The Peter S. Williams Podcast

Atheism Today: The Collapse of the New Atheism & the Rise of Metamodernism

Lecture delivered at the Veritas Conference, held in October 2024, at BIG Bible College in Grimstad, Norway.

Apologetics in 3D (Norway, 2024)

Lecture delivered in October 2024 for students of the 'Youthwork in Apologetic Perspective' course at NLA University College in Kristiansand, Norway.

Is Christianity Credible and Relevant?

Short talk from October 2024, delivered to students on the Youth-Work in Apologetic Perspective course at NLA University College, Norway.

Distinguishing Science from Scientific Naturalism

A short talk on distinguishing between science and the worldview of 'scientific naturalism,' delivered online to students at NLA University College Norway, October 1st 2024.

From the Cathedral to the University

Teaching about the Christian roots of the University as an institution, delivered at L'Abri UK for the NLA University College UK Study Tour in September 2024.

A Conversation with Peter S. Williams about Behold the Man: Essays on the Historical Jesus

In this English language episode of the 'Snakk Om Tro' (i.e. 'Talk about Faith') Podcast from Damaris Norway, Professor Lars Dahle quizzes Christian philosopher, apologist, and prolific author Peter S. Williams about themes from his recent book Behold the Man: Essays on the Historical Jesus (Wipf and Stock, 2024). They discuss the nature of a "properly skeptical" approach to the quest for the historical Jesus, the importance and relevance of worldviews, and how this material can help us in understanding culture, in preaching, and in conversations about Jesus.

For details about the new book, see: https://www.peterswilliams.com/publications/books/behold-the-man-essays-on-the-historical-jesus/

Peter S. Williams works part-time as Assistant Professor in Communication and Worldview at NLA University College, Norway. Lars Dahle is Professor in Systematic Theology and Christian Apologetics at NLA, as well as being Executive Director for Damaris Norway.

Being Human in 3D: Rhetoric, Values and Having a Way of Life

Edited presentation from an online class for students at NLA University College, Norway, from 22nd August 2024.

Approaches to Apologetics

Edited version of a September 2024 presentation on apologetic methodology, from an online teaching session for the one semester program in Christian Apologetics at NLA University College, Norway, (includes occasional comments from my teaching colleague Bjørn Hinderaker).

Jesus and History: A Brief Introduction

Christian Spirituality at the Cutting Edge of Contemporary Culture

Preparing for Careers Podcast: Interview with Peter S. Williams

In this April 29th 2024 episode of "Preparing for Careers," (available on YouTube @ https://youtu.be/CwpVM-6AV6Y?si=S_FCoY7X51ASXRfs) New Zealand-born homeschooling parent Christine Smith interviews British philosopher and apologist Peter S. Williams about the importance of teaching the basics of logic and philosophy to all ages of homeschooling students. Also, how to prepare for a career in philosophy or theology. He is asked how to approach a world where a tertiary education may not be desirable and a bunch of other useful advice from his many years of teaching rhetoric to students.

https://www.cominghomeinfo.com/

https://www.peterswilliams.com/

Resources Recommended by Peter S Williams:

William Lane Craig - Reasonable Faith - https://www.reasonablefaith.org/

Background:

Peter S. Williams, Apologetics in 3D: Essays on Apologetics and Spirituality (Wipf & Stock, 2021)
Paul M. Gould, Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World (Zondervan, 2019)
Makoto Fujimura, Culture Care: Reconnecting With Beauty For Our Common Life (IVP, 2017)
Stratford Caldecott, Beauty for Truth’s Sake: On the Re-enchantment of Education (Brazos, 2009)
Joe Winston, Beauty and Education (Routledge, 2011)

On Worldviews:

James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalogue, Sixth edition (IVP, 2020)
The comic strip version of an earlier edition of Sire’s book: Merve Jones, The Universe Upstairs: A Cartoon Guide to Worldviews (IVP, 1991)

On Philosophy:

Peter S. Williams, A Faithful Guide to Philosophy: A Christian Introduction to the Love of Wisdom (Wipf & Stock, 2019)
Peter Kreeft’s dialogue form books with IVP, such as The Best Things in Life, Socrates Meets Jesus, etc.
Kevin Clark & Ravi Scott Jain, The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education (Classical Academic Press, 2013)

On Apologetics:

William Lane Craig, On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision (David C. Cook, 2010)
Books by Lee Strobel, e.g. The Case for Christ – often come in kids, teen and adult editions (suitable for older teens).

On Rhetoric:

Joe Carter & John Coleman, How To Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion From History’s Greatest Communicator (Crossway, 2009)

Apologetics 315 Podcast: An Informed Cosmos with Peter S Williams

This episode of the Apologetics 315 Podcast, from October 2023, is re-posted here with permission.

