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Originally posted by Blood Washed Heretic

This is very hard for me to do, but I really would appreciate some (constructive) criticism of the following. It is a VERY ROUGH draft of the introduction to a book I'd like to write on the coming transformation of the church. THAT idea can be discussed and debated elsewhere if necessary; all I'm asking for here is insightful critiques of the consistency of my ideas as presented. Again, it is VERY ROUGH and needs work, but I need to know if it's even a project worth pursuing at this point.

Thank you in advance, and be nice...

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Can We Dance?

The modern church has become an awkward dancer. That’s what happens when one is dancing or learning to dance for the first time. Ideas old and new continue to jockey for position in the church’s beliefs and practice, each with inherent value, and each seeking to preclude the existence of all others. Our approach to teaching and preaching is still for the most part decidedly modern, and with good reason, as the grammatical/historical approach to interpreting Scripture remains as the greatest tool we possess outside of the Holy Spirit in unlocking Biblical meaning and application. However, the late development of the narrative structure in preaching and the inductive model of teaching Bible are timid first steps towards a new paradigm, one in which knowledge of God’s story and the wisdom that comes from it are available to all who desire it. Let those who hear the rumble declare: “The Neo-Reformation is at hand!”

On the other hand, unchecked subjectivity has already entered the Western church through a door marked “contemporary worship”. While the intentions of this well-documented phenomenon are pure, the influx of passionate corporate worship events centered on sugarcoated anthems with pop-radio accompaniment has made worshipers’ feelings more important than the God being praised. This is reinforced by plaintive requests for the Holy Spirit’s presence (not at all a bad thing by itself) to be felt when all are “truly worshiping”. The definition of “true worship” appears to be loud, heartfelt singing accompanied by raised hands (again, not at all unacceptable means of expressing devotion). However, at the same time, most contemporary worship leaders enjoin their audiences to worship in a manner most comfortable to each individual. Passionate, heartfelt worship of the Living God is indeed a very good thing, but the means must never become greater than the End. This is the danger inherent in the subtle subjectivity of modern worship mantras like “I was so blessed by worship today”.

So we see the nature of the church’s awkward dance. Human logic and reason, concepts taken from the Enlightenment (and things worth having), have ceased to be tools and have become the dominant schema of how the “facts of Christianity” are presented, from our apologetic work on down to the nuts-and-bolts preaching and teaching of the local church. Meanwhile, pure subjectivity, the natural enemy of Enlightenment objectivity (and Western Christian teaching), has taken root in our churches via the worship wars. The final component in this awkward ballet is the music being danced to, the alluring (and necessary) music of cultural relevancy in an ever-changing world.

The wary relationship between Christian faith and popular art and culture has been well documented, and we need not address it again, at least yet. However, not many will now hold that cultural relevance is unimportant in the life and ministry of the church. The need to remain flexible in our methods and mediums while standing firm in the message of the Gospel is almost universally accepted by church leaders. The rub comes when we are deciding exactly how that is to be accomplished. The constant dynamic of interaction with the culture around us is what forms the backdrop for every decision made by Christian workers seeking “to present the Christ to their generation”. This is the music that drives the awkward dance.

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(c) 2003, Adam J. Ballard


In essentials, unity; In matters of opinion, liberty; In all things, love.

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Originally posted by DLW

never-mind it would be us left, not right,-brainers who would be the ones to use the old mighty powers of reason...

I think Tigress has something. It was kind of hard to get the sense of what the whole essay was about from the beginning, since it potentially encumbressed a wide range of material.

I'm a smart man..., but I don't know if I or fate choose to love.
dlw

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Originally posted by Tigress

quote:

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Originally posted by DLW

never-mind it would be us left, not right,-brainers who would be the ones to use the old mighty powers of reason...

I think Tigress has something. It was kind of hard to get the sense of what the whole essay was about from the beginning, since it potentially encumbressed a wide range of material.

I'm a smart man..., but I don't know if I or fate choose to love.
dlw

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Yes, I said that left-brainers are logical and reasonable. It's right-brainers like me who struggle with that more. Did I write that incorrectly so it wasn't understandable?

Tigress

Ringo: What do you think, George?

George: I think I burnt me finger.

-Yellow Submarine

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