Historymakers is a radio program featuring interviews with Australian and international musicians. Many of the people interviewed are well-known in the Christian music industry, though some, such as James Morrison and Guy Sebastian are known more for their work in a secular context.
Matt Prater's book is a transcript of 14 of these interviews. Each interview is preceded by an artist profile, which helps to fill in the gaps if you don't know much about the person he is talking to. I imagine younger readers will find some of the names familiar, but may not know much about contemporary Christian music pioneers like Randy Stonehill and Chuck Girard.
Some of the highlights include:
"¢ Randy Stonehill giving a detailed account of how Larry Norman led him to faith in Christ.
"¢ Rebecca St James talking about her Australian upbringing and the impact of Girls Brigade on her life.
"¢ Colin Buchanan describing how his irritation with noisy model planes near his home has led to him committing to pray for Mission Aviation Fellowship pilots each time he hears a plane.
Matt's questions drew an interesting variety of answers from his guests. Guy Sebastian said that we should go to church, not to be entertained but to be encouraged. Interestingly, he admitted he himself does not go as much as he used to, and has now found "other ways of getting input". But when we see how important it is for us to encourage others to keep running the race, our own attendance becomes more critical than we had realised.
Sebastian also said that after his Australian Idol experience he realised that witnessing is not about telling people of God's judgment, which they don't need to hear: what they need to hear is that God wants to help you through life. "I think that what people need to hear is no matter where you are in your life, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that God loves you just for yourself and for who you are." However, throughout the Bible, we find the writers and speakers boldly warning people that in our present state God is angry with us, and that we need to turn from living for ourselves to trusting in Jesus. If he were happy with us just as we are, Jesus would not have needed to suffer and die.
Some spoke about their music as if it were equivalent to praying and preaching, while others spoke sanguinely of their craft as "picking up a box with strings" which God has used as his Word has been spoken.
Several guests talked about the importance of daily Bible reading and gave the impression that they are speaking from personal experience. Nathan Tasker reads it because he believes it is important to be faithful to the message that comes from the Bible and to proclaim it and not water it down. Tasker stresses that his ministry is supported by several people who pray regularly for him and with him, including his wife.
Historymakers in Music gives some new insights into well-known and also lesser known musicians Australian Christians enjoy. I think most people would find the book informative and at times, inspiring. See [url=http://www.historymakersradio.com]http://www.historymakersradio.com[/url] to find out more about this radio program.
