Mini-research project on Christian theology in music

One point of doing this project is to develop some skill in picking up clues about how theological points of view work.  This requires paying attention to the details of how things are expressed, what concepts are key, what emphases are left out.

Another point of the project is to emphasize that Christian music flows out of and expresses theology.  This doesn't mean that the theology is well-thought-out, or that all Christian music expresses the same ideas.

The project:

Using material from at least four different "Christian" songs or hymns (ancient, traditional, or contemporary), look for theological emphases found in these pieces.  Describe a few of these in a few sentences, resulting in a mini-report of at least a page in length.  You might want to just focus on two or three themes that stood out in your research.  Identify the sources of the theological claims you are describing by giving the titles of the songs or hymns you are using.

Look for the main Christian claims expressed by the lyrics.   

Note:  Do NOT write about the style or quality of the the music, or about the musical ability of the performers.  It is not important whether you liked the songs, or whether you agreed with anything they said.  Focus just on their theological commitments.  Look for key concepts and beliefs involving those concepts.  E.g.,

    God, Jesus, Bible, church, salvation, resurrection, doubt, certainty, inquiry, faith, truth

Pay attention to the ways such concepts are utilized, and how they might be connected to each other.  Some of the claims made by the songs might not be expressed explicitly -- they might only be implied.

Go on the basis of what is said by the lyrics, not on the basis of what you happen to think Christians ought to believe.

Links:

It is possible to do this project by relying on Web sites put up by various groups, or by listening to Christian radio stations, or by using music you already own or have access to at a church.  However, if you prefer an easy Web source to use, here is a link to a site that provides free legal downloads of all sorts of independent artists' work:

           www.musicianmp3.com/playlists.cfm    (NOTE: this site may be blocked to you if you are using ISU web services because of the heavy demands placed on the system from music downloads.)

After clicking this link, select "Christian" or "Christian rock" from the page, and you will be shown a list of maybe 10 songs you can choose from.  These will not be from famous artists, but they should serve the purpose, especially if you can find some that have lyrics you can understand!

There are at least three more-or-less local "Christian contemporary" music radio stations.  WCIC at 98.9 FM is available live on the Web at

        www.wcicfm.org

Is this one also blocked from ISU??

More about what to look for in the songs:

You are looking for theological claims.  Try to make the claims as specific as can be, based on whatever the lyrics say.  Claims should be in the form of declarative statements.  It doesn't matter whether you believe these statements to be true or silly.  Take a look below--   

It is possible that the statements implied by one song contradict statements implied by a different song.  There are a considerable number of disagreements about theology within Christianity.

(If you adhere to a religious tradition that does not like to write or speak the word, "God", it is fine to use one of the standard ways of working around this problem.)