WMB is a series of posts here on my blog.

The Myth of Proposition over Experience in Worship

Why is it that in our evangelical church culture we seem to put the beauty of music, art and other expression of our faith and worship below reason? Where in scripture does this occur? In reading the Psalms and other poetry of the Bible we see imagery and drama as part of our expression of faith and yes, even theology.

This does not mean we put beauty and story above reason and proposition, however. There must be a better way of explaining the longing in our hearts when pulled to the mystical side that experience offers without repressing this part of our humanity. In other words, perhaps it is not an indication of a fallen nature or a danger of being captivated by that nature to be moved by the beautiful. It is human.

At the cre:ate 2009 conference, we had a lecture by Steven Guthrie, who delivered a lecture similar to his Worship Leader Magazine article earlier this year (Music and Lyrics, WL Magazine, pgs. 25-30). What Guthrie described was a man with two halves which he says is derived from Augustine. What we take from Augustine is a fear of the music drawing us to a “lower” nature. So, why not subjugate music to reason, which is a higher form of faith? We seem to face that in our worship expression often in the evangelical church.

Postmoderns, as Guthrie described to us at cre:ate flip the same logic of Augustine and argue for making story, beauty and so forth higher than reason and proposition. May it never be! To deny the propositions such as the substitutional atonement and other pillars of faith to some fuzzy narrative is just plain stupid. We are talking about our eternal destiny here, not how we feel a movie moves us to a place of experience or how  Coldplay reveals universal truth that we can explain away as relative. Proposition is still important.

I would suggest, as Guthrie does far better than I can, that we are not two people as he states the idea of having two halves. This is, as he says, an “unbiblical anthropology.” We are both people of reason and emotion. To pit parts of humanity against each other seems heretical, actually. How could we truly worship if “Spirit and Truth” are not employed and if we do not sing “with our mind” and “with our spirit” as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 14.

At another cre:ate conference we talked with author Kurt Bruner about his book, The Divne Drama. Bruner’s assertion of a “both and” of “proposition and story” when talking about the gospel. The Bible is indeed made up both of narrative as well as proposition. Should we think these are ranked, or do we accept all scripture as “God-breathed” and authoritative?

For the sake of discussion, I wonder how many readers would agree with this idea or not agree. Should we put reason above beauty, story, mystery or are both sides of us who we are?

The Myth of Pragmatism in Worship

This is part of a series of posts began in January of 2008 about our public worship gatherings. The desire is to have a myth-busting conversation about what we do each week as Christians.

The question here addresses whether our worship services are an “end” or a “means” to accomplish something else or if our weekend worship service itself is more of the priority.

My initial thought is that worship services too many times in today’s evangelical churches are planned, evaluated and executed for the utility in accomplishing goals other than a communal act of worship and rather designed for evangelism, communication, image building, art, performance and even institutional vision. While I accept some of these as secondary goals for a worship service, I object to defining our weekly liturgy as something as a means, when it should be defined as an “end” for the group of people participating in offering their worship to our God.

What this means is not that production, lights and fancy theme logos for communication are absent, but that they are evaluated as secondary to the spiritual and practical component of people participating together in an offering of worship. Too often it seems that talk about the communication and production techniques drowns out the theology, instruction, devotion and Christ as the center of our worship service.

If people are moved by the music, that itself is a means. If people participate with the music to offer their lives to Christ and following Him more intensely, then we are getting there. If a message is well communicated, but does not call a church as a body to action and worship, then it is a well crafted essay rather than a spiritual rallying point to galvanize the body.

Now, I am all for excellence in technique and production and good music indeed draws a crowd as much as great speaking. However, that is not the goal. That is the means. Evangelism is a purpose, but it is not always worship. Its one thing to make a worship setting that is friendly to unbelievers (see 1 Corinthians 14) it is another to make that the goal. Worship is the goal.

Here are some ideas to plan, execute and evaluate worship as an end, not just a “means”:

• Ask, what is it that our congregation needs to hear from God this week/month/year? Then plan sermons, and worship sets and elements to support that. (i.e., encouragement, challenge, comfort, etc.)
• Second, ask “what is it that we as a church need together to say to God?” Plan accordingly. (i.e., confession, corporate prayers, God’s character traits, etc.)
• Look at the production as tools, not the goal. Does the lighting enhance a point, but perhaps take away from people’s focus on what they need to say back to God?
• Ask yourself, “do I have more passion for the techniques I employ than people following Jesus more deeply?”
• At the end of the day, is my faith big enough to put second the tools for the sake of people honestly worshipping and do I evaluate that? (i.e., more baptisms, people singing/partaking in elements, testimonies increasing, sense of “God’s presence” more apparent, etc.)

Well, those are my thoughts. Do you have any to add, support or disagree with?

“Worship should be easy.  I mean, if it is work, then something is wrong.”

“I am just not feeling it today.  This can’t be worship.”

“This is just not hitting with these songs.

“They seem to always be asking for something… money, serving.”

The myth is that our worship expression somehow should be painless. If our gatherings have discomfort from an off singer, room temperature, too much or lack of volume, new songs, old songs, or less than desirable leadership then we seem entitled to not just complain but categorize such an experience as not a “real” worship experience. After all, it should not take work. It needs to be painless, right?

How about suffering? How about the idea of cost? It appears that the process of entering into worship might not always be an easy path. I am not saying we try to make it hard.  I am saying that our thinking that it is painless goes against the very act of worship and how life works in general.  I am also assuming that perhaps there indeed are times when things just flow and we get captivated in the moment.  But, is that really how it is all the time?

Sacrifice of praise verses painless offering: Hebrews 13:5

It is quite interesting to read that “continually” offering of a sacrifice of praise is in order. This must mean that somehow our praises themselves are a point of cost.  The word “sacrifice” here simply is that we are making an offering. Generally, offerings are of something precious and costly. Certainly not painless. And, this is “fruit of our lips” which gives me the impression that even our words or songs of praise might cost us.

Abraham offering his son Isaac. Genesis 22:2

When Abraham was asked by God to offer his son Isaac as an offering to Him we find that Abraham’s precious heir was put on an altar.  Now, in this story we know that God provided an animal instead.  We see the theological concept of “propitiation” delivered in this narrative.  Worship asks for a sacrifice.  Ultimately, Jesus was the son needed to pay for our debt of sin.  The cost of Jesus for us hardly can be quantified.  Abraham understood that cost perhaps better than you and I.

David paid for his own sacrifice. 2 Samuel 24:18-24

Sometimes a friend might want to help us out and give us the resources for our offering.  David refused.  He would not take the cattle. He insisted on purchasing his own sacrifice.  David said in response to the gift, “..for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost [me] nothing”  Worship costs. It is not painless.

In fact, do we sometimes come and watch the worship team do their thing and call that worship? Really. If we offer nothing, are we really worshipping? Vicariously enjoying the environment in a weekend service pales compared to you and I engaging and offering up something that costs.  Following David’s example, we should own our responsibility to offer up a sacrifice rather than let our parents, kids, pastor or worship team do it and claim it as ours.

What do you think:  should our worship services always be painless or should an actually cost be involved?  Is this cost painless or not?