In this episode, Brian Auten and Chad Gross interview Christian Philosopher Peter S. Williams about his book An Informed Cosmos: Essays on Intelligent Design Theory.

Find his resources at www.peterswilliams.com

0:24 - Intro to our guest
2:15 - About the book An Informed Cosmos
9:25 - Getting clarity on what intelligent design is
14:10 - Is I.D. science? And defining “science”
19:39 - Truth as the most important approach
21:56 - Imposing worldviews on the data?
25:01 - Is evolution the means by which God created?
29:21 - What role does a Darwinian process play?
35:00 - How did Peter go from being a theistic evolutionist to an ID proponent?
40:45 - What tipped the balance for Peter?
46:52 - What role does information play in design detection?
53:21 - Can we recognize non-intelligent design?
54:57 - Theistic interpretations?
56:22 - Paley’s “watchmaker” shows that we can detect design?
1:00:13 - Prevailing errors when thinking about design
1:05:00 - Is intelligent design “creationism”?
1:06:25 - How has intelligent design changed Peter’s thinking?
1:13:30 - Peter’s music - www.peterswilliams.com/composing

Check out a past episode with Peter S. Williams:
006 - Outgrowing God? with Peter S. Williams - https://a315.co/4615IYj

Books by Peter S. Williams:
An Informed Cosmos: Essays on Intelligent Design Theory - https://a315.co/48ugxUc

A Universe From Someone: Essays on Natural Theology - https://a315.co/46GLUtl

Apologetics in 3D: Essays on Apologetics and Spirituality - https://a315.co/3PtMqUu

Outgrowing God? A Beginner’s Guide to Richard Dawkins and the God Debate - https://a315.co/3Pww9xP

Getting at Jesus: A Comprehensive Critique of Neo-Atheist Nonsense About the Jesus of History - https://a315.co/46pUFri

A Faithful Guide to Philosophy: A Christian Introduction to the Love of Wisdom - https://a315.co/3Ptm0C3

C.S. Lewis vs the New Atheists - https://a315.co/48ugxUc
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Escaping the Closed Universe: C.S. Lewis vs. Naturalism

Lecture from the October 2023 Veritas Conference in Grimstad, Norway. See: www.veritasnorge.no/

Introducing Apologetics in 3D

Lecture given in October 2023 to youth workers studying at the Gimlekollen campus of NLA University College, including interjections from Bjorn Hinderaker, mostly in Norwegian. With apologies for sound quality at the start.

From Glory to Glory (2023): Movement 11) Gloria

This is the last of eleven movements in the updated and expanded 2023 recording of my From Glory to Glory suite.

This piece recapitulates the theme of movement one, using it as a setting for the apostle Paul’s comparison between the sufferings of the present world and the glory of the new heavens and earth to come.

From Glory to Glory is available as a high quality wav file album on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/psw_music/sets/from-glory-to-glory-2023

From Glory to Glory is a little under 70 min long suite of contemporary classical music, reflecting on the biblical story and Christian spirituality, drawing upon an eclectic fusion of musical influences. The suite is written for four part choir and an ensemble of instruments. The lyrics are a mixture of English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

In summer 2023 it struck me that my Sibelius 6 software was 13 years old, and that contemporary software would probably be able to reproduce the sound of a choir singing lyrics, rather than simply going “Ah”! Discovering that this was indeed the case, I reached out to find someone who could use my composition files to produce a new recording of From Glory to Glory using contemporary music technology. That person turned out to be Cuban composer Wilma Alba Cal, whose work includes chamber, choir, orchestral and electroacoustic music (see https://wilmaalbacal.com/). Over the summer of 2023, Wilma used my ‘Sibelius 6’ files and scores to make an updated recording of From Glory to Glory that sounds much more realistic than before, and where the choir sing the words on the scores. This was a collaborative process that involved Wilma gathering information on the sounds I had in mind when selecting from the instruments available in Sibelius 6, and several rounds of feedback about various pre and post-sound-mix versions of the tracks.

Instruments: SATB Choir, Gong, Bass Drum, Tubular Bells, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Acoustic Guitar, Harp, Two Flutes, Grand Piano, Pipe Organ, Min-Moog Synth Lead, Mellatron Strings, Mellatron Choir, Cello, Electric Bass, Synth Bass.

Track Notes

Movement 1: Trinity. We open with God’s existence prior to creation. A solo piano plays three musical lines, the third of which is generated from the interaction of the first two, representing the way in which God the Father is the “root” of the Divine “triad”, God the Son eternally depends upon the Father, and God the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father and the Son. The piece is also Trinitarian in having three sections. It ends on an unresolved chord, suggesting the eternality of the Godhead.

