![]() Many critics and fans keep his biblical message at arm’s length or simply ignore it. But it is rare to find reviewers who approvingly cite or even examine many of Dylan’s lyrics from his trilogy. Plus, he has made comments in interviews suggesting his relationship with Christ has endured in some form.Īs often happens with Dylan’s “lesser” works, the trilogy has grown in stature over the years. Dylan has never publicly recanted his Christian beliefs, nor stopped playing songs from the gospel trilogy. Many observers interpreted his subsequent return to non-Christian music as proof he had abandoned the faith. Once I’ve said what I need to say in a song, that’s it.” Dylan explained at the time, “I’ve made my statement and I don’t think I could make it any better than in some of those songs. He also treated fans to impromptu mini-sermons that are almost surreal to revisit.Īfter “Shot of Love,” the gospel era ended. Out of his newfound faith would come three LPs devoted to God: “Slow Train Coming” (1979), “Saved” (1980), and “Shot of Love” (released 40 years ago today), none of which received much beyond poor to middling reviews. When Dylan took his new material on the road, audiences were in for a surprise, as he refused to play any of his “secular” songs. The glory of the Lord knocked me down and picked me up.” Of this “encounter,” Dylan later recalled, “There was a presence in the room that couldn’t have been anybody but Jesus…. What happened? How did the restless mind behind “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Like a Rolling Stone” find Jesus Christ and later release a trio of Christian rock records?įor a hyper-truncated version, here’s Jeff Taylor and Chad Israelson in “The Political World of Bob Dylan”: “Ultimately, it was a fan throwing a silver cross on stage at a San Diego concert, a personal encounter with Jesus in a motel room in Tucson, the influence of his Christian girlfriend Mary Alice Artes, and conversations with Vineyard Fellowship ministers from the West LA congregation that led to Dylan’s born-again experience.”
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