Delvyn Case: Jesus in Pop Music

Homebrewed Christianity Podcast

I am pumped to have Dr. Delvyn Case on the podcast! What happens when a professional composer and theology nerd chronicles all the appearances of Jesus in Pop music? Well, you end up with a really cool project exploring the spiritual questions of our secular age. In this conversation we discuss his project and then dig into some secular Advent / Christmas tunes.

Dr. Case is a composer, conductor, scholar, performer, concert producer, and educator based in Boston and on faculty in the music department at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts.

What is the Jesus in Pop Music Project?

From “Jesus, Take the Wheel” to “Jesus Walks”, Jesus has appeared in hundreds of songs by (secular) pop musicians over the past 50 years. Whether written by believers or atheists, all of these songs seek to answer the oldest questions in Christianity: who was Jesus, what was his message, and why is he important?

Though not intended for Christians, these songs provide us with unique opportunities to explore our faith in ways that are contemporary, relevant, and spiritually valuable.

The website includes an introduction to this fascinating phenomenon, Spotify playlists for each collection of songs, a searchable database of all 500+ songs, an online form that allows you to submit additions to this list, and links to more information about the project.

The Secular Advent / Christmas Playlist

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