Last week as I was thinking the second thing to remember from Erik Varden (remember you were once a slave in Egypt), a song from long ago came to mind.  A bit of context from an odd source first, though.

A couple of weeks ago, Russell Moore posted a fun reflection on the contemporary Christian music industry (inspired by a recent book about the topic, which I really should check out).  In the article, Moore traces his agreements and disagreements with the author’s attempt to trace cultural trends through the lens of CCM from the 1970s til today.  As others have pointed out, it is fun seeing what artists Moore mentions, fun seeing what overlap is or isn’t there.  One of the best moments from the piece:

Contemporary Christian music, flawed as any human endeavor is, was a positive force in my life. The music of Amy Grant and Rich Mullins went with me through an adolescent spiritual crisis and are probably part of the reason I came out of it more Christian than I went in. I’m amazed by how much of my incipient theology—convictions I teach to this day—was taught to me by Petra lyrics. I have never, not once in 30 years of ministry, preached Romans 6 without hearing their “Dead Reckoning” song in my mind.

I learned how to read biblical narrative Christologically, how to understand parable and poetry and paradox, from the lyrics of Michael Card. I might be embarrassed to tell you how often, in the middle of dark times, what strengthens me are words like “Where there is faith / There is a voice calling, keep walking / You’re not alone in this world” or “I’ll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough” or “God is in control / We will choose to remember and never be shaken.” None of that may be rock-and-roll, but I will die believing that God gave that to me.

I’m always a little surprised in reflections on CCM that don’t mention Steven Curtis Chapman, whose music really has spanned decades.  His most recent album, Still, is a quality piece of work that picks up on some of SCC’s long-term themes while also folding in some greater eschatological hope.

All of this to say that SCC’s “Remember Your Chains” came to mind as I was thinking about Varden’s challenge to us to remember what God has saved us from.  This clip of SCC singing the song looks and feels like it’s from another world, which, I suppose, it is.  The song is from his Heaven in the Real World album, which was the first “brand new” SCC album I ever bought, I think.  If the hairstyle and fashion throw you off, just close your eyes and listen to the song and remember.