Music Icon Bob Dylan: ‘I Read the Scriptures a Lot’

Published: January 10, 2023

Music Icon Bob Dylan: ‘I Read the Scriptures a Lot’

By Allen Rushing

Legendary singer/songwriter/philosopher Bob Dylan, in a December 2022 interview for the Wall Street Journal, talked about his new book, his faith, and how “The Times They Are [Still] A-Changin” (The Essential Bob Dylan, disc 1, track 3).

The conversation began when the interviewer asked Dylan what he does these days to relax, and the legendary musician shared he often turns to his faith.

“I’m a religious person. I read the Scriptures a lot, meditate and pray… I believe in damnation and salvation, as well as predestination. The Five Books of Moses, Pauline Epistles…all of it,” Dylan said.

Interviewer Jeff Slate, in asking Dylan about his methods of relaxation, meditation, technology, and apps, may have gotten more than he bargained for as the musician went on to elaborate his traditionalist position on these as well.

Dylan said: “I’ve binge watched Coronation Street, Father Brown, and some early Twilight Zones. I know they’re old-fashioned shows, but they make me feel at home….I never watch anything foul smelling or evil.”

In addition to his statement on his practice of biblical meditation, Dylan said his physical activity of choice is “boxing and sparing,” which he said is “functional,” “detached from trends,” and for which “you don’t need an app.”

The philosopher king of popular music, Dylan, as Relevant Magazine says, “has been an outspoken Christian since he converted back in the 1970s [and] has “recorded a number of Christian albums and spoken out about his beliefs over the years.” His new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, offers a fascinating perspective on the nature and development of popular music in the postmodern age.

It is both edifying and refreshing that Dylan, who long ago discovered that every human being’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” (The Essential Bob Dylan, disc 2, track 8), is quick to point people to Scripture, the ultimate inspiration for all artistic expressions of the good, the true, and the beautiful.