MetaCatholic

Michael Bird posts today a video of what he says “is in my top three favourite worship songs”. It’s almost exactly the opposite of what I think, since this song always makes me grit my teeth. At least, the lyrics do; I rather like the melody. This put me to wondering whether this is taste or theology, or something in between. Here are the main reasons I dislike it:

• “Father God”. This is an expression I always find odd, but can never quite say why. It’s certainly not one that has been common in the liturgical tradition. I know a lot of people use it in extempore prayer, but then again a lot of people say “really would just” also. I think part of my objection is that it seems to treat “God” as a name, or makes Father sound like an honorific. (Consider the ways we might use Father + another noun in any other context in the English language.)
• “the knowledge of your Parenthood”. I have real problems with the register of “parenthood”. It seems to belong on forms, or discussions of family planning. Who actually uses this term with the connotation of a close relationship? “Hey Mum, your parenthood’s amazing!” I just don’t think so.
• It doesn’t fit everyone. How many people actually do go around wondering how they managed to exist before they became a Christian? And what are those who’ve been Christian all their lives supposed to do with this line?
• “I am your son, I am adopted in your family”. Leaving aside the interesting question of gendered language, at one level this is an unexceptional statement. At another I have problems with it as an assertion in a song that makes no mention of either the Son or the Spirit. Conceiving the relationship between myself and God as Father-son, without relating it (however lightly) to the Father-Son relationship I share in through the Spirit of adoption, is something I find problematic.

So are these questions just unimportant ones of personal taste, or does this song raise theological ones about its usage?

As many readers may know, I’m thinking over switching to a Mac, and am quite likely to once I’ve organised the pennies. But I was browsing their refurbished iMacs on the store (which does look a bit like a sell off of inventory at the moment, and was completely baffled at their pricing.

For £949 you can get a refurb of the current 24″ 2.4Ghz aluminium iMac. That’s not too bad a price. But spend £10 more, and a whopping £959 will buy you … the previous generation of 24″ white plastic iMac with OS X Tiger, iLife 06, half the graphics power and a slower processor.

Are they serious?