Comfort, Confrontation, or Performance

Internet Monk has been doing a lot of writing about the self-destruction of evangelicalism from his perspective. He always has a great deal of insight. One of his more recent posts looks at worship, one of the more debate-inciting topics.

Does anyone- I mean, really, seriously- have any idea what is actually happening within the worship culture of evangelicals?

We have, within a matter of 50 years, completely changed the entire concept of what is a worship service. We’ve adopted an approach that demands ridiculous levels of musical, technical and financial commitment and resources.

We have tied ourselves to the Christian music industry and its endless appetite for change and profit. We have accepted that all of our worship leaders are going to be very, very young people. Traditional worship - a la Tenth Presbyterian in Philly- is on the verge of becoming a museum piece. (snip)

Worship has now become a musical term. Praise and worship means music. Let’s worship means the band will play. We need to give more time to worship doesn’t mean silent prayer or public scripture reading or any kind of participatory liturgy. It means music.Even singing is getting lost in this. As the volume and the performance level goes up, who knows who is singing? (snip)

We have a lot of happy people right now. They have no idea what Biblical worship is outside of the context of their favorite songs played by a kickin’ band. They have little idea of worship in vocation, in family, in ordinary work or in silence. They credit their favorite songs as major spiritual events.

Being a lover of both music and worship I have had some excellent times in worship using all forms of styles. A good congregational singing of Shout to the Lord can get me into God's presence as an organ-led It is Well With My Soul of for that matter listening to a bluegrass band doing Life's Railway to Heaven.

But the Monk is right on target about what this has done to contemporary church worship services. They make them difficult for many, even less able to be participatory and actually quite repetitive. We have lost simplicity in worship (as the IM points out) and what it means to worship. It will be back however.

I firmly believe that we humans are made to worship God. (I think that's one of the basic essentials of the Catechism :>) As such when worship is not leading us to where our souls need to be we will find ways to redo it and even go back to what our soulful history and religious memory know is good.

So tomorrow if you go to worship start with a different idea. Before you leave home remind yourself that you are looking for God to comfort you- and confront you. Not one or the other. Both. I will guarantee you that when you do that you will find worship.