Dear Karen, you amaze me! You do not know how much I needed to hear that Bob Dylan wrote an album about Jesus (I hesitate to call him a Christians as I do not know if he would use that label!). I spent the whole morning listening to the album. As I have grown in faith over the past few years it has been astounding to me how the existence of faith has been pushed to the sidelines in mainstream conversations - like the fact that I had never heard of this side of Bob Dylan. Are there any other artists with faith-inspired albums that have been hidden away that you know of?
Mar 25·edited Mar 25Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek
Love good ol' buddy Bob! He's had hiz ups an' downs but even as an ol' fart he came out with "Murder Most Foul" 'bout JFK -- it's a good'un--he's seen a lot, knows a lot (an' of course he wuz singin' at all the Civil Rights rallies too!)
Now I'm a bit mystified 'bout his 2022 quote 'bout bein' Christian. Per what I thought I understood, Dylan didn't stay Christian fer that long--my understandin' is that he went from the late 1970's bein' Christian ta explorin' Buddhism in the early 80's, foller'd by Sufism (quel surprise!) ta walkin' it all back quietly an' becomin' Chewish again--'round 1983 (so less'n a decade not bein' a chew but even now he's still always "explorin' " all sorts of faiths, philosophies, beliefs etc....)
In 1983 upon his return ta Judaism he recorded a song 'bout Israel called "Neighborhood Bully" which ticked off ALL the wokesters! (been meanin' ta write 'bout this myself--not his finest work but it's not turrible....): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ETdLfXI6r8
FWIW, both his sons were bar mitzvah'd an' one married a Hasidic girl so in his "spiritual journey" Dylan even tried bein' Orthodox himself!
In 1988 durin' his Orthodox period he studied with Chabad--learned Kabbalah (jewish mysticism) an' wrote 'bout how this in-depth stuff resonated with him spiritually an' poetically (fergit whar I heard that interview).
Now I'm confused cuz I thought he wuz jewish again--just whut I've learned... tho' I'm SURE he took goodness outta all faiths he pursued! (also see: https://religionnews.com/2020/06/23/dylan-album/ )
In any event, per legend in the moosick biz (an' per his own interviews) he made a "deal" with the devil for his career. Now I dunno if it wuz like Robert Johnson "at the crossroads" (that's a'nuther legend!) or less literal--but we gotta take it on face value--he likely did stuff against his moral compass or at least performed in space an' places less than "kosher" if ya git my drift--likely knew all 'bout the cabal / illuminatti, it's in some of his lyrics but he wuz purdy careful...
IMHO Dyan was no longer a boy-wonder post 1975 (with a few noted exceptions). His lyrics, as ya said Karen, were always better an' more thoughtful than the blather that goes fer "moosick" today--
'Tho his voice wuz never purdy--I'm also grateful he stuck ta who he wuz (no auto-tune!) an' tho' he wuz changin' more often than them times (that "are" a changin') he seemed ta foller his own piper!
"Dylan’s religious trajectory has been interesting, to say the least. Born Robert Zimmerman and raised in a tight Jewish community in Hibbing, Minnesota (he spent summers at Herzl Camp, a Zionist camp in Webster, Wisconsin), Dylan became a born again Christian in the 1970s. After releasing a couple of polarizing gospel music albums, he returned to his Jewish roots in the ’80s. In recent decades he has even participated in holiday services at Orthodox Chabad synagogues.")
FWIW--he (an' the late great Leonard Cohen) both performed in Israel in spite'a much backlash...
Over time Dylan's overtly Christian music has gained respect among his fandom and beyond, and all kinds of musicians perform some of these songs these days. Ol' Zimmy has had his ups and downs in life but he'll be 84 years old in May and he's still touring.
One of my favorite albums, I was early 20's when he released it. Not musically as good as his double CD with The Band, "Before The Flood," which may be one of the best of all time. Still, it was hard hitting, and for a Christian, a welcome bridgehead in a broken culture.
Thanks for the look back. Thanks for the Sunday inspiration!
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon"(Lit, in Aram, riches). Matthew 6:24
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:16,17
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. .Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1John 4:1-3,15
Thank you for a lovely post today. I have a loved Dylan's gospel songs ever since I started listening to a lot of Dylan after 2007. (I went into a phase where I discovered the record Modern Times, which I loved so much that I started buying every one of his records, working from the '90s backwards.) The creative period that the critics hated, the 1980/90s, is actually one of my favorites. The book, Bob Dylan Prophet, Mystic, Poet by Seth Rogovoy is an excellent exploration of Dylan's religious and moral roots.
Thank you for this excellent article on Bob Dylan. I didn't know his whole story. He is truly strong in his faith to take on the music industry and Hollywood. I so admire him and will pray for his continued strength in what is truly the End Days.
God Bless , great commentary, thank you
Dear Karen, you amaze me! You do not know how much I needed to hear that Bob Dylan wrote an album about Jesus (I hesitate to call him a Christians as I do not know if he would use that label!). I spent the whole morning listening to the album. As I have grown in faith over the past few years it has been astounding to me how the existence of faith has been pushed to the sidelines in mainstream conversations - like the fact that I had never heard of this side of Bob Dylan. Are there any other artists with faith-inspired albums that have been hidden away that you know of?
Thank you!!
Another mind popper!
