The Abolition of divine discontent

I love figuring out where Christian artists get their band/album/song names from. I really like it, however, when I figure it out myself. For example, I was sitting in class one time (many years ago) when I had a "Eureka!" moment by mentally linking the band Plankeye with Matthew 7:3.

But when it comes straight from the Bible, it's kind of lame. I mean, how hard is that to figure out? Sure Jars of Clay have a name from 2 Corinthians 4:7 and Letter Kills has a name from the same book, but it's no fun figuring it out when you have to look no further than the New Testament. It's a lot more rewarding when an artist drops a jewel that you have to go looking for.

For example, the name of Sixpence None the Richer. It comes from Mere Christianity, where C. S. Lewis uses a parable to explain grace. If a father gave his child a sixpence so the could get his father a birthday present, the father would be foolish if, upon receiving a present worth sixpence on his birthday, he thought he was a sixpence to the good. Lewis was pointing out that we often do things for God and arrogantly think that God is somehow indebted to us for it. The truth is, no matter what we do God is sixpence none the richer. I mean, that is a pretty cool reference, n'est-ce pas? Unfortunately I read it in a magazine and was denied the joy of figuring it out myself.

One I did figure out myself and thought was pretty cool was the name of Mars Ill's first album, Raw Material. In preaching against eugenics in his book The Abolition of Man, C. S. Lewis uses the phrase "If man treats himself as raw material, raw material he will be." That's where Manchild (Mars Ill's rapper) got the name for his album!, I exclaimed to myself while reading that book. What do you know, I was right - the last track on Raw Material is called "The Abolition of Manchild."

So that was fun. And all this is leading up to one I discovered last night. I wasn't even thinking about Sixpence None the Richer's last album, Divine Discontent. But what do you know, while reading Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton I came across this quote:

"If we wish specially to awaken people to social vigilance
and tireless pursuit of practise, we cannot help it
much by insisting on the Immanent God and the Inner Light:
for these are at best reasons for contentment;
we can help it much by insisting on the transcendent
God and the flying and escaping gleam; for that means
divine discontent."

Wicked!! Sixpence None the Richer took the name of their band from Lewis, and the name of their last album from Chesterton - oh boy, I figured it out, I'm clever!

(A caveat - I'm not really clever, I just feel that way. Thanks for humouring me.)