When we stumble upon a particularly divisive and heated topic, Ive found, we are usually asking the wrong question. As a songwriter and worship leader, Ive been on the front lines of the worship wars and I have the scars to prove it. I figure, if Im getting shot at by both sides, Im probably doing something right. Yet this ongoing civil (sometimes very uncivil) war has puzzled me. Its gone on for centuries; it is not new. As a teenager, I was spinning disks as a DJ at a state youth convention, playing the latest in Contemporary Christian Music. A senior saint marched up to me and shook her boney finger in my face and told me to, Stop playing that devil music! I confess, it was with great pleasure that I informed her that she was listening to Bill Gaither. Ive seen that kind of passion on all sides of this war, and am becoming more and more convinced that we might all have gotten it wrong. I have a hypothesis to suggest. It is based on a few premises, and I will likely step on many toes. Premise 1: One issue, if not the biggest issue, facing the church today (and for the past several decades) is that we have not discipled well. Basic biblical truths are not taught in favor of current well-packaged trends. Crazy Love, The Purpose Driven Life, Forgotten God, Jesus Calling, Boundaries, etc. When is the last time you heard a sermon series on the theology of work, or a prolonged emphasis on the gift of Sabbath, or the sins of gossip and gluttony? When have our churches devoted a month or a year to the command, Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers? Simple commands that are frequently ignored like be at peace with each other, or do good to those that hate you, or lend to others without expecting to be repaid. One sermon series you will always hear, at least once a year, will emphasize stewardship (i.e., give God your time, talent, and treasure and please do it in this congregation). This leads me to my second premise: Our church structure, and the need to fund it, easily leads to a focus on self-preservation even in subtle ways. We send people to seminary to teach ministers how to proclaim the gospel. But if helping ministers proclaim the gospel is really important, why dont we spend the same (or greater effort) discipling believers to understand that they are the ministers and teaching them to tell their own gospel story? Weve elevated the Sunday morning worship service by highlighting our talented and gifted instrumentalists and vocalists. We desire the best credentialed musicians to lead these times. We emulate Bill Gaither, or Sandi Patty, or Chris Tomlin, or (insert newest name here). But by doing these things, have we taught a false doctrine that worship = music? My hypothesis is that is exactly what we have done. By not discipling well, and by highlighting the offices that support the structure that we are comfortable with, we have stunted the understanding of the priesthood of all believers. We have reduced worship to the entertainment that happens on Sunday morning - regardless of the style - and reinforced the lie that the best worship is done by really gifted individuals. Romans 12:1 is pretty clear. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. When John H. Aukerman posts a one liner that helps us focus on truth, he is worshiping God. When Mark Coffman ministers to the grieving or teaches his children, he is worshiping. When Chuck Whetstone pours his heart out into a song, he is worshiping God. When Marshall Lawrence prods the church to minister to and embrace the deaf community, he is performing an act of worship. When Rick Carrell dramatically recreates the scene from Isaiah 6 where he cried, Woe to me! - He is offering God a sacrifice of worship. When John Walters produces an episode of CBH, or runs sound for an event, he is worshiping. We all know this, but do we live it? Is it embodied in the life of the local congregation? Or do we easily gravitate to reinforcing our structure, and as a result teach poor theology? Do we, by our actions and our emphasis, create the environment where worship wars can thrive, pastors get overworked, and the body of Christ is satisfied with being entertained for an hour or two on Sunday morning - thinking they have performed their true and proper worship?
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 02:39:23 +0000
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