The Theological Ruminator
Those are really good questions John Mark. They also don't have easy answers. I would like to hear more of your thoughts and heart on it.
Dad
Those are really good questions John Mark. They also don't have easy answers. I would like to hear more of your thoughts and heart on it.
Dad
I want to echo Dad's comments. These are really hard issues that seem to deal a lot with the heart of church, worship, and us the worshippers.
I want to echo Dad's comments. These are really hard issues that seem to deal a lot with the heart of church, worship, and us the worshippers.
Yeah, it's not easy for churches to answer either. What do you do to make worship more God-centered? Dawn argues that to even use musical "taste" as a criteria for determining music is not a good idea. She thinks it's narcisistic. I disagree with her here. But this is just one area that shows how easy it is to get divided - especially when it gets down to application.
"Well guys, do we do 'This is the Air I Breath' this week?'"
Yeah, it's not easy for churches to answer either. What do you do to make worship more God-centered? Dawn argues that to even use musical "taste" as a criteria for determining music is not a good idea. She thinks it's narcisistic. I disagree with her here. But this is just one area that shows how easy it is to get divided - especially when it gets down to application.
"Well guys, do we do 'This is the Air I Breath' this week?'"
Is worship something we do or something that is done to us? Or in other words is the direction of worship from us to God or God to us?
Dad
Is worship something we do or something that is done to us? Or in other words is the direction of worship from us to God or God to us?
Dad
Dad - great question.
Modern church seems really focused on what we get out of it. "How was church today?" "Oh pretty good, i didn't get a lot out of the music, but the sermon was nice".
Dad - great question.
Modern church seems really focused on what we get out of it. "How was church today?" "Oh pretty good, i didn't get a lot out of the music, but the sermon was nice".
Well worship is certainly from us to God. But it seems that there are two questions you are asking Dad. Is worship an experience (something we encounter)? Sure. True worship does involve an interaction with the Divine and thus is experiential, but as Brian points out, it seems that this is all we want or focus on. We want this "experience" of worship. We want worship to be "life-changing" and since we're shooting at the wrong thing we totally miss the boat. Worship is life-changing, but it's not about me. That happens. But "worship" is about God.
Now the question is: So what? What do leaders need to do to help guide potential worshippers back to genuine worshipping?
Well worship is certainly from us to God. But it seems that there are two questions you are asking Dad. Is worship an experience (something we encounter)? Sure. True worship does involve an interaction with the Divine and thus is experiential, but as Brian points out, it seems that this is all we want or focus on. We want this "experience" of worship. We want worship to be "life-changing" and since we're shooting at the wrong thing we totally miss the boat. Worship is life-changing, but it's not about me. That happens. But "worship" is about God.
Now the question is: So what? What do leaders need to do to help guide potential worshippers back to genuine worshipping?
Agree with you on this and understand what you're saying. I played guitar in the "contemporary service" at my former church. I enjoyed it, being able to play, but we started playing songs with chord progressions similar the Rolling Stones and the Who(!), then new CCM stuff. Even reggae, mon.
I started using distortion, and started feeling funny about the whole thing. I was clear about my discomfort, but the attitude was,"if they don't like it, they can go to the traditional service."
There were people in my church who wanted to do away with the liturgy altogether, which is short-sighted, as there is a reason why the traditional liturgy is the way that it is. People aren't educated on the subject or think it's too "Roman Catholic," so just want to toss it aside.
BTW, I came to true Christianity late inlife, so it's not as if my traditons were being threatened, I didn't have any...
Now I'm at a church which is very traditional,not that it's the only right way, but it
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