Music Mondays - Faith In Tension

One of the most valuable things I learned in seminary was that we must hold some seemingly opposite spiritual truths in tension. 
God is a God of love but also justice. 
God is fully sovereign but allows his creatures the freedom of choice.

Our modern, Western minds can't always handle that. But to the Middle Eastern perspective, it is totally normal that two things that do not really fit together can both be true.

This reality combined with some CCM radio listening inspired me to compile a list of Christian songs that reflect this 'faith in tension'.

A couple notes (feel free to skip if you just want to get to the songs):

• I decided to to stick to recent music only. To fish in a pool that considers all of Christian hymnody would be too much of an undertaking for the purposes of this author and his blog.
• I also decided to stick to Christian music.  There are some worthy options from those who don't identify as followers of Christ, but I wanted to keep the focus on Christians who are dealing with the tensions in their/our faith.
• I used my own rating system to rank the songs. I had three categories: Clarity of Tension, Theological Depth, and Overall Song Quality. I rated each song on Clarity of Tension (CT) on a scale of 1-10 based on how well the song communicated the tension or paradox it described. Theological Depth (TD) was also scaled 1-10 based on how significantly it grappled with heavy theological issues. Overall Song Quality (SQ) was only rated between 1-5 because I didn't want my musical preferences to get in the way too much. I also added a Bonus rating (0-2) as a sort of miscellaneous category to help break ties and account for additional aspects of each song.

We'll break down my top ten over the next two weeks. 
Here's #10-#6:

10. "Trust in You" - Lauren Daigle

 (Total Score - 20. CT: 8, TD: 8, SQ: 4, Bonus: 0)

Her voice carries this song, but don't underestimate the lyrics. A commitment to faith even if God doesn't work things out how we desire or hope? That's textbook Faith in Tension.

9. "Even If" - MercyMe

(Total - 20.5. CT: 9, TD: 7, SQ: 3.5, Bonus: 1)

This is a new song that got me thinking about this whole idea. It's like if "Blessed Be Your Name" and "What if I Stumble" - both songs on this list - had a baby song. Honest and real. It would probably have a higher score if it wasn't being overplayed on Christian radio right now. Bonus for a direct allusion to Daniel 3. 

8. "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" - Switchfoot

(Total - 22. CT: 8, TD: 8, SQ: 5, Bonus: 1)

This is one of the lesser known songs from one of the most well-known Christian bands of the 2000s.  It's an admission of brokenness and a cry for help. I gave it a bonus point because of the vivid lyrics and how packed they are with tension and dissonance.

7. "Blessed Be Your Name" - Matt Redman

(Total - 22.25. CT: 9, TD: 8, SQ: 4.25, Bonus: 1)

I must be old now because this is now a classic contemporary worship song. But it's one that still resonates. Given that it expresses the tension of faith, it's unique as a worship song. This is a great example of how a newer chorus can encourage God's people to think deeply in worship. Every line seems to challenge us with the commitment of praising God in all circumstances. Bonus point for being an original and for directly alluding to the story of Job.

6. "Wholly Yours" - David Crowder

(Total - 22.5. CT: 9, TD: 9, SQ: 4.5, Bonus: 0)

I remember seeing a T-Shirt or poster for this album by Crowder that had a rhino charging a little itty-bitty mouse. The tagline was "A Beautiful Collision: When God's divinity meets our humanity". I've had trouble finding evidence of said poster/t-shirt but the image always has stuck with me (why didn't I buy it at the time?!?). This song perfectly encapsulates that theme. 

Next week, our top 5.