I've started reading the book mentioned above. I have only made it through the first chapter, but it looks good, kinda. I will say that so far, Amazon is charging WAAAAAY too much to buy the book. If you are interested, check it out at your local library, like I did.
People can be selfish. Most of what a person does revolves around themselves. When they go to school, it is to ensure future success in life (or because one is required by law to do so). When one goes to work, it is to collect a paycheck. If one donates to a cause, it can be for a few reasons: To make oneself feel better and brag about it to friends, or it is easier to give the beggar/homeless person/bell ringer/Disabled American Veteran some spare change than to ignore them. Not to mention you may get a tootsie roll out of the deal. So then it would stand to reason that a selfish person would go to church for selfish reasons, like if I go to church and put ten bucks in then God is required to make me happy, rich, and popular.
To this end, certain churches, primarily mega-churches, have created and spread a gospel that caters to selfish people. (Side note: McNair asserts that all mega-churches are guilty of this. I, however, am uncomfortable making all-encompassing generalizations.) They have thrown out old songs in favor of new ones, they have thrown out the traditional worship service in favor of a rock concert like one. They do this in the name of reaching people that have never heard of, or rejected Jesus Christ. A noble cause, to be sure.
One of the reasons I have heard people give me for the benefit of these types of services is "
No. Sure, if done properly, the worship service will enrich your life, and you will learn from it. But you cannot forget what the worship service is supposed to be centered around, which is God. That is one area where the traditional liturgy and worship service excel. Many of the mega-churches formulate their worship service to avoid tradition based the assumption that it is filled with rituals that mean nothing and cannot enrich your life.
Well, here's the truth. A traditional worship service (speaking from an Anglican perspective) is basically a re-enactment of the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. All the traditions are too numerous to name, so I'll hit on a few key points. The beginning of the worship service begins with the priest, or other celebrant, coming from the rear of the sanctuary to the front, following a processional cross the entire way, signifying Christ entering the world, knowing full well crucifixion lies ahead. The celebrant delivers the gospel reading by going into the middle of the sanctuary, and reading the gospel there, reminding us that Jesus went to the people to bring them the Good News (Read my most recent post: What is Mission?) At the end of the service, the priest makes his way to the rear of the sanctuary, and proclaims: Go forth in peace to love and serve the Lord. This signifies Christ's ascension into Heaven, and more importantly, He is not dead.
What is my point? I have a couple of them. First off, if you are in a worship service devoted entirely to you, it is an invalid worship experience. Whether that be in a contemporary mega-church, or a traditional worship service, if the experience is about you, you're not doing it right. Second off, the traditional worship service is not a bunch of empty rituals there for the purpose of looking neat. Sure, they do look neat, and if practiced as empty rituals, they mean nothing. If practiced properly, the experience will continually bring new understanding of Unchanging Truth to your life. I'll end my blog with this: What are you worshiping, and why are you worshiping? Keep these in mind as you head to church this weekend, keep it in the back of your head during the worship service, and reflect upon it after the fact.
Amen.
Legal Disclaimer: Again, I am not making all encompassing generalizations. There are contemporary worship services that are valid, as long as the purpose of it is to worship God, and the worshiper is actually worshiping God, and not merely a participant. Furthermore, some traditional worship services are geared towards worshiping you, it's quite easy to tell them from the God-centered ones. Anywho, no matter how what style you worship, make sure the whole focus is on God.
That book is at our library; I read it a few weeks ago. While I'm not a fan of the megachurches, the author really tries to draw a parallel between ALL contemporary services and ALL megachurches-who-are-in-it-for-the-money-and-not-God.
ReplyDeleteEventually he claims none of these churches are Christian. Yep, think outside the 18th century liturgy box, and you're apparently going to hell and taking the whole "not a real church" with you.
I can just see God up there shaking his head. "People, look around you... my creation! Endlessly varied! Look at yourselves... my children! All different as the day is long. Why in the world do you insist to each other that there is only one right way to do things for everyone? Don't you think I'm a bit more creative than that?"
Yeah, not a big fan of Mr. McNair.