Music
When I was growing up, my father had a rather extensive collection of 78 RPM records, the ones made of shellac in the first half of the twentieth century before vinyl took over. […]
Across the kitchen, the Voyager
Golden Record revolves.
In his rocket ship pajamas,
a toddler tiptoes, watching. […]
Diagnosis Modern ethics—in the broad sense of “ethics since Kant,” in the narrow sense of “the notion of ethics that people now living have absorbed,” and in whatever other meaning of the term you might care to adopt—is not doing so well. A diverse chorus of witnesses (including G. K. Chesterton, Franz Kafka, Dorothy Sayers, […]
A Song for the Lonely Alberto Anguzza is a musician, not a medical professional. Nevertheless, many identified him as a sort of hero in the early days of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While Italy was on strict lockdown, Anguzza, a trumpeter, went out onto the balcony of his apartment in Trapano, Sicily, and offered a […]
TRANSLATED BY JOHN BIRCHENSHA Johann Heinrich Alsted (1588–1638) was a professor of philosophy and theology at Herborn and, late in his life, at the University of Weissenburg. He was also a deputy to the Synod of Dort. More a compiler and codifier, his writings range very widely, including a philosophical encyclopedia and large theological treatises, […]
If it was good enough for Isaac Watts, then it’s good enough for me.” I didn’t come right out and say it, but I came close. I certainly was not going to attempt writing a new hymn; none was needed. Over two decades of writing and speaking about singing and liturgy, I’ve been accused of […]
“Christians exist in an alternative chronology. The church has its own time.” — Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary Once upon a time, the Christian community did not orient its life around the seasonal calendar of winter, spring, summer, and fall. Of course, daily labors were rightly organized around the planting and harvest times, but […]
Jeremy Begbie, the Thomas A. Langford Research Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School, is perhaps the foremost Christian thinker on the interactions between the arts, theology, and philosophy. Having trained extensively as both musician and theologian, he is uniquely qualified to discuss these interactions in a serious and fulsome way. Instead of addressing surface-level […]
On Christmas Day some years ago, a dear saint in her eighties sat at our fireplace and regaled us with stories of what it was like to be a Christian in twentieth-century America. The conversation took a melancholic turn as she described the problems in the Reformed communions of which she had been a part. […]
The Christmas season is a time for music. It would be difficult to think about the traditions surrounding this time of the year without having the familiar songs echoing in our ears. Unfortunately, a lot of mediocre songs have crept into the repertoire of this holiday season. “Frosty the Snowman” and “I’m Dreaming of a […]
Let’s set the context, I promise you ”it’s not complex So far, Paul has been explaining why God’s vexed Mad at us, His wrath is Just, we lack trust Blasphemous, even though we know it’s hazardous Chapter one, verses eighteen to thirty-two He talked about our great schemes and the dirt we do He said […]
Modern Reformation editors wanted to take a look at how hip-hop artists are exploring the life and ministry of Christ in their work. We were privileged to chat with Shai Linne on justification, racial reconciliation, and Kanye West. Shai Linne has appeared on numerous independent and national Christian hip-hop releases, including his 2005 full-length debut, […]
Once upon a time, being a Big Star fan was like knowing a secret handshake. You knew something that others didn’t, and to meet a fellow fan was to meet a new friend. This is no longer the case. Nearly forty years after they initially broke up, and despite the fact that three of the […]
In the minds of Christians who appreciate classical music, whether as performers or simply as listeners, perhaps no figure so fully epitomizes what it means to be a "Christian composer" or a "Christian musician" as does Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). While Lutherans can most legitimately claim Bach as their own’the composer was a part of […]
You're pregnant! It's a boy!" This is one of the sweetest reports a woman can receive in her life. The notice that she is going to be a mother, to have a child of her own, is a potent joy. These tidings were like angels singing to Eve after Abel was stolen from her. It […]
