Location
Weatherford, Oklahoma
Document Type
Paper
Event Website
https://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-54.htm
Start Date
27-7-2026 9:00 AM
End Date
27-7-2026 9:50 AM
Description
This paper explores the deep influence of Charles Williams on the lyrics of singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, one of the few Christian rock musicians to enjoy mainstream success. Both artists suffer “outsider” status in Christian culture because they regularly cross the boundaries of what is considered “acceptable” Christianity, both in terms of their personal lives and their theologies. Yet their work profoundly depicts crossings between the mundane and spiritual worlds, to the point of denying such boundaries exist at all. In his doctrine of co-inherence, Williams denies ontological separateness, a theme echoed repeatedly in Cockburn’s lyrics. This is more than just conceptual. For both artists it has real-world consequences and opportunities. For if there is no actual difference between beings, then no one is truly alone—all are connected, all interpenetrate, and any can shoulder the physical, psychological, or spiritual burdens of another. Finally, the paper concludes with Williams’ startling assertion that the boundary between Heaven and Hell is permeable… and crossable; community is Heaven and isolation is Hell, when we are walking toward community we are walking toward God, and we can always turn around and walk the other way. Cockburn sings, “We’re grim travelers in dawn skies,” acknowledging brokenness and glory in the same breath, sharing Williams’ perspective that there are few absolute boundaries in the spiritual life.
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Boundary Crossings: Charles Williams and Bruce Cockburn as Grim Traveling Companions
Weatherford, Oklahoma
This paper explores the deep influence of Charles Williams on the lyrics of singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, one of the few Christian rock musicians to enjoy mainstream success. Both artists suffer “outsider” status in Christian culture because they regularly cross the boundaries of what is considered “acceptable” Christianity, both in terms of their personal lives and their theologies. Yet their work profoundly depicts crossings between the mundane and spiritual worlds, to the point of denying such boundaries exist at all. In his doctrine of co-inherence, Williams denies ontological separateness, a theme echoed repeatedly in Cockburn’s lyrics. This is more than just conceptual. For both artists it has real-world consequences and opportunities. For if there is no actual difference between beings, then no one is truly alone—all are connected, all interpenetrate, and any can shoulder the physical, psychological, or spiritual burdens of another. Finally, the paper concludes with Williams’ startling assertion that the boundary between Heaven and Hell is permeable… and crossable; community is Heaven and isolation is Hell, when we are walking toward community we are walking toward God, and we can always turn around and walk the other way. Cockburn sings, “We’re grim travelers in dawn skies,” acknowledging brokenness and glory in the same breath, sharing Williams’ perspective that there are few absolute boundaries in the spiritual life.
https://dc.swosu.edu/mythcon/mc54/schedule/35
