Neal Morse, Sola Gratia

Last updated on: September 28, 2020 at 5:17 am by James F. McGrath

Neal Morse, Sola Gratia 2020-09-25T18:28:19-04:00 James F. McGrath

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Having wrapped up a number of other writing projects, I return my attention to two that lie at the intersection of religion and music: the Bible and music textbook and the book on theology and progressive rock. For a brief moment I wondered whether I still had anything to say on the topic.

Then I listened again. To Genesis, Rush, and ELP. Songs incredibly familiar yet always invigorating to hear again.

I listened to interviews as the musicians whose work I admire spoke of their motivations and experiences–or neglected to reveal anything related to my constant questions about the influence of the Bible, classical mythology, and contemporary concerns on their engagement with matters that are either profoundly theological or at least intersect with theology.

And I listened to Neal Morse’s latest album. Morse is one of the key figures in the current progressive rock scene, drawing heavily on the classic roots of the genre and yet always doing so in his own signature style and in a manner that is recognizably his.

So what do I make of the new album? I’ve dabbled a bit in the writing of historical fiction related to the Bible recently, and had ideas for musical explorations of some of the stories, often in ways that are subversive, almost amounting to what might be placed in the genre of “alternative history.”

Morse, on his album Sola Gratia, follows his exploration of the story of Martin Luther with an attempt to get inside the head of Paul the Apostle, beginning before he became a Christian. There are always risks in such an endeavor. Yet there is also much interesting potential. Morse’s lyrics reflecting the pre-Christian Saul’s outlook came across as preachy even as they are preaching from a stance that I am supposed to resist and distance myself from. This makes for a fascinating effect and impact, theologically. What does it mean if Saul the Pharisee sounds like the classic examples of conservative Christian preaching at its best or worst depending on whether you are a fan or detractor?

The album’s feel shifts dramatically, musically and lyrically, as Saul finds himself rethinking his earlier stance even as he insists that “I will never change my mind.” This resonates with my own experience of dogmatism in general and with thinking about Paul in relation to the broader topic of religious conversion. Saul’s turnaround is usually depicted, like so many others, as having no precursors or premonitions. This is done with the intention of portraying it as something explicable only in terms of divine intervention and not involving anything human or psychological. Yet as those of us who have had profound religious experiences know, however much we initially resist the suggestion that our experience was “psychological,” insisting that it was purely “spiritual,” human life, including our spirituality and religiosity, does not stay in any of the categories we try to impose. Saul is still dogmatic and yet haunted. He might not have recognized it at the time. But how would he have seen it with the benefit of hindsight? As Saul sings about the potential of one’s opponents to be “seemingly sincere,” the Christian looks at the opponent of their faith looking at them with a critical gaze, soon to change his mind, but also asking us to consider whether we too might not be seemingly sincere, persecuting others while being misguided ourselves. The final track has a feel that is reminiscent of contemporary Christian music and so at once invites the listener steeped in that genre to relate to Paul at the end of his journey, and to connect their faith with Paul’s journey, and yet at the same time to notice the process that led there more than many Christian worshippers tend to. Christian faith does not simply drop down from the sky, it emerges out of historical and human processes, including the life of Paul. The final track, having seemed to settle into the genre of the worship song, returns to the cadences of prog, interweaving the two, creating an experience that is simultaneously one of culmination and one that unsettles. The ending is calm and yet points onwards as though it could easily have continued and its unfinished story is one that we ourselves must (or at least are invited to) complete.

This is my take on the musical and lyrical journey as a whole: The album intentionally alienates the listener stylistically and lyrically only to turn with a prophetic finger in its second half and say, “thou art the man,” or more inclusively and more appropriately contemporary, “you’re the one I’m talking about.” (This is of course my opinion, my impression as listener. I don’t know whether I’ll ever get the chance to ask Morse if my impression corresponds to his intentions.) As an album about Paul the exploration of his life and experience is fascinating. What is perhaps most unexpected, however, is that the album managed to also be existentially and spiritually challenging. Even music that is theologically interesting does not always manage that. This album does, at least for me on my first listen to it. Give it a try and let me know what your experience of it is.

Here are some other perspectives on Morse’s latest album and his work more generally:

Sola Gratia: The “Prog” Foolishness of Neal Morse

Neal Morse: Sola Gratia [Album Review]

Prog Report review

Sonic Perspectives review

Here is an interview with Neal Morse about this album that emerged out of the context of pandemic lockdown:

Previous Post

September 27, 2020

#CFP The Image of Religion & Political Theology in Contemporary Pop Culture

Next Post

September 29, 2020 Psephology

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Corinthians 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Samuel 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy academia Acts of the Apostles afterlife Akhaten Alcatraz American Academy of Religion Amos Anglican Arabic Aramaic archaeology art artificial intelligence astronomy atheism atonement Babylon 5 Baptists Battlestar Galactica Bible Biblical Studies Carnival biblioblogging Black Mirror Blade Runner Book of Job book review Buddhism Call for Papers China Christianity Christmas Christology Chronicles Coptic creation Daniel Deuteronomy Doctor Who Dune Easter Ecclesiastes economics education Eldad Keynan Enoch Seminar Ephesians eschatology Esther Evangelicals evolution Exodus Expanse Ezekiel Ezra fantasy Fringe fundamentalism Galatians games Ge'ez genealogy Genesis Gnosticism Gospel of Jesus' Wife Gospel of John Gospel of Judas Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Peter Gospel of Thomas Greek Harry Potter Hebrew Hebrews Hinduism historical Jesus history Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Holidays horror Hosea humor incarnation India inerrancy information literacy inspirational Intelligent Design Ireland Isaiah Islam Israel Italy James Jeremiah John the Baptist Jonah Joshua Judaism Jude Judges Judith Lamentations languages Latin Leviticus libraries literature Lord of the Rings LOST Mandaeans Mandaic memes Methodism Micah monotheism morality Mormons movies music mythicism NASSCAL Nehemiah new perspective New Testament news Numbers Orthodox paganism panentheism pantheism Patheos Paul and his letters Pentecostals Philippians Philippians 2:6-11 philosophy physics Planet of the Apes podcast politics Progressive Christianity Protestantism Proverbs Psalms pseudoscience racism religion Revelation Roman Catholicism Romania Romans Ruth scams science science fiction Secret Gospel of Mark Society of Biblical Literature Song of Songs Star Trek Star Wars Stargate Swahili Syriac Taoism technology Terminator The Handmaid's Tale The Hobbit The Matrix theodicy theology theory Timeless Titus tomb Torchwood travel TRON Uncategorized United Kingdom Westworld X-Files young-earth creationism Zechariah

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 February 2007 January 2001

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz