INTERPRETING GOSPEL MUSIC

Music Request Line: 507-400-8457 Interpreting Gospel Music Through Scripture: My Work and Method I approach gospel music as a structured form of theology, cultural memory, and historical testimony. My work reveals how each song is built on specific Bible verses and how those scriptures shape the song’s meaning, purpose, and emotional force. I treat gospel music not as loose inspiration but as a disciplined, scripture‑anchored expression of faith, endurance, and communal identity. A central part of my work is identifying the core message of each song. Every gospel piece expresses a central idea—deliverance, endurance, praise, lament, spiritual warfare, or hope—and I extract that message without softening or paraphrasing it. This clarity allows the listener or reader to understand exactly what theological claim the song is making. Once the message is identified, I connect the lyric to its biblical foundation. Gospel music is built on scripture, whether explicitly quoted or implicitly echoed. I show which Bible verses the song draws from, compresses, or expands, revealing the scriptural architecture behind the lyric. This step demonstrates that gospel music is not merely emotional expression; it is a continuation of biblical storytelling and doctrine. I also explain the function of scripture inside the song. A biblical reference in gospel music is never decorative. It serves a purpose—authority, affirmation, resistance, memory, or instruction. I clarify how the verse operates within the lyric and why it was chosen, showing how scripture shapes the song’s rhetorical and spiritual impact. Another essential part of my work is revealing the cultural and historical layer embedded in gospel music. These songs carry the weight of Black experience, including survival under oppression, communal resilience, spiritual resistance, and generational faith traditions. I make these layers explicit rather than implied, showing how gospel music functions as both spiritual expression and historical record. Finally, I fuse lyric, scripture, and context into a complete meaning. I produce interpretations that integrate the song’s message, its biblical grounding, and the cultural history behind it. My work turns gospel music into a readable, teachable, theologically anchored text—without losing its emotional or historical force. I turn gospel music into a readable, teachable, theologically anchored text — without losing its emotional or historical force.