Movement 2: Light. The angels rejoice in God’s creation of light and “dance” among the stars.

Movement 3: One Sin. This piece draws upon the opening of G.K. Chesterton’s poem “Ecclesiastes”: “There is one sin: to call a green leaf gray, Whereat the sun in heaven shuddereth.” In other words, the fundamental sin is acting as if we were wiser than God, as if moral reality should bend to our choices and desires rather than vice versa. The consequences of sin for relationships between humans and with God is represented by the entry of the minor key and the music becoming broken up.

Movement 4: Weeping Turns to Joy. This setting of words from Psalm 6:6 and 30:5 was composed in July 2021, as a short, stand-alone piece reflecting on the end of Covid 19 restrictions. In August 2023, I decided to add it into this suite, where it neatly represents the Old Testament experiences of exile (“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.” – Psalm 137:1) and hope centered upon in the promised coming of God’s messiah.

Movement 5: Logos. The opening of John’s gospel represents God the Son as the divine logos, or rational principle behind creation. Only this logos reveals God in person through the incarnation. The lyrics combine an English translation of the opening of John’s gospel, with the Greek terms: Logos (Word), Agathos (Goodness), Veritas (Truth), and Kalos (Beautiful-Good).

Movement 6: Love. An acapella setting of Jesus’ answer to a scribe’s question about the greatest commandment in Mark 12.

Movement 7: Garden. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus contemplates his calling to be crucified as a sacrifice for sin and prays that his Father might take away this cup of suffering from him. The music uses suspended resolutions and a fluctuating pattern of major and minor notes that gradually become more resolute and hymn-like as Jesus turns his face to the cross, praying that the Father’s will be done on earth.

Movement 8: Agnus Dei. Based on the saying of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), the Agnus Dei (Latin for “Lamb of God”) is a traditional liturgical chant that contemplates the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross in light of his subsequent bodily resurrection from the tomb. Far from being just another failed messiah, Jesus is God’s self-sacrifice of forgiveness in bearing our sin.

Movement 9: Kyrie. A setting of the Latin Kyrie, a traditional prayer for forgiveness, which in English means: “Lord, forgive us, Christ forgive us, Lord forgive us.”

Movement 10: Telos. This piece was inspired by John’s vision of the new heavens and earth in Revelation 21. The choir sing about God’s invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb (i.e. Jesus Christ) who will wipe away ever tear from our eyes and bring “Shalom” (a Hebrew word meaning peace, wholeness and flourishing).

Movement 11: Gloria. This piece recapitulates the theme of movement one, using it as a setting for the apostle Paul’s comparison between the sufferings of the present world and the glory of the new heavens and earth to come.

For more composition-related information, visit: https://www.peterswilliams.com/composing/

From Glory to Glory (2023): Movement 10) Telos

This is the tenth of eleven movements in the updated and expanded 2023 recording of my From Glory to Glory suite.

This piece was inspired by John’s vision of the new heavens and earth in Revelation 21. The choir sing about God’s invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb (i.e. Jesus Christ) who will wipe away ever tear from our eyes and bring “Shalom” (a Hebrew word meaning peace, wholeness and flourishing).

From Glory to Glory is available as a high quality wav file album on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/psw_music/sets/from-glory-to-glory-2023

From Glory to Glory is a little under 70 min long suite of contemporary classical music, reflecting on the biblical story and Christian spirituality, drawing upon an eclectic fusion of musical influences. The suite is written for four part choir and an ensemble of instruments. The lyrics are a mixture of English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

In summer 2023 it struck me that my Sibelius 6 software was 13 years old, and that contemporary software would probably be able to reproduce the sound of a choir singing lyrics, rather than simply going “Ah”! Discovering that this was indeed the case, I reached out to find someone who could use my composition files to produce a new recording of From Glory to Glory using contemporary music technology. That person turned out to be Cuban composer Wilma Alba Cal, whose work includes chamber, choir, orchestral and electroacoustic music (see https://wilmaalbacal.com/). Over the summer of 2023, Wilma used my ‘Sibelius 6’ files and scores to make an updated recording of From Glory to Glory that sounds much more realistic than before, and where the choir sing the words on the scores. This was a collaborative process that involved Wilma gathering information on the sounds I had in mind when selecting from the instruments available in Sibelius 6, and several rounds of feedback about various pre and post-sound-mix versions of the tracks.

Instruments: SATB Choir, Gong, Bass Drum, Tubular Bells, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Acoustic Guitar, Harp, Two Flutes, Grand Piano, Pipe Organ, Min-Moog Synth Lead, Mellatron Strings, Mellatron Choir, Cello, Electric Bass, Synth Bass.