So enjoyable reading your article.
And I’ve just listened to and sung along to “ Slow Train Coming Home” album. I Loved it. I listened to it all.
I don’t remember hearing the music before but had heard positive things about the album.
My wife teaches music and singing at school. I’ve gotta get her to teach them,” Man gave names to all the animals.”
Thank you so much Karen, again.
Loved hearing about your Dad’s impact.
Love good ol' buddy Bob! He's had hiz ups an' downs but even as an ol' fart he came out with "Murder Most Foul" 'bout JFK -- it's a good'un--he's seen a lot, knows a lot (an' of course he wuz singin' at all the Civil Rights rallies too!)
Now I'm a bit mystified 'bout his 2022 quote 'bout bein' Christian. Per what I thought I understood, Dylan didn't stay Christian fer that long--my understandin' is that he went from the late 1970's bein' Christian ta explorin' Buddhism in the early 80's, foller'd by Sufism (quel surprise!) ta walkin' it all back quietly an' becomin' Chewish again--'round 1983 (so less'n a decade not bein' a chew but even now he's still always "explorin' " all sorts of faiths, philosophies, beliefs etc....)
In 1983 upon his return ta Judaism he recorded a song 'bout Israel called "Neighborhood Bully" which ticked off ALL the wokesters! (been meanin' ta write 'bout this myself--not his finest work but it's not turrible....): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ETdLfXI6r8
FWIW, both his sons were bar mitzvah'd an' one married a Hasidic girl so in his "spiritual journey" Dylan even tried bein' Orthodox himself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBFOQ-ql7yY
also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGXcTAHCcmo&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jta.org%2F&feature=emb_imp_woyt
In 1988 durin' his Orthodox period he studied with Chabad--learned Kabbalah (jewish mysticism) an' wrote 'bout how this in-depth stuff resonated with him spiritually an' poetically (fergit whar I heard that interview).
Now I'm confused cuz I thought he wuz jewish again--just whut I've learned... tho' I'm SURE he took goodness outta all faiths he pursued! (also see: https://religionnews.com/2020/06/23/dylan-album/ )
In any event, per legend in the moosick biz (an' per his own interviews) he made a "deal" with the devil for his career. Now I dunno if it wuz like Robert Johnson "at the crossroads" (that's a'nuther legend!) or less literal--but we gotta take it on face value--he likely did stuff against his moral compass or at least performed in space an' places less than "kosher" if ya git my drift--likely knew all 'bout the cabal / illuminatti, it's in some of his lyrics but he wuz purdy careful...
IMHO Dyan was no longer a boy-wonder post 1975 (with a few noted exceptions). His lyrics, as ya said Karen, were always better an' more thoughtful than the blather that goes fer "moosick" today--
'Tho his voice wuz never purdy--I'm also grateful he stuck ta who he wuz (no auto-tune!) an' tho' he wuz changin' more often than them times (that "are" a changin') he seemed ta foller his own piper!
(FWIW https://www.timesofisrael.com/nobel-winner-bob-dylans-5-most-jewish-moments/
"Dylan’s religious trajectory has been interesting, to say the least. Born Robert Zimmerman and raised in a tight Jewish community in Hibbing, Minnesota (he spent summers at Herzl Camp, a Zionist camp in Webster, Wisconsin), Dylan became a born again Christian in the 1970s. After releasing a couple of polarizing gospel music albums, he returned to his Jewish roots in the ’80s. In recent decades he has even participated in holiday services at Orthodox Chabad synagogues.")
FWIW--he (an' the late great Leonard Cohen) both performed in Israel in spite'a much backlash...
Over time Dylan's overtly Christian music has gained respect among his fandom and beyond, and all kinds of musicians perform some of these songs these days. Ol' Zimmy has had his ups and downs in life but he'll be 84 years old in May and he's still touring.
One of my favorite albums, I was early 20's when he released it. Not musically as good as his double CD with The Band, "Before The Flood," which may be one of the best of all time. Still, it was hard hitting, and for a Christian, a welcome bridgehead in a broken culture.
Thanks for the look back. Thanks for the Sunday inspiration!
I remember this.
It was annoying and obnoxious, just like any person who has their "moment of faith" and needs to bludgeon everyone within earshot about it.
Delightful!
Knowing the man and his times makes it/him interesting and delightful.
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon"(Lit, in Aram, riches). Matthew 6:24
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:16,17
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. .Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1John 4:1-3,15
Bob Dylan sold his soul to the devil. Don't be deceived.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNn72qnp6kI
Thank you for a lovely post today. I have a loved Dylan's gospel songs ever since I started listening to a lot of Dylan after 2007. (I went into a phase where I discovered the record Modern Times, which I loved so much that I started buying every one of his records, working from the '90s backwards.) The creative period that the critics hated, the 1980/90s, is actually one of my favorites. The book, Bob Dylan Prophet, Mystic, Poet by Seth Rogovoy is an excellent exploration of Dylan's religious and moral roots.
Thank you for sharing your music. I love Bob Dylan but I wasn't aware of the meaning behind this album. What else should we listen to?
Thank you for this excellent article on Bob Dylan. I didn't know his whole story. He is truly strong in his faith to take on the music industry and Hollywood. I so admire him and will pray for his continued strength in what is truly the End Days.