Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Rage and Race, Intersecting with the Bible and Music

Rage and Race, Intersecting with the Bible and Music

Last updated on: May 7, 2021 at 5:04 am by James F. McGrath

Rage and Race, Intersecting with the Bible and Music 2021-05-06T16:20:46-04:00 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.

I’ve been listening to the audiobook of Esau McCaulley’s Reading While Black. In it he offers a wonderful discussion of Psalm 137, musical settings of which I have mentioned here before. After helpfully categorizing the demand for mirth from those one has exiled and imprisoned, whose children and relatives one has murdered, as “psychological warfare,” McCaulley presents the presence of Psalm 137 in the canon as authorizing the oppressed to express their rage and hand it to God. It doesn’t authorize taking vengeance into one’s own hands, but it also ought to silence those who, from a place of privilege, try to silence the uncomfortable expressions of frustration and anger from those disadvantaged and oppressed by the status quo. This should be connected with the recent white reactions to the “Prayer of a Weary Black Woman” by Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes. What she wrote there is far less harsh than wishing that white Americans be enslaved, exiled, lynched, slurred, beaten, and mistreated. White American Christians are given in this prayer a toned-down version of what it might be like to hear Psalm 137 as a Babylonian. rather than to sing it as an Israelite. Most couldn’t handle it, objecting strongly that it was inappropriate to express frustration in that way. The presence of Psalm 137 in the Bible should offer a clear rebuke. The Bible authorizes the expression of rage in prayer. It does not authorize the oppressors or their descendants to use piety as a basis for demanding that their victims not express their rage to God. Psalm 137 is part of the canon. The Babylonian response is not.

New to YouTube: “This is a recording of “Opera and Christianity: Grace, Faith, and Miracles,” the 2021 Spring Theology Lecture at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. The lecture was delivered on April 20, 2021, by Ms. Desirée Mays, a renowned lecturer with the Metropolitan Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, and other opera companies across the country. The operas that were discussed included Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise, Pizzetti’s Murder in the Cathedral, Massenet’s Thaïs, Puccini’s Suor Angelica, and Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites. The lecture was hosted by The Rev. Dr. Patrick Cheng, the Theologian in Residence at Saint Thomas Church.”

John Rutter blogged about the music at the funeral for Prince Philip:

Did they mention the music?

Here’s a Psalm setting I only just discovered recently, by Uroš Krek:

Also on the Bible and music:

The Gathered Redeemed

Never on a Sunday : Psalm 2, clash of God and kings

Bob MacDonald on Makarisms (Beatitudes) in Psalms, Psalms 1-3 (plus a separate post on “you are my son” in Psalm 2), Psalm 11, Psalm 12, Psalm 82, Psalm 83, Psalm 98, Psalm 99, and Psalms 2 and 149 (as well as Jonah and climate with a hint of music, and Lamentations 5)

Commentary on Psalm 46 and commentary on Psalm 47

Etti Ankri sings the Psalms

Helen Leneman has a new book about musical explorations of the story of Judith

New book on music in ANE religions

Signal Musicians in Roman Legions

Kenneth Leighton’s Fantasy on an American Hymn Tune

Theodicy in visual art and music, in particular Handel

Longtime Indianapolis pianist helps preserve church hymns for future generations to enjoy

Black Like Jazz: Imagining a World Without Police

Do We Deprive Music of Its Mystery by Writing About It?

Joshua Albrecht, Kent State University – Music and the Language of Emotion

Bob Dylan: Still Slipping In and Out of Time

ProDeum – Crestinul clasic contemporan, primul episod

Hebrews set to music by Psallos:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/biblical-theology-set-music-hebrews-psallos/

Previous Post

May 6, 2021

Open Call: AcademFic Volume 2 (2021)

Next Post

May 8, 2021 #CFP Participatory Culture Wars: Controversy, Conflict and Complicity in Fandom

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