In the pouring rain (lament)

This original piece of music seeks to extend theological aesthetics’ focus on literature and representational arts to the artform of “musicking”. The underlying research position is that music-making is an essential form of human meaning-making beyond or even underlying the duality of verbal communication. The specific research question underlying In the Pouring Rain (Lament) is about the trustworthiness of God and what it takes to have faith in times of difficulty and doubt, specifically provoked by mental health issues and depression. Guided by the theology of Pierangelo Sequeri and Pope Francis’ Prayer for the Year of Mercy, the song explores how can we know, personally and confidently, that God is worthy of trust, and surrender to that faith?

While there is a growing volume of works about music in theology, there is very little research attempting to theologise through music. Through its specific symbolic processes and semiotic patterning of experience and understanding, music can exteriorise aspects of conversion and Christian doctrine in ways that cannot be accessed solely through theoretical reasoning. In the Pouring Rain (Lament) combines chant and contemporary melodies to enact the eternal mercy of an everchanging eternal love.

This song was produced by Multi-Platinum Award Winning Producer Adrian Hannan at The Song Store, VIC; launched at The Cave Inn, Brisbane, while livestreamed to an international audience from across Australia, Asia, Europe, the USA, and Latin America; and released by Willow Publishing Party Ltd. In June 2022, it was published by Bloomsbury as an intrinsic part of chapter fifteen on "How can we know if God is trustworthy?” in Suspended God: Music and a Theology of Doubt.

File size over 30 MB.