Song of Jupiter
Nathanael Devlin on the Hymn That Turned His World Around
I was raised in a Christian home; my parents were former Roman Catholics who came to know the Lord during the Charismatic renewal of the 1970s. When my parents moved from Long Island, New York, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they joined a growing charismatic church full of young, enthusiastic, Spirit-filled men and women who were eager to worship in a style that was consistent with the charismatic renewal. In those days, the musical aspect of this style was folksy, populist, and usually guitar-driven.
We did not sing many traditional hymns at church when I was young, but were well stocked with the newly written "praise choruses" of that time; indeed, our worship services rose on the same wave as did the burgeoning contemporary Christian music industry. Thus, I remember often singing Steffi Geiser Rubin and Stuart Dauermann's "The Trees of the Field" (based on Isaiah 55:12), Jack Hayford's "Majesty," Twila Paris's "He Is Exalted," and Pete Sanchez's "I Exalt Thee." My exposure to contemporary Christian music continued through the years, both within and outside of church. I attended 2nd Chapter of Acts and Petra rock concerts along the way and, in my late teen years, made two pilgrimages to the Jesus People U.S.A.'s Cornerstone Music Festival in Bushnell, Illinois.
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
Nathanael Devlin is the Associate Pastor at Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. He and his wife have three children and live in Mt. Lebanon.
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more from the online archives
31.5—September/October 2018
Errands into the Moral Wilderness
Forms of Christian Family Witness & Renewal by Allan C. Carlson
29.4—July/August 2016
on Noticing That Modern Science Has Rendered Atheism Irrational by Harry Biltz
34.1—January/February 2021
Jesus' Astonishing Other Teaching on Marriage by James Ware
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
