Cyberbrethren: A Lutheran Blog: Foolish Display or Responsible Diversity in Worship Practices?
What Paul writes, 2 Cor. 6, 14. 17, shall and must obtain: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what communion hath light with darkness? Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord. Likewise, when there are useless, foolish displays, that are profitable neither for good order nor Christian discipline, nor evangelical propriety in the Church, these also are not genuine adiaphora, or matters of indifference. (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, X.6-7)
Here is a link to what “contemporary worship” looks in some churches these days. The praise band is crowding out the altar and baptismal font. The rock music is blaring and they are trying to lead the congregation in singing the song “House of God”
The praise band rocking away in the chancel … is this really how anyone wishes to suggest our Lutheran Confessions intend worship to be in the church? Is this evangelical freedom in action, or a “foolish display,” if not worse? What does such a practice say about Lutheran theology, if anything? Is this the way we worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness?
Rev. McCain decided to stir the liturgical pot with his most recent post. He asks some important questions (and more in the complete post.) This topic keeps coming up in so many contexts. I’ve posted opinions before:Christian Contemporary Music and the ecumenical epidemic and Doctrine and Practice. This last weekend I had a family friend make a statement that really threw me. This friend was glad that I would not be one of those stick-in-the-mud kind of pastors. While I don’t think they really know my personallity (!), I gently walked them through their thinking error.
In the context, this individual was clearly presenting that he should be able to worship the way he wanted to and that clearly the pastor should not stand in the way but be supportive. As seems typical there is a clear doctrinal problem with this attitude. To respond, I went into a sarcastic tirade about how I really hated drums, guitars, and other pop-music acoutraments and when I have my way with a congregation, we’ll be bowing, chanting, throwing incense, adding Marian shrines, and using nothing but a pipe organ. This person had quite the shocked expression afterwards so I threw in a hearty laugh and a “just kidding!”
In seriousness, I followed by showing that my response was no different than their own. In both cases, who was the center of the the liturgical universe? God? Neighbor? Nope, it was me. My tastes, preferences, and eccentricies. So much more is the case with the “rock in church” crowd. At least my liturgical-Nazi diatribe actually has some historical precedence.
Regardless, the key error was alluded to just a moment ago. When liturgical discussions, how many of them center around likes and dislikes whether of the individual or neighbor? How many approaches to liturgy becoming marketing tools to sell Jesus? How many actually fly in the face of our Law-infused flesh with Gospel?
The Gospel is counter intuitive. It is only accepted out of faith. Anthropocentric desires and motivations to “sell” the Gospel is a thinking error. No amount of personal preference or catering to a modern mentality can make the Gospel make sense. No, the need for Jesus comes through the condemnation of the Law. The Law isn’t known for appeasing or feel-good effects. How can a blatantly selfish perspective on worship convey a reality which is external and no born within us but rather God’s Word?
This is why we rely on the words and forms of Scripture for our preaching, teaching, and liturgy. We don’t place our wishes and desires above Scripture. We preach, teach, and confess the text and not our opinion of what it should have said or some “hidden meaning.”
In the same way, we rely on what Scripture teaches as best for our neighbor. Is the above video clip method best? Does it convey the reality of Law and Gospel proclamation? Or are they really “foolish displays”?
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What came to my mind as I watched this video was “They have defiled my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths.” Honestly, as I watched the guitar player swing the neck of the guitar over the altar, it made me feel ill, physically ill.
This isn’t just about tastes and preferences–this is about having a clear sense of who God is. Lost is the concept of Holiness. Holy space, Holy time, Holy Presence.
Yes. Indeed. The video really puts a different perspective on the discussion. If you follow the video to YouTube, they have many more videos with the projection and all.
Lost too is the fact that what is good for us and good for others isn’t always what we like.
[...] So I was just discussing with my parents my recent post on liturgical preferences and we made the connection to another recent post on a gentleman who returned to the Lutheran faith after leaving as a youth and returning as an adult. [...]