Track Notes

Movement 1: Trinity. We open with God’s existence prior to creation. A solo piano plays three musical lines, the third of which is generated from the interaction of the first two, representing the way in which God the Father is the “root” of the Divine “triad”, God the Son eternally depends upon the Father, and God the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father and the Son. The piece is also Trinitarian in having three sections. It ends on an unresolved chord, suggesting the eternality of the Godhead.

Movement 2: Light. The angels rejoice in God’s creation of light and “dance” among the stars.

Movement 3: One Sin. This piece draws upon the opening of G.K. Chesterton’s poem “Ecclesiastes”: “There is one sin: to call a green leaf gray, Whereat the sun in heaven shuddereth.” In other words, the fundamental sin is acting as if we were wiser than God, as if moral reality should bend to our choices and desires rather than vice versa. The consequences of sin for relationships between humans and with God is represented by the entry of the minor key and the music becoming broken up.

Movement 4: Weeping Turns to Joy. This setting of words from Psalm 6:6 and 30:5 was composed in July 2021, as a short, stand-alone piece reflecting on the end of Covid 19 restrictions. In August 2023, I decided to add it into this suite, where it neatly represents the Old Testament experiences of exile (“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.” – Psalm 137:1) and hope centered upon in the promised coming of God’s messiah.

Movement 5: Logos. The opening of John’s gospel represents God the Son as the divine logos, or rational principle behind creation. Only this logos reveals God in person through the incarnation. The lyrics combine an English translation of the opening of John’s gospel, with the Greek terms: Logos (Word), Agathos (Goodness), Veritas (Truth), and Kalos (Beautiful-Good).

Movement 6: Love. An acapella setting of Jesus’ answer to a scribe’s question about the greatest commandment in Mark 12.

Movement 7: Garden. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus contemplates his calling to be crucified as a sacrifice for sin and prays that his Father might take away this cup of suffering from him. The music uses suspended resolutions and a fluctuating pattern of major and minor notes that gradually become more resolute and hymn-like as Jesus turns his face to the cross, praying that the Father’s will be done on earth.

Movement 8: Agnus Dei. Based on the saying of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), the Agnus Dei (Latin for “Lamb of God”) is a traditional liturgical chant that contemplates the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross in light of his subsequent bodily resurrection from the tomb. Far from being just another failed messiah, Jesus is God’s self-sacrifice of forgiveness in bearing our sin.

Movement 9: Kyrie. A setting of the Latin Kyrie, a traditional prayer for forgiveness, which in English means: “Lord, forgive us, Christ forgive us, Lord forgive us.”

Movement 10: Telos. This piece was inspired by John’s vision of the new heavens and earth in Revelation 21. The choir sing about God’s invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb (i.e. Jesus Christ) who will wipe away ever tear from our eyes and bring “Shalom” (a Hebrew word meaning peace, wholeness and flourishing).

Movement 11: Gloria. This piece recapitulates the theme of movement one, using it as a setting for the apostle Paul’s comparison between the sufferings of the present world and the glory of the new heavens and earth to come.

For more composition-related information, visit: https://www.peterswilliams.com/composing/

From Glory to Glory (2023): Movement 9) Kyrie

This is the ninth of eleven movements in the updated and expanded 2023 recording of my From Glory to Glory suite.

A setting of the Latin Kyrie, a traditional prayer for forgiveness, which in English means: “Lord, forgive us, Christ forgive us, Lord forgive us.”

From Glory to Glory is available as a high quality wav file album on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/psw_music/sets/from-glory-to-glory-2023

From Glory to Glory is a little under 70 min long suite of contemporary classical music, reflecting on the biblical story and Christian spirituality, drawing upon an eclectic fusion of musical influences. The suite is written for four part choir and an ensemble of instruments. The lyrics are a mixture of English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

In summer 2023 it struck me that my Sibelius 6 software was 13 years old, and that contemporary software would probably be able to reproduce the sound of a choir singing lyrics, rather than simply going “Ah”! Discovering that this was indeed the case, I reached out to find someone who could use my composition files to produce a new recording of From Glory to Glory using contemporary music technology. That person turned out to be Cuban composer Wilma Alba Cal, whose work includes chamber, choir, orchestral and electroacoustic music (see https://wilmaalbacal.com/). Over the summer of 2023, Wilma used my ‘Sibelius 6’ files and scores to make an updated recording of From Glory to Glory that sounds much more realistic than before, and where the choir sing the words on the scores. This was a collaborative process that involved Wilma gathering information on the sounds I had in mind when selecting from the instruments available in Sibelius 6, and several rounds of feedback about various pre and post-sound-mix versions of the tracks.

