Joel B. Pollak writes at Breitbart:
First Lady Melania Trump wept as 20-year-old Marlana VanHoose [read her story and musical background here] sang the hymn How Great Thou Art during the Inaugural Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral in the nation's capital on Saturday morning.
Hundreds of worshippers joined President Donald Trump and the First Lady; Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen; most of the Cabinet; and Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy for an ecumenical prayer, featuring a wide variety of faiths . . .
"There were many highlights from the deeply moving service. VanHoose, however, provided the service's most poignant moment," Pollak observes.
"VanHoose -- who is blind, and has mild cerebral palsy -- performed the well-known hymn, whose words include: "I see the stars/I hear the rolling thunder/Thy power throughout/The universe displayed," Pollak continues.
"The First Lady, seated in the front row, appeared to wipe away tears several times, and rose to her feet to lead a standing ovation when VanHoose had finished," Pollak states.
Several videos of this performance at worth viewing. In this video, where the focus is on VanHoose singing (starting at the 2:25:26 mark), we see that Melania Trump is first to rise to give this brilliant, moving performance a standing ovation.
At this point, I would suggest that strong, beautiful melodies and content such as this merit a central place in church services across the land. You may have noticed that fairly light choruses pretty much rule the day.
In this second video (30:57), the camera is focused on the Trumps and family, and the Pences, as they listen to VanHoose's magnificent singing. Melania can be seen wiping away tears.
This is a transfixing moment expressive of that mainstream historic, forever liberating America [see "What Is 'Mainstream' America"?] where the Creator and His great work in verifiable human history are at the center of our national political and cultural ethos.
In so many ways, the Delcaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution rest upon thoughtforms that affirm the principles of the Judeo-Christian worldview as applied with gritty realism to life in this yet beautiful and yet broken world.
Donald Trump, Jr., later tweeted: "One of the most incredible and moving performances I've seen from yesterday's #NationalPrayerService https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vGchMYI8DU&sns=tw … via youtube."
An event such as this marvelous performance of How Great Thou Art can be far more than a passing moment during an inaugural weekend, not to mention a humanizing alternative to the vitriol, hatred, and regressivity on display by genuine extremists (not in the historic American mainstream) amassed in D.C. during the inauguration.
To see a book-length rationale for such a humanizing and liberating alternative to a radicalized secular-liberal status quo, consider Nancy's book Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning. This treatment "depicts the revolutionary thinkers and artists, the ideas and events, leading step by step to the unleashing of secular worldviews that undermine human dignity and liberty. She crafts a fresh approach that exposes the real-world impact of ideas in philosophy, science, art, literature, and film -- voices that surround us in the classroom, in the movie theater, and in our living rooms."
Bravo to First Lady Melania Trump and to that quiet, soaring human voice Marlana VanHoose for helping bring light and focus at a critical moment in understanding who we really are.
