Theology Made Painless by Music

For my musical friends:

Maybe you all know this guy and I’m last on the train, but if not, I “discovered” him on Moody today and wow, what an eye-opener, I mean ear-opener! His name is Dr. Jeremy Begbie – a theologian and classical pianist who has been exploring not how the arts can REPRESENT spiritual themes for that would require understanding the spiritual question first, but instead how music particularly, and the arts in general, can be a language we intuitively understand that can help us understand the Spiritual reality in the first place.

Music helps us understand God as Trinity – 3 notes occupying the same musical space working in harmony, enhancing each other, resonance filling out the sensation. I tried to find the whole original in which he goes on to talk about how he uses this technique with Atheists to great effect and how a little church orchestra in a large cathedral in England was able to “grasp” a Bible passage (John the Baptist in the wilderness with Jesus coming to be baptized) through music in ways reading the text would never have allowed – challenging and fascinating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2u20RxqPvo

In this discussion, he uses music again to show how a throw-away, poor piece of music can become a masterpiece and analogously how a worn out, throw away life can become something of great beauty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlR3bOsoAdA

Too incredible not to share. Thank you Lord, for the mind of this man who can reach my sometimes-hard-heart with your fresh inspiration and understanding. Praise and Glory to you.
Yours in Christ,
Brian