Instruments: SATB Choir, Gong, Bass Drum, Tubular Bells, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Acoustic Guitar, Harp, Two Flutes, Grand Piano, Pipe Organ, Min-Moog Synth Lead, Mellatron Strings, Mellatron Choir, Cello, Electric Bass, Synth Bass.

Track Notes

Movement 1: Trinity. We open with God’s existence prior to creation. A solo piano plays three musical lines, the third of which is generated from the interaction of the first two, representing the way in which God the Father is the “root” of the Divine “triad”, God the Son eternally depends upon the Father, and God the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father and the Son. The piece is also Trinitarian in having three sections. It ends on an unresolved chord, suggesting the eternality of the Godhead.

Movement 2: Light. The angels rejoice in God’s creation of light and “dance” among the stars.

Movement 3: One Sin. This piece draws upon the opening of G.K. Chesterton’s poem “Ecclesiastes”: “There is one sin: to call a green leaf gray, Whereat the sun in heaven shuddereth.” In other words, the fundamental sin is acting as if we were wiser than God, as if moral reality should bend to our choices and desires rather than vice versa. The consequences of sin for relationships between humans and with God is represented by the entry of the minor key and the music becoming broken up.

Movement 4: Weeping Turns to Joy. This setting of words from Psalm 6:6 and 30:5 was composed in July 2021, as a short, stand-alone piece reflecting on the end of Covid 19 restrictions. In August 2023, I decided to add it into this suite, where it neatly represents the Old Testament experiences of exile (“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.” – Psalm 137:1) and hope centered upon in the promised coming of God’s messiah.

Movement 5: Logos. The opening of John’s gospel represents God the Son as the divine logos, or rational principle behind creation. Only this logos reveals God in person through the incarnation. The lyrics combine an English translation of the opening of John’s gospel, with the Greek terms: Logos (Word), Agathos (Goodness), Veritas (Truth), and Kalos (Beautiful-Good).

Movement 6: Love. An acapella setting of Jesus’ answer to a scribe’s question about the greatest commandment in Mark 12.

Movement 7: Garden. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus contemplates his calling to be crucified as a sacrifice for sin and prays that his Father might take away this cup of suffering from him. The music uses suspended resolutions and a fluctuating pattern of major and minor notes that gradually become more resolute and hymn-like as Jesus turns his face to the cross, praying that the Father’s will be done on earth.

Movement 8: Agnus Dei. Based on the saying of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), the Agnus Dei (Latin for “Lamb of God”) is a traditional liturgical chant that contemplates the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross in light of his subsequent bodily resurrection from the tomb. Far from being just another failed messiah, Jesus is God’s self-sacrifice of forgiveness in bearing our sin.

Movement 9: Kyrie. A setting of the Latin Kyrie, a traditional prayer for forgiveness, which in English means: “Lord, forgive us, Christ forgive us, Lord forgive us.”

Movement 10: Telos. This piece was inspired by John’s vision of the new heavens and earth in Revelation 21. The choir sing about God’s invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb (i.e. Jesus Christ) who will wipe away ever tear from our eyes and bring “Shalom” (a Hebrew word meaning peace, wholeness and flourishing).

Movement 11: Gloria. This piece recapitulates the theme of movement one, using it as a setting for the apostle Paul’s comparison between the sufferings of the present world and the glory of the new heavens and earth to come.

For more composition-related information, visit: https://www.peterswilliams.com/composing/

From Glory to Glory (2023): Movement 8) Agnus Dei

This is the eighth of eleven movements in the updated and expanded 2023 recording of my From Glory to Glory suite.

Based on the saying of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), the Agnus Dei (Latin for “Lamb of God”) is a traditional liturgical chant that contemplates the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross in light of his subsequent bodily resurrection from the tomb. Far from being just another failed messiah, Jesus is God’s self-sacrifice of forgiveness in bearing our sin.

From Glory to Glory is available as a high quality wav file album on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/psw_music/sets/from-glory-to-glory-2023

From Glory to Glory is a little under 70 min long suite of contemporary classical music, reflecting on the biblical story and Christian spirituality, drawing upon an eclectic fusion of musical influences. The suite is written for four part choir and an ensemble of instruments. The lyrics are a mixture of English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

In summer 2023 it struck me that my Sibelius 6 software was 13 years old, and that contemporary software would probably be able to reproduce the sound of a choir singing lyrics, rather than simply going “Ah”! Discovering that this was indeed the case, I reached out to find someone who could use my composition files to produce a new recording of From Glory to Glory using contemporary music technology. That person turned out to be Cuban composer Wilma Alba Cal, whose work includes chamber, choir, orchestral and electroacoustic music (see https://wilmaalbacal.com/). Over the summer of 2023, Wilma used my ‘Sibelius 6’ files and scores to make an updated recording of From Glory to Glory that sounds much more realistic than before, and where the choir sing the words on the scores. This was a collaborative process that involved Wilma gathering information on the sounds I had in mind when selecting from the instruments available in Sibelius 6, and several rounds of feedback about various pre and post-sound-mix versions of the tracks.

