. Please use it as a teaching point for the church.  Maybe run new potential songs by some pastors/teachers/theologians you trust to give honest feedback about the content before you publish and record. Given that my attempts at gaining permissions from major labels like Integrity's Hosanna! (Brewster's label and administrator) for lyric changes have all been denied, it doesn't appear I can use this song in our church.  I'm nervous about the misinterpretations that it could yield and, as a teacher (which all worship leaders are, whether they acknowledge it or not) being held accountable for giving bad food to God's sheep (James 3:1). Worship leaders, I humbly urge you to think critically about using this popular song in your worship services.

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Album Review of Tear Down the Walls / Across the Earth by Hillsong United

Hillsong United, Across the Earth: Tear Down the Walls (May 2009)

It’s been a pleasure to buy a copy of United’s latest work.  I’ve been processing it, listening to it in my car, and dialoguing with a few friends about it.  I’ve been looking on United’s site and reading some posts to get some context for its creation.  Thank you, Hillsong United, for another beautiful offering to our Father in heaven.

I would like to review the album with some positive comments and then some constructive feedback.  Hopefully it will bless the Church and worship leaders to be discerning about the songs they utilize in their worship services.

Positive Feedback:

What I love, more than anything else about Hillsong and Hillsong United recordings is their attempt to aurally capture the corporate worship setting.  The lead vocals are always very tucked, and one hears easily the swell of many voices (whether choir or congregation) coupled with lots of verb to give it that “in-house” feel (I know many of them are actually in-house and the reverb is actual house acoustics).  I also appreciate that they have an arsenal of different lead singers, helping play down the notion of a “celebrity frontman.”  Not every church has the resources to have multiple worship leaders and lead singers, but it’s a blessing when they do.

The musical production is outstanding.  It’s the unique, “signature” Hillsong sound, with creative electric guitar and synth work.  The electric guitar/synth line (at least that’s what I think it is) on the opening track has that beautiful tension of familiarity and uniqueness (oh, so enjoyable).

The album title is creative in its double-entendre, and therefore it’s a powerful umbrella to encapsulate a powerful album.

The best song on the album: “Desert Song.”  As a person who, even at a young age, has had to endure some heavy suffering, I have a tender spot in my heart for any song whose theme is, basically, “even when God has ordained suffering for me, yet I will praise Him.”  "Desert Song" does this.  More than that, "Desert Song" has a unique, yet singable melody and chord structure, and has a nice flow and movement.  We will be using "Desert Song" at our church.

Another great song: “Soon.”  The church needs more songs that focus on the eschaton.  We get so caught up in the now, and yet Christ’s resurrection and down payment of the Holy Spirit has sealed for us a future that we need to be continually aware of.  “Soon” does this.  Among modern worship songs, it is rare in its second-coming focus.  It’s a sweet, beautiful song.

(It’s interesting that the two songs I most like are sung by Brooke Fraser.  I can’t find who wrote these songs [come on Hillsong, don’t make it this hard], but my hunch is that she wrote these two.  Why?  She wrote “Hosanna,” which is full of biblical allusion and theological reflection.  And these two song seem to come from a similar mind.  In general, I find Fraser’s writing a cut above the other Hillsong lyricists.)

Constructive Criticism:

An overall observation of much of United’s material, across their many wonderful albums, is that their lyrics tend to be disjointed (logical coherence is one of my criteria for choosing worship songs...see my article on criteria).  From line to line, I sometimes have a hard time making the immediate logical connection.  I understand that some songs are intentionally “impressionistic” (such is the case with the hymn on our album, “Light After Darkness,” by Frances Ridley Havergal), but when it happens for much of the material, I have to pause and ask the question of how healthy it is for churches to speak to God with such hiccupped communication.  For instance, here’s verse 2 of “Freedom is Here:”

And everything comes alive
 In my life as we lift You higher Let Your freedom arise
 In our lives as we lift You up
 Sing it out
            Sing it out
 Your freedom is here

One CAN discern logical connection with all these phrases, but it’s just a bit haphazard and stream-of-consciousness.  Historically, that type of writing hasn’t made for strong and lasting worship songs.

Another overall observation of Hillsong United (and this may be more of an underlying theological difference between Assembly of God / Charistmatic theology and my convictions) is that they tend to be triumphalistic in their lyrics.   For instance in “More than Anything”:

Because I’ve seen Your light You bring my world to life I’m coming after Your love

(PRE CHORUS) I’m not shaken I’m not letting go

As I’ve said about “Mighty to Save,” I just can’t in good conscience before God sing the Pre Chorus lyrics sincerely.  Because I know, no matter HOW far I’m down the journey of sanctification, I still have times where I AM shaken.  I still do have times where I slip and DO let go.  I can’t claim that kind of triumph.  It should be my ideal, but I can’t sing them honestly.

In general, Hillsong United could stand to have more biblical depth (with exception being the writing of Fraser, as noted above).  There’s nothing wrong with experiential lyrics, but United often teeters on being experiential to a fault, to the neglect of other things.  Thinking of worship from a congregational nourishment perspective, I wonder how nourished the United congregations are.  I know they’re inspired and even transformed by fresh waves of the Spirit, but are they nourished?  Is the intellectual side of their faith being nurtured?  Are their heads engaged AS MUCH AS their hearts? 

(I Head Revolution…I Brain Revolution…that would be a cool graphic)

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"mighty to save" needs theological precision

"Mighty to Save" is now a well-worn mainstay in most evangelical churches of modern worship styles.  It's appeared repeatedly on CCLI's top lists.  And why not?  It's got all the trappings of a great worship song...singability, a resurrection-oriented chorus with stirring melodic rise, accessible chord progressions, driving rhythm to match the song's simlutaneous intimacy and explosion.  We use it in our church on a regular basis, and it's obvious that it's a favorite among our people (worship leaders know what I'm talking about when a song really gels with your community...it lights up the room). However, at Creek, we've chosen to amend the second verse, for reasons of theological precision.  The second half of that verse originally reads: I give my life to follow Everything I believe in Now I surrender We've changed it to: I'd given my life to follow Everything I'd believed in But now I surrender It's a subtle change...present tense to past tense (the pluperfect, to be precise).  And some of you will no doubt think we're being nit-picky here, but here's the rub for me with the original text.  It's a bit too triumphant and boastful for my taste, given that we're worshiping before a God who sees all--especially all the ways that we, even as blood-bought Jesus-followers, don't give our lives to follow Him.  Even more, "everything I believe in," apart from God's prior work to give me faith (faith is an extrinsic gift, according to Ephesians 2), is anti-God, anti-Jesus, faithless, and destitute.  If I truly "give my life to follow everything I believe in," I have to be honest that I'd head down the wrong road (think of the mantra of the book of Judges: "everyone did what was right in their own eyes"...scary).  I don't think the statement, as it stands, is theologically wrong (which is why I use the term "imprecise").  Many sing it genuinely as a kind of ideal to commit to, even knowing (like me) that they can't really live up to it.  It just strikes me as too triumphant for me to sing with an honest heart. So our emendation toward the past tense makes verse 2 more confessional, more humble, more needy--and before Yahweh's presence, that's the side I want to err on.  It exposes weakness as opposed to boasts strength.  It says, "I don't have the power...I need Yours, Lord." Worship leaders, if some of the songs you use cause some "theological itchiness," don't be afraid to amend the words.  Hymn-writers have been doing it for years with the nifty little tag "alt." (short for "altered").  And when congregation members ask why you hacked to pieces their favorite worship song, give them a humble reply, and use it as a pastoral-educational moment to infuse some biblical thought into life.

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