God in Sound and Silence: Music as Theology

Music by its indeterminate levels of meaning poses a necessary challenge to a theology bound up in words. Its distinctive nature as temporal and embodied allows a unique point of access to theological understanding. Yet music does not exist in a cultural vacuum conveying universal truths but is a part of the complex nature of human lives. This understanding of music as theology stems from a conviction that music is a theological means of knowing: knowing something indeterminate yet meaningful. This is an exploration of the means by which music might say something otherwise unsayable and in doing so allow for an encounter with the mystery of God. Believers unanswered questions often lead to them becoming confused Christians. Written in an informative and engaging manner this book answers many of those questions. Readers will join the author on a journey of learning more about the Christian faith. This book will be a valuable asset to pastors teachers and other ministry leaders who find themselves wanting to share the faith in ways that are understood by all. --Marsha Brown Woodard Director of Supervised Ministries Palmer Theological Seminary This is a brave creative and necessary book. Music and theology so interweave as to make a theology more embodied and our embodiment in music an anticipation of ultimate resurrection. --Anthony Kelly Professor of Theology Australian Catholic University How does music make theological meaning? Danielle Lynch listens carefully to specific musical works in their contexts to theologies of music and to theologies of popular culture to develop a nuanced and perceptive account of theology in music--in which the listener has a central role. Her work in turn deserves attentive listening and creative responses from anyone interested in the relationships between theology culture and the arts. --Rachel Muers Senior Lecturer in Christian Studies University of Leeds Danielle Lynchs God in Sound and Silence explores the revelatory potential of the embodied experience of music. Unpacking the notions of transcendence sacramentality and liminality she brings key theological figures into dialogue with current thought on culture and the contextual nature of musical meaning. This framework bears fruit in her insightful exploration of major pieces of music from the classical romantic and modern eras with the Requiem as a golden thread. --Maeve Heaney Musician Lecturer in Theology Australian Catholic University Danielle Anne Lynch is Director of Mission at St Augustines College Cairns and a member of the Australian Catholic Theological Association. Her doctorate on a theology of music was awarded by the University of Leeds in 2015.