Instruments: SATB Choir, Gong, Bass Drum, Tubular Bells, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Acoustic Guitar, Harp, Two Flutes, Grand Piano, Pipe Organ, Min-Moog Synth Lead, Mellatron Strings, Mellatron Choir, Cello, Electric Bass, Synth Bass.

Track Notes

Movement 1: Trinity. We open with God’s existence prior to creation. A solo piano plays three musical lines, the third of which is generated from the interaction of the first two, representing the way in which God the Father is the “root” of the Divine “triad”, God the Son eternally depends upon the Father, and God the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father and the Son. The piece is also Trinitarian in having three sections. It ends on an unresolved chord, suggesting the eternality of the Godhead.

Movement 2: Light. The angels rejoice in God’s creation of light and “dance” among the stars.

Movement 3: One Sin. This piece draws upon the opening of G.K. Chesterton’s poem “Ecclesiastes”: “There is one sin: to call a green leaf gray, Whereat the sun in heaven shuddereth.” In other words, the fundamental sin is acting as if we were wiser than God, as if moral reality should bend to our choices and desires rather than vice versa. The consequences of sin for relationships between humans and with God is represented by the entry of the minor key and the music becoming broken up.

Movement 4: Weeping Turns to Joy. This setting of words from Psalm 6:6 and 30:5 was composed in July 2021, as a short, stand-alone piece reflecting on the end of Covid 19 restrictions. In August 2023, I decided to add it into this suite, where it neatly represents the Old Testament experiences of exile (“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.” – Psalm 137:1) and hope centered upon in the promised coming of God’s messiah.

Movement 5: Logos. The opening of John’s gospel represents God the Son as the divine logos, or rational principle behind creation. Only this logos reveals God in person through the incarnation. The lyrics combine an English translation of the opening of John’s gospel, with the Greek terms: Logos (Word), Agathos (Goodness), Veritas (Truth), and Kalos (Beautiful-Good).

Movement 6: Love. An acapella setting of Jesus’ answer to a scribe’s question about the greatest commandment in Mark 12.

Movement 7: Garden. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus contemplates his calling to be crucified as a sacrifice for sin and prays that his Father might take away this cup of suffering from him. The music uses suspended resolutions and a fluctuating pattern of major and minor notes that gradually become more resolute and hymn-like as Jesus turns his face to the cross, praying that the Father’s will be done on earth.

Movement 8: Agnus Dei. Based on the saying of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), the Agnus Dei (Latin for “Lamb of God”) is a traditional liturgical chant that contemplates the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross in light of his subsequent bodily resurrection from the tomb. Far from being just another failed messiah, Jesus is God’s self-sacrifice of forgiveness in bearing our sin.

Movement 9: Kyrie. A setting of the Latin Kyrie, a traditional prayer for forgiveness, which in English means: “Lord, forgive us, Christ forgive us, Lord forgive us.”

Movement 10: Telos. This piece was inspired by John’s vision of the new heavens and earth in Revelation 21. The choir sing about God’s invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb (i.e. Jesus Christ) who will wipe away ever tear from our eyes and bring “Shalom” (a Hebrew word meaning peace, wholeness and flourishing).

Movement 11: Gloria. This piece recapitulates the theme of movement one, using it as a setting for the apostle Paul’s comparison between the sufferings of the present world and the glory of the new heavens and earth to come.

For more composition-related information, visit: https://www.peterswilliams.com/composing/

From Glory to Glory (2023): Movement 7) Garden

This is the seventh of eleven movements in the updated and expanded 2023 recording of my From Glory to Glory suite.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus contemplates his calling to be crucified as a sacrifice for sin and prays that his Father might take away this cup of suffering from him. The music uses suspended resolutions and a fluctuating pattern of major and minor notes that gradually become more resolute and hymn-like as Jesus turns his face to the cross, praying that the Father’s will be done on earth.

