The first page of the liner notes contains this explanation:
From the grandeur of creation to the finality of the apocalypse, Ambient Theology is a conceptual exploration of Biblical themes expressed through musical textures. This ethereal migration in sound-a cyberspace pursuit of natural rhythms-reveals the eternal relevance of God's Word, as subdued electronic orchestral navigations trace a perpetual musical and spiritual ambiance.
To sum up, Ambient Theology is a slow, synthesized instrumental project that flows from beginning to end. The music was composed by Virus and tends to contain numerous synthesized "nature-sounds" such as running water and birds. I wouldn't quite put this in the same lot as the new-age sound, but it should definitely appeal to that market.
For me, the strength of the project is the accompanying devotionals for each song. These short studies, written by Calix Lewis Reneau, could stand on their own as a devotional guide. Take for example the statements for the second track, "Over The Face Of The Deep:"
Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
Hovers. Broods. Frets. Worries. Troubles. Think of it. God became man and died for us, but it is both so foreign and so common a saying loses impact, a tale told too often to be real anymore. But Christ on the hill anguished over the City of God which would soon drive spikes into His already tattered flesh; Christ weeping at the tomb of Lazarus, crying over the victory of death once more where death was never intended to touch (and denying that death, if only for a season), Christ moving across troubled waters before first man drew first breath, flitting and searching, longing so desperately to create. Think of such a God, that even while gazing into the dark cold ocean that was the universe before He spoke, Christ was already measuring the cross, counting what it would take to draw the chicks under the wing, soothe the battered soul rigid in rebellion, set the captive free.
So intimate, the power of God is all that holds the innermost parts of our beings together, the very force that keeps the energy of the atoms from tearing apart. The hairs on our head, the sparrow who falls; so devoted to our deepest needs. We often lose sight of that passion in the waste of our superficial lives. And yet there is Christ, moving across the troubled face of the waters of our lives, speaking His order into existence in us, through us, and most lovingly for us alone.
Luke 13:34
If you are interested in the idea of instrumental music to help you in a time of personal devotion and meditation, then this is a good place to start. Or if you are interested in some instrumental mood music but have been concerned about anything labeled "new age" in the music store, then this will be a project for you as well.
