Can God's Music Rock as Much as the Devil's?

When you think of Rock & Roll, Psychedelia, and the Hippy movement of the 1960s, Christianity is a term that one would be unlikely to associate. Although a multitude of faiths were adopted by artists during this period, from George Harrison's devotion to the Hare Krishna's & Paramahansa Yogananda, Cat (Yusuf Islam) Stevens' conversion to Islam, or the Paganistic undertones of Pentangle, Christianity's influence on music is largely unconsidered. Despite acts such as Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Don McLean being prominent men of the Christian faith during this time, their religious leanings have become rather overshadowed by their own celebrity.

Although many of us would consider the defining characteristic of the Hippy movement to be that of chemical experimentation, with cohorts of youths deciding to follow the words of Timothy Leary and decide to 'Turn on, tune in, drop out', another group would too consider these words, although in a very different fashion.

Whilst The Summer of Love (1967) had promoted the ideals of 'peace, love, and happiness' it is certainly debatable whether these principles were upheld in practice. With as many as 100,000 people descending on the streets of San Francisco, particularly the neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury, major issues began to arise. Overcrowding, crime, sexually transmitted diseases, and drug-abuse would ultimately become rife within the city.

The problems became so bad that the leading hippie paper, ‘The Oracle’ advised anyone interested in coming to San Francisco to forget the ‘flowers in their hair’ in favor of bringing along a sleeping bag, warm clothes and money. - The Conversation:‘Jesus People’ – a movement born from the ‘Summer of Love’

The Jesus Revolution

The Jesus Movement began on the West Coast of the United States during the mid-sixties, later subsiding in the Reagan years. They were a counter-culture responding to another, upholding the foundational tenets of simple living and asceticism, emphasized within Hippy culture, whilst calling for a denunciation of its sexual promiscuity and drug use.

However, the Jesus Movement were not purely attempting to break down the creed of the 'outsider' but conjointly that of their own establishments. The group challenged deep-rooted conceptions on the purpose and function of the Church, promoting a restorationist approach, seeking to return to earlier Christendom and individual spirituality. The movement involved both mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics, connected through their championing of supernatural experiences, as is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied' - Acts 19:6 (KJV)

The Jesus Movement both rejected and embraced components of each group. They formulated both a more liberal Christian approach and established certain 'conservative' values within the beatnik community.

The Jesus People:

The music of the 'Jesus People' or 'Jesus Freaks' would parallel that of the contemporary artists of the time. A combination of both modernity and traditionalism can be heard in many of the tracks, intertwining old-school church organs & choirs with narration, leitmotifs, and wrangling guitars in the background, as can be heard in Pastor John Rydgren'sAn Offering in Music.

In the middle of swirling light, and driving sounds,a man stood by his drums, cymbals, guitars, and amplifiers.And he said without saying words: 'Lord I offer my music to you, loud and soft sounds, a distortion, the emotion of my sound... I offer to you.'And God said: 'Do you know what you are saying, if you give me your music you are giving part of yourself as well, for your music is you'And the man said: 'I'd give my music to you lord'And then God said:'Then I will receive it and I will bless you and your music for it is the creation of your hand, it is you, and you give it to me, and it shall be received and honored in all heaven, for your offering pleases me.And the man played his music and many listened and many enjoyed... and the man was glad.

The Pastor offers a psychedelic trip through verse, providing an evocative narrative that is reminiscent both in style and tonne to that of Richard Burton's narration within Jeff Wayne's, The War of the Worlds (1978). Where the Pastor succeeds, in comparison to many religious musical works, is in both its contemporary composition and indirectness. Now, from an initial listening, one may think that this track is anything but indirect. However, the placid nature of Rydgren's voice enables the work to not come across as a Pastor preaching to his local congregation but rather that of the storyteller. Furthermore, the characterization of God within the narrative is not that of the vengeful, Old Testament God but rather one of kindness. Were it not for the indicated faith of the songs creator we could indeed consider this god to be one of pagan ancestry, or for that matter from any other religion, for there is very little to pin to this god to any singular faith particularly. And it is for this precise reason that this song, and the others compiled on the Silhouette Segments album succeed. The secular tonne of the work enables accessibility to all listeners, rather than just for those of one faith or sect. The song transcends its original context and becomes a metaphysical journey, questioning ideas such as, arts communicative ability, with verses like 'And he said without saying words' and 'if you give me your music you are giving part of yourself... for your music is you'. These philosophical contemplations are relatable no matter what faith (or lack of) the listener is part of.