From Glory to Glory is available as a high quality wav file album on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/psw_music/sets/from-glory-to-glory-2023

From Glory to Glory is a little under 70 min long suite of contemporary classical music, reflecting on the biblical story and Christian spirituality, drawing upon an eclectic fusion of musical influences. The suite is written for four part choir and an ensemble of instruments. The lyrics are a mixture of English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

In summer 2023 it struck me that my Sibelius 6 software was 13 years old, and that contemporary software would probably be able to reproduce the sound of a choir singing lyrics, rather than simply going “Ah”! Discovering that this was indeed the case, I reached out to find someone who could use my composition files to produce a new recording of From Glory to Glory using contemporary music technology. That person turned out to be Cuban composer Wilma Alba Cal, whose work includes chamber, choir, orchestral and electroacoustic music (see https://wilmaalbacal.com/). Over the summer of 2023, Wilma used my ‘Sibelius 6’ files and scores to make an updated recording of From Glory to Glory that sounds much more realistic than before, and where the choir sing the words on the scores. This was a collaborative process that involved Wilma gathering information on the sounds I had in mind when selecting from the instruments available in Sibelius 6, and several rounds of feedback about various pre and post-sound-mix versions of the tracks.

Instruments: SATB Choir, Gong, Bass Drum, Tubular Bells, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Acoustic Guitar, Harp, Two Flutes, Grand Piano, Pipe Organ, Min-Moog Synth Lead, Mellatron Strings, Mellatron Choir, Cello, Electric Bass, Synth Bass.

Track Notes

Movement 1: Trinity. We open with God’s existence prior to creation. A solo piano plays three musical lines, the third of which is generated from the interaction of the first two, representing the way in which God the Father is the “root” of the Divine “triad”, God the Son eternally depends upon the Father, and God the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father and the Son. The piece is also Trinitarian in having three sections. It ends on an unresolved chord, suggesting the eternality of the Godhead.

Movement 2: Light. The angels rejoice in God’s creation of light and “dance” among the stars.

Movement 3: One Sin. This piece draws upon the opening of G.K. Chesterton’s poem “Ecclesiastes”: “There is one sin: to call a green leaf gray, Whereat the sun in heaven shuddereth.” In other words, the fundamental sin is acting as if we were wiser than God, as if moral reality should bend to our choices and desires rather than vice versa. The consequences of sin for relationships between humans and with God is represented by the entry of the minor key and the music becoming broken up.

Movement 4: Weeping Turns to Joy. This setting of words from Psalm 6:6 and 30:5 was composed in July 2021, as a short, stand-alone piece reflecting on the end of Covid 19 restrictions. In August 2023, I decided to add it into this suite, where it neatly represents the Old Testament experiences of exile (“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.” – Psalm 137:1) and hope centered upon in the promised coming of God’s messiah.

Movement 5: Logos. The opening of John’s gospel represents God the Son as the divine logos, or rational principle behind creation. Only this logos reveals God in person through the incarnation. The lyrics combine an English translation of the opening of John’s gospel, with the Greek terms: Logos (Word), Agathos (Goodness), Veritas (Truth), and Kalos (Beautiful-Good).

Movement 6: Love. An acapella setting of Jesus’ answer to a scribe’s question about the greatest commandment in Mark 12.

Movement 7: Garden. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus contemplates his calling to be crucified as a sacrifice for sin and prays that his Father might take away this cup of suffering from him. The music uses suspended resolutions and a fluctuating pattern of major and minor notes that gradually become more resolute and hymn-like as Jesus turns his face to the cross, praying that the Father’s will be done on earth.

Movement 8: Agnus Dei. Based on the saying of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), the Agnus Dei (Latin for “Lamb of God”) is a traditional liturgical chant that contemplates the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross in light of his subsequent bodily resurrection from the tomb. Far from being just another failed messiah, Jesus is God’s self-sacrifice of forgiveness in bearing our sin.

Movement 9: Kyrie. A setting of the Latin Kyrie, a traditional prayer for forgiveness, which in English means: “Lord, forgive us, Christ forgive us, Lord forgive us.”

Movement 10: Telos. This piece was inspired by John’s vision of the new heavens and earth in Revelation 21. The choir sing about God’s invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb (i.e. Jesus Christ) who will wipe away ever tear from our eyes and bring “Shalom” (a Hebrew word meaning peace, wholeness and flourishing).

Movement 11: Gloria. This piece recapitulates the theme of movement one, using it as a setting for the apostle Paul’s comparison between the sufferings of the present world and the glory of the new heavens and earth to come.

For more composition-related information, visit: https://www.peterswilliams.com/composing/

From Glory to Glory (2023): Movement 6) Love

This is the sixth of eleven movements in the updated and expanded 2023 recording of my From Glory to Glory suite.

An acapella setting of Jesus’ answer to a scribe’s question about the greatest commandment in Mark 12.

