In "For Love of You," Assad draws inspiration from the poem "As Kingfishers Catch Fire" by Gerard Manley Hopkins as she sings:
for love of You / I'm a sky on fire / for love of You / I come alive / it's Your Sacred Heart within me beating / Your voice within me singing
Her reference to the "Sacred Heart" sounded rather Roman Catholic to me, so it was no surprise to learn that Assad left her Protestant heritage and became a Catholic three years ago, joining Matt Maher as Roman Catholic songwriters doing well in Protestant circles. That disappoints me greatly, as the grace that characterizes our faith is not found in Roman Catholic doctrine, despite Mather's wonderful "Your Grace Is Enough." I've always felt that anyone "crossing the Tiber" either didn't understand Protestant theology, or didn't understand Roman Catholic theology. That's been illustrated time and time again as I've read testimonies that obviously distorted one position or the other. However, this is a music review, not a theological treatise, and I can say that Audrey Assad is a talented singer-songwriter with some beautiful piano-driven songs that will grow on any listener.
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