Music is a form of art that decorates the space around us. Instead of a physical painting decorating a home’s interior, music can be carried with you and adorn the moment itself. To Brad Kelle, PLNU professor of Old Testament and Hebrew and interim dean of the Reuben Welch School of Theology and Christian Ministry, hearing a familiar song on the radio unlocks a flood of memories full of nostalgia.
“I learned music in church. I loved it,” he said in an email interview. “At first, it was just old hymns, and then came the emergence of contemporary Christian music. I was hooked.”
Shaped by this intersection of faith and music, Kelle was heavily influenced by his experiences in high school and his early years of college.
“Music at the church or in band or choir in [high school] and college painted whole new worlds of imagination for thinking about my life, others, God and the world,” he said.
Originally drawn to classical and symphonic music, Kelle’s taste in music later dipped into the realm of rock music. The band that Kelle resonates most with is that of the Ireland-based rock band, U2.
“Nearly every song is like a gospel song, pushing me to think deeply about who we are and how we ought to live in the world together and with God. They are amazing.”
With around 20 million monthly Spotify listeners and over 1 billion plays of their hit “With Or Without You,” U2 is a staple of the rock music scene. Their unique ability to create atmospheric soundscapes is seen as a rarity in the genre; each of U2’s songs takes time to build. Verse after verse, the lyrics are sung with growing vigor and a new piece of instrumentation is added, eventually layering into a culmination of an awe-inspiring work of art.
This captivating effect is what resonates with Kelle the most, he said. Music reaches into the crevices of forgotten places and is a reminder of how God works through all things.
“It carries me to places I can’t go on my own, yet it also connects me with some of my deepest memories,” he said. “Much like the psalms in the Old Testament, it allows the expression of the full range of human emotions and experiences in powerful ways.”
Kelle points to U2’s fifth studio album, “The Joshua Tree,” as the highlight of the band’s discography.
Lyrics from the opening track, “Where The Streets Have No Name,” explore themes of transcendence and freedom from societal labels.
“We’re beaten and blown by the wind, blown by the wind / Oh, and I see love / See our love turn to rust.”
The wind represents trials, where social division or religious turmoil causes people to feel defeated. This is further emphasized by the following lines, where it appears love and peace are visible, but it is just out of one’s grasp.
These moving lyrics keep Kelle returning to U2’s work. He said the band’s work can constantly be revisited, always offering a new meaning upon each listen.
“I have a super eclectic music taste,” he said. “I listen to music nearly all day, every day. I go to lots of concerts, especially when an old Christian rock band from the ‘80s or ‘90s swings through town to play House of Blues or something.”
For Kelle, music is more than just a soundtrack — spiritual and emotional depth is found within the creative lyricism and moving instrumentals. Regardless of whether it is gospel hymns or the echoes of U2’s choruses, music points Kelle in the direction of divinity and God-inspired pieces of art.
Milla Kuiper