Contrapuntal Theology
October 21, 2007
So for Transmission last week, we based our service on the passages in Matthew and Thomas in which Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say I am?” There are a variety of christologies present at Transmission – we have people who love Christianity and are proud to call themselves Christian, we have people who love Jesus and want to model their lives after him but who feel alienated or threatened by the term “Christian,” and we have people who are extremely skeptical of the ability of words, theology, and ideas to fully encompass God. With a group as diverse as this, we were more interested in asking the question than in coming up with a definitive answer.
After meditation, discussion, and prayer, we needed a song with which to end the ritual. Are there any songs about Christology that leave room for a diversity of theologies? I couldn’t think of any, so I asked j. Snodgrass to help me pen something.
We came up with a three-part chant, similar in style to Taize music. Instead of having multiple parts written in multiple languages, however, we wrote multiple parts in multiple theologies. Usually hymn lyrics assume that everyone present can agree to the same thing (or at least that they’ll temporarily sign on to the lyrics for the purposes of group singing). With this piece, on the other hand, we hoped that everyone would find a part they were comfortable singing, and that we can have a worshipful moment without making anyone sing anything that made them uncomfortable.¬† It was very successful.
If you like it, feel free to use it – click on the image above to download.