Views and Reviews: “If” and Great Composers

If you do not have Amy Carmichael’s devotional book simply titled If , it is still in print, and worth going after. Amy Carmichael (1867-1905) was a missionary to India. This inexpensive little book presents, in one simple paragraph after another, the essence of Christian love (what she describes as “Calvary love”). This is a work to be digested in small doses. And expect to be convicted by these razor sharp points!

A couple of samples: “If I can easily discuss the shortcomings and the sins of any; if I can speak in a casual way even of a child’s misdoings, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” And, “If I slip into the place that can be filled by Christ alone, making myself the first necessity to a soul instead of leading it to fasten upon Him, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

Patrick Kavanaugh’s book, Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers provides a fascinating look at men such as Bach, Mozart, Schubert and others. While the author does not claim each of them was a born again Christian, he shows how their lives and work were significantly impacted by a belief in God, the Bible, and spiritual values. The personal letters and journals quoted reveal the hearts of these gifted individuals. Sometimes, a simplistic popular depiction (such as of Mozart’s vulgarity) has given a distorted, and even inaccurate picture of what they were like. Kavanaugh has done some careful research, and helps to set the record straight.