I received my zillionth bit of criticism this past weekend. The jabs come in all forms—to my face, behind my back, anonymous notes, vitriolic emails, sarcastic statements, condescending “suggestions,” anonymous notes dropped in the offering plate, snide remarks.
Pentecost Songs: The Way Forward Continues to be the Way Back
The rootlessness of contemporary Christianity is starved for remembrance, but the vacuum of historical connectivity has finally turned on. And the sucking sound is getting louder and louder. For years now, Cardiphonia has been on the leading edge of liturgical renewal in evangelicalism. Before it was “cool” to talk about liturgy and historic practices in Christian worship, Cardiphonia was carving its path in this direction on the world wide web. Its mastermind, Bruce Benedict, I have watched from afar in … Read More
Worship Leading, Ageism, and the Fear of Getting Old
Talk show host Dennis Prager is well-known for saying that his generation—the boomer generation—is the stupidest generation in American history. This comment, perhaps extreme, summarizes the multitudinous errors of that generation of young people that grew up and ushered in the large cultural changes in the United States in the 1960s. One of those errors is the worship of youth. The phrase “youth culture” would have been unintelligible prior to the 60s, but now it is common speak. The glamorization … Read More
Worship and Patriotism on the Heels of Memorial Day
If you’re part of a monolithic congregation primarily comprised of young people, this is probably not an issue (or not as big of an issue). If you’re part of a multi-generational congregation which includes folks from the World War II generation, then, chances are, this issue is alive and well. Because I witness it in my own fairly large church, I believe it’s a fair generalization to say that, by and large, the older generation cares deeply about the wedding … Read More
The Opiate Mass: Innovations in Church Music
Vol. 1: Make a SoundThis blog, in case you didn’t know, is especially interested in cataloguing trends among young Christians who are seeking creatively to wed the historic Christian faith with modern expression in worship and music. The Opiate Mass is a fantastic example of this, and yet they are doing more than providing a packaged expression of ancient-future worship. They are pursuing innovation in church music. The Opiate Mass isn’t quite a band. It isn’t quite a concert-experience. It … Read More
Experience: Analyzing a Supreme Value of Modern Worship
Any time you want to go deep quickly, I’ve found this question to be one of the most helpful of analytical grids: “What are the values which shape our practice?” This single question is applicable in so many sectors of human life, and it is penetrating in its findings. I am a lover of and believer in modern worship. When the contemporary worship movement began in the 60s, and when it blossomed into what many now call modern worship in … Read More
Why the Gospel Must Never Be Absent from Worship
Puritan Stephen Charnock (1628-1680) gives us important words: The approach is to God as gracious, not to God as unpacified, as a son to a father, not as a criminal to a judge…Delight in God is a gospel frame, therefore the more joyful, the more spiritual… God is a Spirit infinitely happy, therefore we must approach him with cheerfulness; he is a Spirit of infinite majesty, therefore we must come before him with reverence; he is a Spirit infinitely high, … Read More
The Top 27 Hymns: Why Don’t Evangelicals Know Them Well?
HUGE CORRECTION TO MAKE, thanks to the helpful comment by Eric below. Thank you, Eric. My original title read, “The Top 27 Hymns and Why None of them Appear in a Current Major Evangelical Hymnal.” I totally mis-read and mis-understood the chart with reference to the four evangelical hymnals surveyed. I took the dots for blanks when they were quite the opposite! Forgive me! I’ve edited the below post to reflect those changes. Ironically (and sadly), all my probing questions … Read More
Worship Without the Gospel is Not True Worship
Any worship we participate in, without engaging the good news about Jesus Christ and what He has done, is false worship. It is idolatry. It is self-justification. My friend and up-and-coming pastor, Nathan Hoag, brought back from the Gospel Coalition Conference the April 2011 edition of TableTalk, which contained a wonderful little article by Donald Whitney on “The Gospel & Worship.”1 Here are some choice quotes which work really well as stand-alone reflections on how the good news relates to … Read More
Definitions of Worship
I was recently perusing my binder from my church music class in college, when I came upon this list of definitions of worship. There are other such lists online, but this particular collection, I’ve found, is very good. Thank you, Dr. Lock! Karl Barth, Worship: Its Theology and Practice:Christian worship is the most momentous, the most urgent, the most glorious action that can take place in human life. Evelyn Underhill, Worship:Worship is the response of the creature to the Eternal. … Read More