Substantive contemporary worship music: “an enormously powerful witness to the gospel”
Ronald Wells, Calvin College professor of history and the current Calvin Worldview Lecturer, shared this story with us in response
to our Vital Worship feature story entitled “Contemporary Music Matures”:
In my work as The Calvin Lecturer this year, one of my presentations is “History, Memory and Hope: Stories of Grace and Reconciliation from Northern Ireland.” I don’t always use this story, but I thought youd like it. In 1996 and 1998 (for my book, People Behind the Peace) I spent a couple of weeks at each of the major residential peace and reconciliation centers in Northern Ireland, one each drawn from Catholic, Presbyterian and Anglican traditions. The Anglican one, The Christian Renewal Centre, is a bit overly charismatic in its style to suit me; but I was there to be a participant observer, and not to insist on my own way, so I pitched in. On one particularly moving instance, the Centre had an open day when people who had experienced the violence of The Troubles could come and tell their stories. And, since they were Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, it was a safe place to hear each others stories and to find forgiveness, reconciliation and closure.
At the end of the afternoon meeting, all were asked to stand and face the wall of windows looking out at Carlingford Lough, which separates Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland. Out in the lough we could see a warship of the Irish navy, placed there because terrorists often smuggled guns through there. We were instructed to raise one arm, left if we were Protestants, right if we were Catholics. Then we were to find a person with the hand opposite to our own and clasp it. We stood in the British part of Ireland and looked out at the Republic, and we, hand in hand raised, sang Graham Kendriks’ Shine, Jesus, Shine. It was a deeply affecting moment for all present as we sang: “Shine, Jesus shine, fill this land with the Fathers glory; Blaze, Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire; Roll, river roll, flood the nations with grace and mercy; send forth your Word, Lord, and let there be light.”
A song like that, with something to say, and in the right setting, can be an enormously powerful witness to the gospel. No one would accuse it of being gospel-lite. I am grateful that there are writers like Kendrick and Parry out there, and that your Institute is providing a forum for such good work to be studied. Thanks for letting me share the story.
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