2.12.2008

Christian Porn

I came across a friend's blog post this morning about worship music. The following is my comment:
"An entire generation of Christians has grown up under the idea that worship is 1) music, 2) professional quality, and 3) ecstatic every time. Worship music becomes porn... immediate release, transcendence, and ecstasy. God seeks obedience (true worship) more than temple rituals. What continues to occur throughout history is that the rituals/liturgy gets substituted as the end rather than a means. Liturgy is intended to create a space. Instead it becomes our idols of wood and stone."

I love our liturgies. I think that we have a lot to learn from the ancient traditions and rituals. Finding a way to reincorporate these dusty relics is a very important task of our time. I would say that the liturgy instructs us and forms our imaginations in the Christian narrative. However, I wonder what narrative the instant gratification culture of contemporary liturgies is generating. My problem is not with change or new (you all know that I love things to always be in flux). But I do have a problem with the storytellers. Even the use of so much "I" language in worship worries me. What happened to "we" language in worship? "This is the air I breathe." I like the idea and message of the song, don't get me wrong. But I wonder why it, and most other modern songs, have such an individualist focus to them. I worry about the professionalism in the "worship department." I worry about having too much high quality, too much technology, too much stage.... I could keep going. As my friend said in his post, it is time that we get rid of the music for a season and just read the Psalms-- the ultimate worship book!

13 comments:

  1. Thanks for the link, Justin. I like your thoughts on the subject. To crystalize your comments with the title words - "Christian Porn" - was a provocative and excellent piece of writing.

    Good stuff!

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  2. You will probably get twice as many hits on this post as you would have normally by titling it "Christian Porn" - very funny title, btw.

    As a member of a church staff in charge of 'worship', I feel the same tensions you talk about. It's part of the reason we've started a Sunday night gathering that does re-focus worship away from some of those things - more toward community, more toward creating space for God to interact with us... we're trying to be comfortable with worshiping when there isn't "instant gratification"... so far it's been really good for us.

    Anyway, thanks for the post, and for the term "Christian porn" - classic.

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  3. if I've picked up anything in the course of my education and reading it is this...human beings are PRONe to idolatry, whatever the focus of it happens to be (worship music, the bible, the pastor, our country, the economy, their middle-class suburban life, just to name a few). It seems we are constantly pledging our allegiance to things other than the mysterious, self disclosing God that is revealed and to be honored in these activities (some of them at least). I think an interesting thought to tag on to your already salient observations would be: when did worship become something that happens only on Sundays for an hour or so in the morning? Are not we suppose to pray without ceasing and glorify God in all that we do? Should not all of life be offered to God our bodies as a spiritual act of worship, our whole being? Perhaps some of the tensions created in modern liturgies are the result of a lifestyle or a christianity that splits and bifurcates our life, so that worship is thought of and conceived as only happening in the context of the body gathered. I think you've already begun to articulate some of the possible ends of this line of thinking, so I will stop here.

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  4. Eric,
    Greg Gilbert's post was not an argument for an exclusively Sunday morning worship time. His point was that in corporate worship music has become the focal point; a position it should not hold in corporate or personal worship.

    You are correct in asserting that worship is not to be restricted to an hour on Sunday. That is true, but so is this: corporate worship as a local body of Christ is just as necessary as private, daily worship.

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  5. I did not actually read his article, nor was I trying to mount an argument in favor of putting corporate worship over personal worship, or visa versa. I apologize if I was unclear and caused confusion on that point. What I was attempting to articulate is that I think the problem lies first in the idolatry of placing so much importance in any particular discipline or aspect of our Christian faith that it usurps the place of the Creator, Redeemer, reconciling, loving and forgiving God revealed to us by Jesus Christ. I believe Justin is hinting at this (correct me if I'm wrong). Second (and perhaps more poorly) I was attempting to state that I believe the root of the problem is the dichotomy that has been created between corporate and private worship. I place a high value on being part of the Body of Christ. In this we are in agreement. But, I think when we begin to frame the conversation in terms of private vs public, individual vs corporate that we have already started ourselves down a slippery slope that leads to the zealotry of closet pietism or street conner self-righteousness. Neither of which provides a whole picture of life lived in obedience to God. I can't say that I have language at the moment to think through this differently. But I hope I have at least now clearly communicated what I was shooting for with my comment. The latter part may have been outside the purview of the original article but I think that part of the reason the rock concert worship experience has become more the norm is because the afore mentioned dichotomy is actively in place. When we approach worship in this way (the way that says "I," the way that is about the performance which leads an empty emotive response, the way that subordinates God to some fabrication of our own productive devices) I don't believe it is any longer worship to and for the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Again, I hope I have been clear and if not, do press me for more refinement. peace to you all.

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  6. Next time someone asks me what they should do in order to feel closer to God, I think I'm going to say, "Memorize the Psalms. If you still have questions after that, then come talk to me."

    People used to do that kind of thing, you know. A few still do...

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  7. most monastic rules would take you through the entire Psalter in about a week... imagine doing that every week for pretty much your entire life

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  8. What if pastors began to function in this way again? What if they served as spiritual advisers/directors? What if they advised us to go and memorize the Psalms? More importantly, what would a congregation look like that memorized the Psalms?

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  9. I think fewer people would come to services.

    Pastors are far too inside their head for their own good. Before you know it, every bit of ambience any church service might have is going to end up over at Bentley's Bistro, where half of Fresno seems to be going on saturday mornings to sit around, commune, and eat. The exact thing pastors always seem to be saying is absent from their churches. Along with an ambience that would prevent you from lulling into sleep or wondering what makes sitting in church different from standing in line at the DMV.

    Content and presentation are one and the same. Strong content does not mean stripped presentation.

    I like to wonder how I can be part of something that's excellent in both and I wish Pastors would too. Bentley's sure as hell does, and they're just a deli.

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  10. I think this video is fantastic. I have the mp3 and listen to it all the time. The audience of a stadium rock concert is still singing Psalm 40, the lights are telling a story, the music is telling a story, it has an energy, and then the singer recites a stanza from Psalm 116 over it all.

    For me is extremely effective. It put the Psalm inside of me that a congregation droning on in a responsive reading hasn't quite touched. I mean, those things might touch some people, but the don't affect me. We all respond differently.

    In my reading of the Psalms, I think U2's use of them during that tour is extremely close to the Bible's.

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  11. I think James makes a very excellent point that provides the tension and balance I'm looking for. Thought-provoking worship does not mean emotionless worship. The thing I'm criticizing is emotion-seeking worship experiences... that we go seeking after the drug.
    One of the things I think is definitely required in our day is combining great tradition with great music, art, space, etc. The catholic cathedrals that have been built were doing this in their time. What will we do today to invoke the name of God with expanded imagination? How will we allow our creativity to pour out? Thanks James for the balance.

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  12. That's a great way to think about it. Invoking God's name with expanded imagination. Just expanded awareness, even.

    Man, I was in a mood last night. Sorry if that was harsh.

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  13. James at school, btw

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