They'll Know We Are Christians

Last updated

"They'll Know We Are Christians" (also known as "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love" or "We Are One in the Spirit") is a Christian hymn written in the 1960s by Catholic priest Fr. Peter Scholtes. [1] The title of the song originates in a phrase that non-believers used to describe Christians believers of early Church: "Behold, how they love one another." [2]

Contents

The song was released on an LP of the same name featuring the congregation of Fr. Scholtes' church, St. Brendan's on the south side of Chicago. [3]

Covers

The song has been covered by a variety of Christian recording artists, including Justin Unger, Jars of Clay, Rebecca St. James, Jason Upton, Lydia Walker, and For King & Country, which covered the song for the show "A.D.: The Bible Continues." The song was also featured in the opening of the Christian movie "A Distant Thunder" of the series "A Thief in the Night".”

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Keaggy</span> American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist

Philip Tyler Keaggy is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 55 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. He is a seven-time recipient of the GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year, and was twice nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album. He has frequently been listed as one of the world's top-two "finger-style" and "finger-picking" guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine readers' polls, and due to his complex and virtuosic playing, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priesthood of all believers</span> Christian doctrine

The priesthood of all believers is either the general Christian belief that all Christians form a common priesthood, or, alternatively, the specific Protestant belief that this universal priesthood precludes the ministerial priesthood found in some other churches, including Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agape feast</span> Communal meal shared among Christians

An agape feast or lovefeast is a term used for various communal meals shared among Christians. The name comes from the Greek word ἀγάπη (agape), which implies love in the sense of brotherly or familial affection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Contemporary worship music</span> Modern genre of music sung in many churches

Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a defined genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has developed over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are frequently referred to as "praise songs" or "worship songs" and are typically led by a "worship band" or "praise team", with either a guitarist or pianist leading. It has become a common genre of music sung in many churches, particularly in charismatic or non-denominational Protestant churches with some Roman Catholic congregations incorporating it into the Mass as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justification (theology)</span> Concept of Christian theology

In Christian theology, justification is the event or process by which sinners are made or declared to be righteous in the sight of God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Divine, All Loves Excelling</span> Christian hymn written by Charles Wesley

"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" is a Christian hymn by Charles Wesley, first published in 1747. It was initially published as part of his Hymns for Those that Seek and Find and quickly became a central hymn in both Methodist and wider Christian worship. The hymn reflects Wesley's teachings on Christian perfection, expressing a longing for God's transforming and sanctifying grace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Schutte</span> American Christian singer

Daniel Laurent Schutte is an American composer of Catholic and contemporary Christian liturgical music, best known for composing the hymn "Here I Am, Lord" and approximately 171 other hymns and Mass settings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assurance (theology)</span> Christian doctrine on confidence in God and salvation

As a general term in theological use, assurance refers to a believer's confidence in God, God's response to prayer, and the hope of eternal salvation. In Protestant Christian doctrine, the term "assurance", also known as the Witness of the Spirit, affirms that the inner witness of the Holy Spirit allows the Christian disciple to know that they are justified. Based on the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo, assurance was historically an important doctrine in Lutheranism and Calvinism, and remains a distinguishing doctrine of Methodism and Quakerism, although there are differences among these Christian traditions. Hymns that celebrate the witness of the Holy Spirit, such as Fanny Crosby's "Blessed Assurance", are sung in Christian liturgies to celebrate the belief in assurance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Kreeft</span> American philosopher (born 1937)

Peter John Kreeft is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and The King's College. A convert to Catholicism, he is the author of over eighty books on Christian philosophy, theology and apologetics. He also formulated, together with Ronald K. Tacelli, Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liturgy of the Hours</span> Liturgical prayers of the Catholic Church, used at fixed times throughout the day and night

The Liturgy of the Hours, Divine Office, or Opus Dei are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the Latin Church. The Liturgy of the Hours forms the official set of prayers "marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer." The term "Liturgy of the Hours" has been retroactively applied to the practices of saying the canonical hours in both the Christian East and West–particularly within the Latin liturgical rites–prior to the Second Vatican Council, and is the official term for the canonical hours promulgated for usage by the Latin Church in 1971. Before 1971, the official form for the Latin Church was the Breviarium Romanum, first published in 1568 with major editions through 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian burial</span> Religious funeral practice

A Christian burial is the burial of a deceased person with specifically Christian rites; typically, in consecrated ground. Until recent times Christians generally objected to cremation and practiced inhumation almost exclusively. Today this opposition has all but vanished among Protestants and Catholics alike, and this is rapidly becoming more common, although Eastern Orthodox Churches still mostly forbid cremation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Connolly (composer)</span> Australian musician (1927–2022)

Richard Connolly was an Australian musician, composer and former broadcaster. A well travelled man, who had studied broadcasters and broadcasting in numerous countries including France, Italy and German under the Churchill Fellowship program. He had a long association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, as a writer/composer for radio and television programs, but also wrote for documentaries and films.

Jan Michael Joncas is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, liturgical theologian, and composer of contemporary Catholic music best known for his hymn "On Eagle's Wings".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Aquilina</span> American author and editor

Mike Aquilina is an American Catholic author and journalist working in the area of Church history, especially patristics. He is co-founder of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hail Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star</span> Marian hymn

"Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star" is a Marian hymn written by Father John Lingard (1771–1851), a Catholic priest and historian who, through the works of William Cobbett, helped to smooth the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesleyan theology</span> Protestant Christian theological tradition

Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles Wesley. More broadly it refers to the theological system inferred from the various sermons, theological treatises, letters, journals, diaries, hymns, and other spiritual writings of the Wesleys and their contemporary coadjutors such as John William Fletcher, Methodism's systematic theologian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Creatures of Our God and King</span> 1919 English hymn by William Henry Draper

"All Creatures of Our God and King" is an English Christian hymn by William Henry Draper, based on a poem by St. Francis of Assisi. It was first published in a hymn book in 1919.

Peter Raymond Scholtes was a priest, consultant, and author. In the 1960s, as a parish priest and choral conductor, Scholtes wrote the hymn "They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love" for an ecumenical event.

"Wenn das Brot, das wir teilen" is a Christian hymn, with a text written in 1981 by Claus-Peter März, and a melody by Kurt Grahl. It was written to commemorate St. Elisabeth, and begins with a reference to her Miracle of the Roses. The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), is part of German hymnals, including Evangelisches Gesangbuch and Gotteslob, and of songbooks.

References

  1. Song Reminds Us of Message of Love That Needs to Be Shared Each Day
  2. Lewerenz, Spencer; Nicolosi, Barbara (1 November 2005). Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture. Baker Books. p. 50. ISBN   9781585582716.
  3. The Ancient Star-Song: PETER SCHOLTES