From Glory to Glory is available as a high quality wav file album on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/psw_music/sets/from-glory-to-glory-2023

From Glory to Glory is a little under 70 min long suite of contemporary classical music, reflecting on the biblical story and Christian spirituality, drawing upon an eclectic fusion of musical influences. The suite is written for four part choir and an ensemble of instruments. The lyrics are a mixture of English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

In summer 2023 it struck me that my Sibelius 6 software was 13 years old, and that contemporary software would probably be able to reproduce the sound of a choir singing lyrics, rather than simply going “Ah”! Discovering that this was indeed the case, I reached out to find someone who could use my composition files to produce a new recording of From Glory to Glory using contemporary music technology. That person turned out to be Cuban composer Wilma Alba Cal, whose work includes chamber, choir, orchestral and electroacoustic music (see https://wilmaalbacal.com/). Over the summer of 2023, Wilma used my ‘Sibelius 6’ files and scores to make an updated recording of From Glory to Glory that sounds much more realistic than before, and where the choir sing the words on the scores. This was a collaborative process that involved Wilma gathering information on the sounds I had in mind when selecting from the instruments available in Sibelius 6, and several rounds of feedback about various pre and post-sound-mix versions of the tracks.

Instruments: SATB Choir, Gong, Bass Drum, Tubular Bells, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Acoustic Guitar, Harp, Two Flutes, Grand Piano, Pipe Organ, Min-Moog Synth Lead, Mellatron Strings, Mellatron Choir, Cello, Electric Bass, Synth Bass.

Track Notes

Movement 1: Trinity. We open with God’s existence prior to creation. A solo piano plays three musical lines, the third of which is generated from the interaction of the first two, representing the way in which God the Father is the “root” of the Divine “triad”, God the Son eternally depends upon the Father, and God the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father and the Son. The piece is also Trinitarian in having three sections. It ends on an unresolved chord, suggesting the eternality of the Godhead.

Movement 2: Light. The angels rejoice in God’s creation of light and “dance” among the stars.

Movement 3: One Sin. This piece draws upon the opening of G.K. Chesterton’s poem “Ecclesiastes”: “There is one sin: to call a green leaf gray, Whereat the sun in heaven shuddereth.” In other words, the fundamental sin is acting as if we were wiser than God, as if moral reality should bend to our choices and desires rather than vice versa. The consequences of sin for relationships between humans and with God is represented by the entry of the minor key and the music becoming broken up.

Movement 4: Weeping Turns to Joy. This setting of words from Psalm 6:6 and 30:5 was composed in July 2021, as a short, stand-alone piece reflecting on the end of Covid 19 restrictions. In August 2023, I decided to add it into this suite, where it neatly represents the Old Testament experiences of exile (“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.” – Psalm 137:1) and hope centered upon in the promised coming of God’s messiah.

Movement 5: Logos. The opening of John’s gospel represents God the Son as the divine logos, or rational principle behind creation. Only this logos reveals God in person through the incarnation. The lyrics combine an English translation of the opening of John’s gospel, with the Greek terms: Logos (Word), Agathos (Goodness), Veritas (Truth), and Kalos (Beautiful-Good).

Movement 6: Love. An acapella setting of Jesus’ answer to a scribe’s question about the greatest commandment in Mark 12.

Movement 7: Garden. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus contemplates his calling to be crucified as a sacrifice for sin and prays that his Father might take away this cup of suffering from him. The music uses suspended resolutions and a fluctuating pattern of major and minor notes that gradually become more resolute and hymn-like as Jesus turns his face to the cross, praying that the Father’s will be done on earth.

Movement 8: Agnus Dei. Based on the saying of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), the Agnus Dei (Latin for “Lamb of God”) is a traditional liturgical chant that contemplates the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross in light of his subsequent bodily resurrection from the tomb. Far from being just another failed messiah, Jesus is God’s self-sacrifice of forgiveness in bearing our sin.

Movement 9: Kyrie. A setting of the Latin Kyrie, a traditional prayer for forgiveness, which in English means: “Lord, forgive us, Christ forgive us, Lord forgive us.”

Movement 10: Telos. This piece was inspired by John’s vision of the new heavens and earth in Revelation 21. The choir sing about God’s invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb (i.e. Jesus Christ) who will wipe away ever tear from our eyes and bring “Shalom” (a Hebrew word meaning peace, wholeness and flourishing).

Movement 11: Gloria. This piece recapitulates the theme of movement one, using it as a setting for the apostle Paul’s comparison between the sufferings of the present world and the glory of the new heavens and earth to come.

For more composition-related information, visit: https://www.peterswilliams.com/composing/