The Worship Review

Like many advent hymns, this song ponders the first coming of Christ while looking earnestly toward the second coming. Tune in to hear our discussion of the prophecies surrounding Christ's birth, the prevalence of the King James Version of the Bible in so many hymns, and the multiple meanings of "Israel". 

Our Christmas special continues as we look at a new version of 'O Come All Ye Faithful' and discuss whether Jesus is the 'King of Angels', the songs missing second verse and time travel. Here is a link to the 'missing' verse: https://hymnary.org/hymn/CWH2021/354

Once again we are looking at Christmas music on the Worship Review. This week we discuss the Advent Police, the concept of Original Sin, the hypostatic union, post-processing of audio, and another telltale sign of Christian music enunciation. We also look at the word noël more closely and identify some other words which are permitted only in Christmas music.

Did the angels roar when Christ rose again? Was Christ's body "drenched in tears"? How should worship songs handle material that can be inferred from scripture, but is nevertheless absent in scripture? We tackle these issues and more in our review of "O Praise The Name (Anástasis)" by Hillsong. (Apologies for a breakdown with the audio equipment)

This week we take a look at the story behind Passion's "Glorious Day" and discuss the themes and content of the song. The text borrows much from scripture, which benefits the song greatly. The problem of sin is described experientially in multiple ways before being named explicitly in the lyrics. For some reason, Colin won't stop singing the Beatles.

What happens when scripture is put into song near verbatim? We discuss the song "Jesus Messiah" on this week's The Worship Review .

This week on the Worship Review, the team discusses Elevation Worship's "Do It Again," which is based on a sermon Pastor Steven Furtick preached on the Israelite conquest of the walled city of Jericho. In doing so, we engage a number of topics, including: our observation that this band tends to write songs based on Furtick's sermons, the use of genre-internal clichés and tropes, including Christia...

It is problematic to say "here I am" more than two dozen times in a song? It is true that we will never know the cost of Christ's work on the cross? Colin and Tyler tackle a variety of questions brought up by the popular golden oldie "Here I am to Worship" by Tim Hughes.

Matt Redman's international superhit declares that "You give and take away; my heart will choose to say: Blessed be Your name!"  In this week's episode, we look at this complex philosophy of Christian suffering, and compare it with Biblical wisdom literature (Job). We also crack wise about desert travel and solar radiation. 

"Let me tell you 'bout my Jesus," this song proclaims, but what does it tell us about him, exactly? This week we discuss: the metaphor of burdens, the significance of grammatical mood, and the oft-cited verse Romans 8:28.

The music of Phil Wickham is once again the subject of conversation. Tune in to learn what a "chasmountain" might be! We also discuss the glorified body, similarities of this song to other content, and the true living hope of the Christian.

What does it mean that God "turns graves into gardens"? How should a song describe what it means to find satisfaction in God? This week's episode tackles "Graves into Gardens".

We discuss water metaphors, Christ as champion and what is required for bravery in this week's episode which reviews "You Make Me Brave" by Bethel Music.

This episode concludes our reflection on the third season. In this episode we discuss several things: poetic licence, the engagement of the intellect in worship, and what should regulate the corporate worship of God. We respond to listener feedback. We also discuss the direction the podcast is taking.

We wrap up season 3, and respond to listener feedback. Always fun!

This week we discuss the final song in the third series. This song declares the singer's name to be Favour and asks for more favour and blessing. In this episode, we discuss whether God can do "too much", how annoying canned Christian responses to personal questions can be, what requirements of specificity exist in Christian music, Hebrew naming practices, and whether or not people can declare the...

Catch this week's episode of The Worship Review .

Does only "the journey" matter, and not "the endgame"? Does God not care about perfection? How do the lyrics of Cory Asbury's "The Father's House" stack up?

Did Christ's work on the cross or his resurrection "heal our stains"? Does Christ "erase our scars"? This week, we examine a song currently near the top of the Christian charts in Uganda: 'Death Has No Power Over Me' by Jeremy Camp and Adrienne Camp. 

Phil Wickham's Hymn of Heaven describes the joy which awaits all Christians in heaven. In this episode we examine the scriptural references in this song and try to make sense of its eschatology. Colin talks about a period in ancient history called "the 90s".

This week we evaluate "Bo Noo Ni" (No One Else) by Ghanaian worship leaders Joe Mettle and Luigi Maclean. The self-described song of testimony focuses on personal themes of gratitude and amazement at the exclusivity of God as demonstrated in His love and self-sacrifice. Tyler & Colin discuss the significance of the specificity of language. We notice several elements in this song which are deri...

Tyler and Colin investigate the song "Battle Belongs" by Phil Wickham.

This week, we turn to the music coming out of Nigeria. How well does the song '(Olorun Agbaye) You Are Mighty' by Nathaniel Bassey stand up to scrutiny? Find out on this week's episode of The Worship Review .

This week we analyse the song trending at #1 on the UK Christian music charts: God Only Knows. In this song we learn that "there's a kind of love that God only knows" which is intended as a comfort to those suffering.

This week, we review the top song on the US Christian/Gospel charts: "You Say" by Lauren Daigle.