Check out the new concept album from Rusty Shipp!
Check out the new concept album from Rusty Shipp!

JFH Music Review


Glenn Packiam, The Mystery of Faith EP
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Glenn Packiam
The Mystery of Faith EP



Album length: 8 tracks: 26 minutes, 41 seconds
Street Date: March 5, 2013


"For decades, church leaders told us that how we worship is simply about forms and methods and that we should adjust them based on the people we want to reach. But for centuries, the Church Fathers told us that the way we worship and pray together becomes the way we believe, and that we must make sure that everything speaks of Christ and the Gospel. So maybe it's time to take a closer look at what we say, and sing, and do each week."

This is a quote from Glenn Packiam, one of the founding members of Desperation Band, from the Integrity Music press release for his new solo EP, The Mystery of Faith. The EP is an intriguing concept; a worship project that incorporates good theology and is inspired by ancient church practices. One may wonder how different a concept like this would be from the often-times anemic worship releases that flood the market. In addition, the album is a companion to his book of the same title (being released the same day). However, the end result is a mixture of disappointment with awe and admiration.

Here is the thing; this project doesn't sound any different, musically, than any other worship project out there. The project is six songs with two spoken pieces. The first is the celebratory "Victorious God," followed by the anthem "For the Life of the World," both of which can find a home in any worship service. In fact, all six of these songs can find a home in any worship service with the usual worship instrumental setup. They are certainly full of spiritual truths and declarations of our faith and human frailty, but they don't really delve any deeper than that. And seeming thrown into the middle of the album are a recitation of the Nicene Creed and a confession prayer. Certainly, as far as congregational worship goes, these are far from bad songs. They are, in fact, pretty decent. Upon learning of the project's concept, I had gotten the impression that this album would be something exotic or medieval, or theologically dense with thought-provoking concepts (something like the Irish band Iona). So I went into the album expecting something like that, and it didn't deliver. That's what was disappointing.

Then I read the companion book to the album. It is a pretty quick read that shouldn't take more than a couple of hours, at most, to read in one sitting. In the book, Packiam basically talked about his personal examination of the concept of "The way you worship becomes the way you believe" (from the Latin "lex orandi, lex credendi"). In short, he basically learned that throughout the history of our faith and our church, our expression of worship has been tied to the narrative of our faith, and that through our expression of worship, we retell that narrative; that the triune, all-powerful and infinitely good God freely gave grace to us--the sinners eternally separated from Him--to those who accept it. One such story he tells in the book is of his visit to an Eastern Orthodox Church in which the entire service, from their surroundings to their worship, from the moment one walked in to the moment they left, was a part of that narrative of grace. And it was a practice that has been in place for a period of years numbering in the thousands. And ultimately, Packiam implemented a narrative structure into his own church that he is the worship pastor at (he goes into detail in the book about the structure), and this structure is realized musically through his companion EP.

After reading the book, I listened to the EP in a new light. And yes, there is definitely a structure here. The album begins with a celebration of God, followed by a statement of our faith, confession and humbling ourselves in worship before God, spending time in community with God and each other, and ultimately ending with the "mystery" that "Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again." One can definitely tell, in hindsight, that there was indeed a LOT of lime, effort, and thought that was put into The Mystery of Faith. And it does amaze me about the amount of time and effort that was put into a musical project that is only 27 minutes long.

BUT, all that said, the whole concept behind the album is far from obvious from just listening to it. Musically, there is nothing special here. Those looking for something special will be quite disappointed. It is clear that Packiam's objective for The Mystery of Faith goes far beyond the music, but in all honestly, the same can be said about almost any worship release. I admire Packiam for trying to make the music more meaningful than the music he made during his time in Desperation Band, but the music really doesn't sound any different. I see this as a project that got pretty much everything right except the fact that, from a critical standpoint, what really matters, which is the music itself. I can't recommend this EP to anyone who would only ever listen to it casually and not think a thing about it; if you get this EP, you need to read the book, you need to delve into Packiam's journey, and you need to understand why Packiam does everything he does on this album. Otherwise, this EP is very likely to get lost in the shuffle of your music collection.

- Review date: 3/4/13, written by Mark Rice of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

 

. Record Label: Integrity Music
. Album length: 8 tracks: 26 minutes, 41 seconds
. Street Date: March 5, 2013
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)

  1. Victorious God (3:46)
  2. For The Life Of The World (3:31)
  3. The Nicene Creed (2:12)
  4. Grace Flows Freely Down (4:00)
  5. Prayer Of Confession (0:48)
  6. We Confess (3:26)
  7. The Lord Be With You (4:35)
  8. The Mystery Of Faith (4:28)

 

Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

Search JFH



This Friday, June 27, 2025
ALBUMS
7eventh Time Down We Praise You [BEC]
The Browns 25th Anniversary: Better Days Ahead [StowTown]
Franni Cash Wild Child - EP [Capitol CMG]
Matt Crocker interlude [Anotherland]
Jimmy Fortune Songs of an American Dreamer [Gaither]
Roxanne Grace Road Trip - EP [DREAM]
JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise The Live Reunion: Washington, DC [James Town]
Kutless The Seventh Seal - EP [BEC]
Evvie McKinney It Ain't Over - EP (independent)
Rusty Shipp Capsized Empire (independent)
SEU Worship A Forgiving God [Provident]
The Shimmering Carnelians The Doorway (Version 2.0) (independent)
We Are Messengers A Thousand Times - EP [Curb]

SINGLES
Anchor & Braille Rattlesnake - Single [Equal Vision]
ANTHNY imposter syndrome - Single [Provident]
Blanca Right On Time - Single [Curb]
Landry Cantrell & Elenee sunshine & rainbows - Single [DREAM]
Eddie Clark Never Content - Single [Syntax]
Colony House Atomic - Single [Roon]
Megan Danielle Preachin' To The Choir - Single [Provident]
Drea LP & OnBeatMusic Don't Try Me (DTM) - Single [Syntax]
Joseph Habedank Running to Me - Single [Daywind]
Lonnie Hunter Flow (Like A River) - Single [Uncle G]
Kashh Kade HELP - Single [Syntax]
KB x KEANU Keanu's Song - Single [Provident]
Tasha Layton Singing In the Dark - Single [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard The Hand That Keeps Holding - Single [Motown Gospel]
Tim Lovelace Celebration of America Medley (feat. Charlie McCoy) - Single [StowTown]
Lecrae Tell No Lie (feat. Jackie Hill Perry) - Single [Reach]
LO Worship The Perfect Love of Jesus - Single [Integrity]
Patrick Mayberry Thank The Lord - Single [Provident]
Michael Monroe John The Baptist (feat. Chris Renzema) - Single [Provident]
Alexander Pappas A Great Awakening / Un Nuevo Despertar - Single [Integrity]
PEABOD Summer in Seattle - Single [RMG Amplify]
Rave Jesus Walk On The Water Remix (From The Chosen) - Single [Provident]
The Rocky Valentines Nat Song - Single [Velvet Blue]
Saints In Exile & Cutright My Dead End (ft. Jeannie Ortega, Luc DiMarzio, Jericko) - Single [Syntax]
Emilie Weiss Take Care (Studio Sessions) - Single [BEC]

DVD
Jimmy Fortune Songs Of An American Dreamer DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, July 4, 2025
ALBUMS
Chad Cory America [DREAM]
Tenielle Neda The Way Of Love [Wings]

SINGLES
Christian Back Now - Single [DREAM]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Check out depositphotos for royalty free images