It began with a picture of the Tower of Babel on Facebook.
Here was Dutch Renaissance painter Abel Grimmer’s depiction of Genesis 11 with the title of the band Leeland’s latest album: City of God. I was intrigued. Why had this Grammy-nominated Christian band mixed Augustine’s arguably most famous work with a picture of what Augustine described as its antithesis? I decided to delve deeper.
This album is not your typical offering of a Christian band, serving up a menu of songs that you might want to try out in your church. Indeed, the publicity that accompanied the release of the album back in February proclaims the album in florid Christian-ese as ‘a fearless exploration of a pastoral and prophetic voice of worship where songs are sung together and over the people of God.’ In other words, Leeland have a musical message for the church.
And it is a timely message of encouragement to keep following Jesus. Wrapped in urban gospel stylings (with perhaps some slight hints of Coldplay), there are songs that tenderly console the Christian who feels downtrodden or mocked by a godless world. There is even a song,‘Fall of Dagon’, with a note of judgment on idol worship. The whole album is soaked in Scripture. You are never left waiting more than a few lines before you bump into a quotation or paraphrase straight out of the Bible.
Granted, this album is from a more charismatic corner of Christianity than I suspect many of the readers of Evangelicals Now would normally frequent. You will encounter turns of phrase that might feel a little alien or uncomfortable if you’re not familiar with this subculture. And the album is certainly not beyond criticism. Just as they play fast and loose with Augustine for a striking (but not wholly unwarranted) album cover, Leeland occasionally play fast and loose with Scripture. For example, the track ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ employs a rather questionable take on Genesis 28 in an otherwise great song saying how awesome it is to follow Jesus. More generally, unless you are a diligent student of the Bible, you will struggle to catch the fundamental message of each song, making it less accessible to those outside the church or new to the faith.
However, there is much to be applauded. The concept of this album is timely, the cover might be controversial on the surface, but is actually a very smart summary of the album’s theme. My hope is that it will inspire more bold Christian artistry that builds up the church in exciting and creative ways.
