The rhetorical question David Wilcox asks aloud before a crowd outside Baltimore, Maryland, is – “Will it serve?” In other words, to what ends will his musings on faith and his own musical discoveries be used to catapult others through their own journeys?
Prior to the concert, David Wilcox sat down with me to share thoughts about his latest CD, Open Hand (released on April 7). In the interview and on the CD, David provides his gratifyingly consistent mixture of melody and message that invites followers to explore along with him the “outrageous carpenter.” While David doesn’t seek the label of Christian singer, the name of Jesus has been seeping into his lyrics more and more. And to great effect.
Specifically, in the song “Beyond Belief,” David casts a vision of the Jesus he knows and wishes to follow to the exclusion of competing (and sometimes predominant) versions of Christ in the marketplace of religious ideas. This version of Jesus demands much of his followers – to be the mercy in this world of unrest.
When asked if he now considers himself a Christian singer, David’s reply is: “I think this song would infuriate Christians because it’s saying that if you are safe inside your little theological gated community, you’re further from Jesus than ever.”
Watch the interview, and David Wilcox singing “Beyond Belief,” here:
Robin Fillmore is director of integrated marketing for Sojourners. Learn more about David Wilcox at : www.davidwilcox.com
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