During the 1960s Sister Irene O'Connor was staying in Singapore, travelling across South-East Asia in order to complete a variety of different missions on behalf of the Catholic Church. During this period she met Sister Marimil Lobregat, who was passing through the state, heading towards Indonesia. The two sisters started a friendship that would be re-kindled in the 1970's when they found themselves together once again in a convent, Sydney's Point Piper. The two nuns would record the album Fire of God's Soul (1973)which would be sold in Australia and the U.S, however, the record has only ever sold in small numbers.

[Chorus]Fire, FireBurning, Warming Cold HeartsGlowing, Purifying, ShowingWhere Man Kind Can Find True PeaceWhere Man Kind Can Find True Peace

[Verse 1]Christ Came To Rain Down Fire On The EarthThe Fire Of God's Nothing Brought To BirthIndeed This Spot Would Be A Sorry PlaceWithout This Fire Embracing Every Race

[Chorus]Fire,FireBurning, Warming Cold HeartsGlowing, Purifying, ShowingWhere Man Kind Can Find True PeaceWhere Man Kind Can Find True Peace

[Verse 2]In Every Human Heart A Grave LiesTo Find The Perfect Being For Whom It SighsSo Christ Revealed This Truth To You And MeOur Hearts Were Made To Love Eternally

[Chorus]Fire,FireBurning, Warming Cold HeartsGlowing, Purifying, ShowingWhere Man Kind Can Find True PeaceWhere Man Kind Can Find True Peace

[Verse 3]So Keep This Little Thought In Mind My FriendExistence In This World Is Not Our EndWill Past Protect Your Life One Day To ShareGod's Endless Love Of Life Beyond Compare

[Chorus]Fire,FireBurning, Warming Cold HeartsGlowing, Purifying, ShowingWhere Man Kind Can Find True PeaceWhere Man Kind Can Find True Peace

The titular track "Fire" possesses an incredibly haunting quality. Here the God we are shown is not one of mercy, kindness, or indeed friendship but one that rains "down fire on the earth." Whilst I stated that the success of the last track was largely due to its inclusive nature, the success of this one is due to quite the opposite. Here, we are left mesmerized through the hypnotic quality of the piece, the soft and sweet voice of Sister Irene O'Connor washes over us like a dream, and therefore we are somewhat unaware of the danger that is told in this song. Not only will Christ "rain down fire on the earth" but this is "God's nothing brought to birth." This retelling of The Revelation is chilling, presenting the dichotomy of our own apocalypse, for as Sister Irene O'Connor tells it, it is one of great fire and destruction, yet is "Purifying"... "Warming Cold Hearts". Now I can't tell if this is reassuring, presenting Doomsday as a toasty campfire, where we all sing Woody Guthrie's, "This Land is Your Land"whilst roasting chestnuts, or if Sister O'Connor's sweet tune is one of the most unsettling out there. Whether or not this "Existence In This World Is Not Our End" we shall never know, however, what is certain is that Fire of God's Soul (1973) is one strange album.

'And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,' - Revelation 13:13 (KJV)

Below I have included a number of songs and artists that I believe are worth listening to and investigating. This is a genre of music that is highly unexplored and there are certainly many, many more treasures to find. Please feel free to use this as a space to post any artists, albums, songs, or information so that we can all discover more together and learn to an even greater extent the wonders of this weird and wonderful period.