Song Story: "In Christ
Alone" Debra Akins, Contributing Writer, CROSSWALK
Songwriter Stuart Townend grew up as the youngest of four
children in a Christian family in West Yorkshire, England, where his
father was a vicar in the Church of England. The Townend family always enjoyed
music, and young Stuart began to play the piano at the age of seven. Known and
respected today by musicians and worship leaders throughout Britain and beyond,
his involvement in Christian music dates back over 10 years.
During this time,
Townend has used his talents to produce albums for British-based worship
leaders as diverse as John Pantry, Keith Routledge, Sue Rinaldi, Vinesong and
Praise Gathering. As an artist, he has made two solo albums: Say the Word and
Personal Worship. But it is perhaps as a songwriter that Stuart has made his
most enduring contribution to the contemporary worship movement. Songs such as
“How Deep the Father’s Love,” “My First Love,” “The King of Love,” “Who Paints
the Skies” and “Lord, How Majestic You Are” are favorites in the repertoire of
thousands of churches around the world. And now one of his latest works, “In
Christ Alone,” seems destined to take its place among other worship classics
both in the UK and in the United States.
Written in 2002,
“In Christ Alone” was a collaborative effort between Townend and fellow
songwriter (and now good friend) Keith Getty. “The song came about in an
unusual way,” Townend explains. “Keith and I met in the autumn of 2000 at a
worship event, and we resolved to try to work together on some songs. A few
weeks later Keith sent some melody ideas, and the first one on the CD was a
magnificent, haunting melody that I loved, and immediately started writing down
some lyrical ideas on what I felt should be a timeless theme commensurate with
the melody. So the theme of the life, death, resurrection of Christ, and the
implications of that for us just began to tumble out, and when we got together
later on to fine tune it, we felt we had encapsulated what we wanted to say.”
In
Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm…
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm…
Townend and Getty
both admit they are motivated by the idea of capturing biblical truth in songs
and hymns that will not only cause people to express their worship in church,
but will build them up in their Christian lives.
“I’ve been amazed
by the response to this song,” says Townend. “We’ve had some incredible e-mails
about how people have been helped by the song through incredibly difficult
circumstances.”
One e-mail
described how a U.S soldier serving in Iraq would pray through each verse of
the song every day, and how the promises of God’s protection and grace helped
to sustain him through the enormous pressures and dangers of life in a war
zone.
“It seems like
this song is timely,” Townend says. “We in the West have had our sense of
safety and security brutally torn apart by recent world events, and it's caused
many to re-evaluate the foundations of their life. I feel that the song has
helped to stir faith
in many believers that God really is our protector; that our lives are in His
unshakable hands.”
What
heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled and striving cease
My Comforter, my All-in-All
Here in the love of Christ I stand…
When fears are stilled and striving cease
My Comforter, my All-in-All
Here in the love of Christ I stand…
Since its initial
creation just two years ago, several versions of “In Christ Alone” have been
recorded by artists around the world, and Townend admits to having a few
favorites. “I've heard some wonderful recordings of it. “The Newsboys’ version [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsgwfliQoqg ] is really fresh and exciting, and
the one done by Alan Asbury is superb,” Townend says. “But the one that always
moves me most is when we recorded it with a congregation of 8,000 at the
Stoneleigh Bible Week in England a couple of years ago. When we finish the
third verse, about the resurrection of Christ, there’s an extraordinary burst
of praise from the congregation that at the time was overwhelming, and
listening back still sends a shiver down my spine.”
The uniqueness of
Townend’s writing lies partly in its lyrical content. There is both a
theological depth and poetic expression that some say is rare in today’s
worship writing. And not surprisingly, it’s an emphasis that Townend and Getty
both maintained within the composition of this song in particular.
“I think content is vitally important to our corporate
worship,” Townend shares. “Sometimes great melodies are let down by indifferent
or clichéd words. It’s the writer’s job to dig deep into the meaning of
Scripture and express in poetic and memorable ways the truth he or she finds
there. Knowing the truth about God and who we are in Him is central to our
lives as believers. Songs remain in the mind in a way sermons do not, so
songwriters have an important role and a huge responsibility.”
No
guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny…
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny…
He continues,
“The lyric [of this song] excites me because it places our hope, our assurance,
our eternal destiny in the right place—on the solid foundation of Christ. I
know in my own life I need reminding continually not to live by my feelings or
my circumstances, but by the unchanging truth of the gospel.”
“In Christ Alone”
was the very first collaboration between Townend and Getty. In fact, it was
Townend’s first collaboration with any other songwriter. But it was an
experience he found to be very fruitful and well worth the effort. So much so
that the two have continued their musical partnership on other songs, and are
currently working on a series of songs based around the Apostles’ Creed. They
are hoping to have a recording available next year, and are excited about the
possibility of making it into a live presentation.
Lyrics copyright 2001
Kingsway/Thankyou Music
No comments:
Post a Comment