A Wesley hymn on penguins?
Matt MacGregor
Would you sing a hymn written by a computer? I wonder how you would back up your answer to that question. I suspect the instinctive answer of many would be ‘no.’ But why not?
The answer cannot be because a computer won’t be good at it. AI technology probably became a better songwriter than you some years ago. I took the liberty of asking ChatGPT to write a hymn in the style of Charles Wesley about penguins:
Let’s sing – more about us, apparently
How has worship music changed over time? A Christian researcher, Asa Childless (pictured), says his research shows the most significant change is that we’re now more centred on ourselves in our singing.
‘The most significant change I noticed … is the rise of individualism,’ he says. ‘This is marked by a drastic increase in the percentage of singular first-person pronouns (me, myself and I) over plural ones (we, our and us). Whilst 67% of Isaac Watts’ first-person pronouns are singular, this steadily rises to 93% by the time we reach Elevation Worship.’ But Asa adds: ‘There is another side to this story. When Stewart Townend (1963–present) was put to the same tests, his results were closer to Watts and Newton than the worship groups in each case. Rather than writing off an entire era, let us sing God-centred praises regardless of when our songs were written.’
The apex of worship: experiencing Handel's Messiah
Each year, during the festivities, I like to take in a performance of Handel’s Messiah. This year was no exception, made even more special under candlelight in the magnificent venue of Llandaff Cathedral.
The Messiah was composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, whom Ludwig van Beethoven declared as 'the greatest composer that ever lived.' I adore Handel's epic oratorio, but my love for this annual event is entirely theological. Each year I am presented with a taste of Heaven, an image of the new humanity whom God gave His Son to redeem.