March 14, 2007

In Christ Alone w/Keith and Kristyn Getty

What is a hymn? What do the hymns of the church do? Well the hymns of the church teach us as well as lead us in remembering the birth, the life, the teaching, the death, the resurrection and return of Jesus Christ and that can have a life changing impact on anyone’s life. Welcome to Haven Today. I’m Charles Morris, sharing the great story that’s all about Jesus, on part 2 of a program called “In Christ Alone” with Keith and Kristyn Getty. I’d like you to get to know them a little more. I’d like for them to share music with you, hymns in fact. So let’s get started as they lead us in worship with a hymn called, “Across the Lands”.

Song: Across the Lands
Performed by: Keith and Kristyn Getty

This is Haven Today and I’m Charles Morris and that is a new hymn for the church, “Across the Lands” and it’s by Kristyn and Keith Getty who we had on our program yesterday and, well I enjoyed it so much their back with us today. So Keith welcome back, Kristyn welcome back to the program.
KRG: Thank you very much.
KG: Thanks Charles.
CM: We got to hear some of your great music, like “In Christ Alone”, “The Power of the Cross” and “There is a Higher Throne”. We heard yesterday from Kristyn who talked about just an experience in the life of her family, her dad who’s a pastor in Northern Ireland, of how Christ made himself more real. Let’s just start off, Keith you today, was there ever a time in your life when Christ kind of broke through. You know, the second person of the Godhead became real and alive to you, or were you just one of those who, since birth, you were brought up in a Christian home and knew the Lord and –
KG: Yeah, I think in the main I’m the second category, I’m one who was brought up in a Christian home and pretty much learnt my faith from birth really.
CM: Which is a wonderful thing!
KRG: It’s a huge blessing, yeah.
KG: It’s something, it’s something. My parents gave us life, love and introduced us to Christ and to music so I kind of owe them a reasonably large amount, I think. But I think the most difficult time intellectually for me was between about 17 and 19. I went to university in England. Obviously in Britain we don’t have such a thing as Christian universities, you just go to university.
CM: Yes. Sure.
KG: And I got involved and because my confidence exceeded my abilities perhaps I ended up doing a lot of debating or just discussion or special events –
CM: That was debating I heard you say.
KG: Debating, yeah, yeah
CM: You were going to win people over and convince them that the Gospel was the right thing.
KG: That’s right, that’s right. Well, I, well coming from, coming from –
KRG: It’s the Irish. We like to fight you know?
KG: That’s right.
CM: Do you have a temper Keith?
KG: Combination of the Irish fighter mentality and also being from a Christian country like Ireland and going to a pagan country like England, you know, I wanted to, I wanted to convert the university, on the outside by the end of the year, but hopefully within a semester.
CM: Right and then the whole of England would then come to faith –
KG: Well, that’s right by the end of the decade.
CM: Yes
KG: So what we did was, we engaged with a number of Islamic students who became friends of ours. We engaged with a group of theologians, most of whom didn’t believe in Christianity at all
CM: Yes
KG: or certainly didn’t believe in Christ. And then we engaged with just people from different backgrounds who had never been to church before, people who were into more New Age type things.
CM: Yes
KG: And for the first time in my life, the brain power of many of these people, the intellectual abilities they had exceeded mine. Their research exceeded mine. And my faith was torn to pieces. I wouldn’t say I lost my faith, but for a period of about a year I really had
KRG: Big Questions
KG: serious questions and at times huge doubts. And there’s even today some of these issues that I still struggle with, especially in the personal daily interaction of people. But the one thing that I hold onto and grab onto and that indeed doesn’t allow me to leave Christianity intellectually or any other way and that is this person Jesus Christ. This person who was prophesied for thousands of years, this person who was incarnate, this person who’s life and his teaching and most importantly in his death and his resurrection and the questions that he has left us for the future. And intellectually it forces us to say it’s either true or it’s not. You know, God would not send himself if there were 16 other ways.
CM: What’s interesting, God didn’t call you to be John Stott for a new generation, he called you as a musician too, but as a thinking musician, someone steeped in the word.
KG: And so that, and so I think that period of time, as well as being exposed to all kinds of different church music, I guess in its own way that was the formulative time that made me say, if I want to be involved in church music I want to help teach people this great story of Christ and what that means and also write in a way that, you know, people can imbibe it and sing it. And it took me, it wasn’t until my early mid twenties that I really decided to try and write these songs when the pastor in our church finally said, “You’ve got to try and give this a shot.” So –
CM: And you became a hymn writer. And you’ve done other music as well, you’ve done other compositions. You’ve done string music.
KG: Oh we did, we did a lot of music industry stuff with a lot of work in our twenties. But we don’t -
KRG: We did some solo songs as well which we use in context of worship services. So for example, the very end of this new album we did a track called, “Don’t Let Me Lose My Wonder” which is just an extra little bonus track. And we use it as we travel because the story, we can hear the story of the Gospel over and over and over again, and we use it as a moment to sit back and reflect and consider all that we’ve been singing about and make that our prayer that we won’t, in fact, lose our wonder, that we’ll never cease to be amazed that it will have a deep impact on us. And it’s like a little benediction thing to the album.

