About Spirituality of Rock
Rock songs are the stuff of prayers — the same longing, hope and fear that come from restless hearts trying to navigate a complicated world.
Spirituality of Rock listens to these songs and asks: If we read them like prayers, what would they say about our relationship with God?
How to Read this Project
Chances are, the people writing rock songs didn’t write them as prayers. Even so, they reflect the same search for meaning we all have. The songs we put in heavy rotation speak to our deepest questions, desires and struggles. It’s in the deep questions that our search for God happens.
Spirituality of Rock explores that very place using a distinctively Catholic toolkit that sifts through art to find what’s good and true even when it’s mingled with what might be flawed. When something is good, true and beautiful, it’s worth paying attention to because God is nearby.
Spirituality of Rock does not treat songs as answers. Instead, it looks for everyday clues about the soul’s search for meaning, love and God through our life’s soundtrack.
Is Spirituality of Rock for You?
If you’re asking questions — questions like, “Hey, is God nearby?” — even if you’ve been away from Church for a while, keep reading. Spirituality of Rock might strike a chord in your life.
Publishing Schedule
Spirituality of Rock is published in serialized projects. Each series explores a single song over weekly installments followed by a pause as the next series takes shape. (See each series in Song Projects.)
Because there are pauses between series, subscribing is the easiest way to know when a new series begins. Subscribing and reading are free; Spirituality of Rock is offered without a paywall.
Most writing here appears in these series. Occasionally, I may publish a brief follow-up when something connects to an earlier post or to the questions this project explores. (See these connected posts in Liner Notes.)
Who Is Christian Knoebel?
I am a Catholic deacon in the Diocese of Trenton, N.J. I’ve worked in journalism as a senior editor and executive producer at The Wall Street Journal, in product at The New York Times, and today at Princeton University in digital strategy.
I write Spirituality of Rock to explore what the music we love reveals about the human experience and our relationship with God.