Song: Don’t Let Me Lose My Wonder
Performed by: Kristyn & Keith Getty

This is Haven Today and we’re with the Gettys, Keith and Kristyn, they are from Northern Ireland. We had them on the program yesterday and they have a brand new album as they’ve entered the United States. It’s called, “In Christ Alone” which is probably their modern day hymn that’s known more than anything else you’ve done. Welcome to Haven Today for a second day. You guys have been in the United States for a year. You’re going to be here for another year. You’re probably looking forward to going back to the Emerald Isle, or whatever the proper term is for Ireland. Any observations – polite or impolite – you would like to share with us, coming from a culture where very few people are believers in Christ even though there’s a steep history of Christianity in Ireland, you guys Northern Ireland. Observations? I’m sitting down, I can take it.
KRG: America
CM: What would you like to say about Christianity in the United States? And I’ll ask all of our listeners to please sit down for whatever you want to say.
KG: We’ve loved being in America
KRG: Yeah.
CM: Thank you.
KG: We love the culture, we love, we have learned so much about our faith here.
KRG: Positive energy
KG: So, I would say, I would say our vast experience has been wonderfully positive. I guess coming from a culture which was once Christian and is no longer, we have to learn the lessons of that culture. And so much of the church the last 200 years in Britain, when it has been attacked by the culture has really bounced one of two directions, and that is to either basically give up the things we believe in and try and turn the church into a social organization or a number based organization, or a keeping-it-financially-together-based organization. Or it’s gone the other way and kind of buried itself in a corner, believing the truth but really not having a radical form of expression
CM: Yes
KG: to the society. And I think so much of our church life has gone one of those 2 polar directions
CM: Right.
KG: for 200 years. And I think there are many reasons why the church isn’t strong in Britain today, but I think as an observation, that’s something we’ve got to watch as a church. And so I guess we’re trying to take that on board as well as hymn writers.
CM: Well, you guys have lived in Switzerland, so you’ve seen the European church scene. You’re from Northern Ireland, you’ve been in England, now you’re in the United States. Is there any fear you have for the church, you know, the visible church as you see it and how you would like to see it go, not just in the United States but around the world?
KRG: Well, as songwriters, what we’re always trying to do is portray the story of the Gospel and make the music Christ-focused. And I think that if there is every a danger, if we were to take that out and not have it as the centerpiece and the foundation of everything we do then things get a little shaky. And that’s not just in the United States but all over the world you know. And when the Gospel is taken out and it becomes either a social agenda –
CM: or watered down.
KRG: watered down, or a big entertainment day or something like that. But actual Christianity is following Christ and making disciples of people and so, that’s always a danger that we stick to that basic foundation and don’t let it sort of teeter over the edge and follow another agenda.
CM: We’ve got time for another song. What hymn have you written could you minister to us with that’s perhaps on this new album?
KRG: There’s a song that we actually wrote in Switzerland, you mentioned Switzerland, it’s called, “Beneath the Cross of Jesus”. And we took that -
CM: From the traditional hymn, Fanny Crosby
KRG: No, I think it’s Elizabeth Clif - ?
CM: Is it?
KG: Clephane
KRG: Clephane, that’s her last name.
CM: Yes, but that was your take off point.
KRG: We took that title. I was just reading through a hymnal one day and I love, you know, just love that lyric. And so we were leading worship that Sunday at the church in Geneva and they were doing a study in James and considering the cross and community and what it would mean to, you know, understand how to relate to one another in light of the cross, in light of Christ’s forgiveness of us. And we were finding it hard just to find songs and material to use in the service so we thought, “Let’s try and write one for Sunday!” And so, we just started working on it one day. And verse one just looks at the individual coming to the cross and realizing though they are so unworthy, Christ has died for them. And then verse 2, it’s as if the camera pans back and before the cross you realize there are thousands of other people around us in need of the same cross, in need of the same Savior. It’s not just me, there’s lots of us all there. And so it asks the question – it’s the pivotal point in the song – how can I then dishonor the one’s that you have loved when I consider what you have done for me? And verse 3 moves us out in this picture of the church, the bride of Christ, moving together on this path of following Christ with the hope that one day we will be made perfect but living nigh beneath the cross of Jesus.

Song: Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Performed by: Kristyn and Keith Getty

A new hymn for the church of Jesus Christ with words and music by Keith and Kristyn Getty who you’ve heard on Haven Today yesterday as well as today and that’s called, “Beneath the Cross”, not the Fanny Crosby tune or words but certainly powerful lyrics that have meaning to us today from a young couple from Ireland who write hymns to share with believers and encourage believers in their faith. Have you heard their signature hymn “In Christ Alone”? That’s what we’re calling these 2 days together and that’s also the title of their new album, “In Christ Alone” by Keith and Kristyn Getty. I’d like you to have a copy and I’d like you to have this CD as a way of encouraging you to help us keep sharing the great story of Jesus Christ around the world, every day as well as in your home town. So would you get in touch with us? You can look at the album and even hear some sound bites from it “In Christ Alone” there at haventoday.org. Our web address, home page is haventoday.org. Or you can give us a call at 1-800-654-2836, that’s 1-800-654-2836. We’re a listener supported ministry so we ask for your encouragement to help us keep sharing the great story. Also, if you haven’t started the Bible in 90 days, you’ve been a little hesitant, but you‘ve talked to the Lord about it and you’d like to start, we’ve got the Bible reading plan there for you to download at haventoday.org, or you can actually order a copy of the NIV Large Print Bible I’m using. Twelve pages a day, you’ll be done in less than 90 days and certainly you’ll have a blessing. Or if you don’t have the internet and would like the Bible I’m reading or a copy of the Bible reading plan, call 1-800-65-HAVEN. I’m Charles Morris and thanks for being with me. Come back again tomorrow. Yes, we’ll tell the great story that’s all about Jesus on Haven Today.