This Side of the Pulpit » Entries tagged with "consumerist worship"
(The) Who will fix our Synod
Many of the LCMS blogs these days–at least the ones I read–are posting about the upcoming LCMS Convention this summer, and posting a lot about it. It is the topic du jour. It always is. But not here. At least, not so much. It is true the LCMS is in a world of hurt, at least when it comes to financial operations, unity in doctrine and practice and unity of purpose. It’s gotten so bad that I have to fight off an inward cringe when I have members who tell me, “I visited and LCMS when I was on vacation, and they…” Almost inevitably, they continue by saying something that sounds more Consumerist Mega-Church Metho-bapti-costal than anything Lutheran. Well now. So we should all be concerned with what is happening at the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
It used to be Awesome, but now I Want…
A few weeks ago I changed my schedule to having Mondays off instead of Fridays. There are some good benefits to it: it makes the work week feel longer for some reason; Fridays are great days to get things done here at the office, where it is nice and quiet; people who need things usually wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to ask me, and with this schedule I have an extra week day to help them. But I can already tell that the charm will wear off eventually. It will soon enough be like all things. Starting out a joy, then becoming something enjoyable, soon enough it becomes worn and comfortable, then the flaws appear and something new begins to hearken. That fancy new phone? That brand new car? That cute new blouse? That adorable … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Must Read on Worship
My friend and colleague Mason Beecroft apparently gave the most controversial presentation at the recent LCMS Theological Convocation on Worship. Doesn’t surprise me. He’s a great guy (this is not a non-sequitur). So what did he say? What was the problem? His conclusion was nothing radical. Every congregation ought to use the LSB, i.e., the hymnal and liturgy from the most recent service book published. But the how and the why is what rubbed many the wrong way. He is sacramental. He is pre-modern. He believes what the Lord says in a way that frustrates the neo-literalist, historical-grammatical fundamentalists, evangelical practicalists in our midst. Ignore that last sentence if you don’t know what it means. But do read what Pr. Beecroft posted today. Here’s an excerpt: [So who decides?] This question was pervasive at the LCMS … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Like Grant and Lee in Class at Westpoint
I was speaking with a professor at Concordia Seminary last week. He said something very alarming to me about some of the first-year students at the seminary. While many classes on the whole are good, he said, there are more and more students coming in who have never witnessed liturgical worship and to whom the hymnal is a completely foreign thing. It’s frightening for those students. Could you imagine being raised in a church using consumerist worship with all of its emphases and experiences believing that this is what the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod was like and then being dropped into the flagship seminary and attending worship for the first time? Talk about bait-and-switch! I can’t imagine what kind of culture shock that must be for those young men. Of course it’s frightening to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Worst Ever
Here’s the video Rev. Beecroft posted the other day that I briefly referenced in Bible study this morning. I’m reluctant to post it. It’s that bad. Oh, and don’t go to youtube and read the comments unless you want to wash your eyes out with soap. They’re pretty offensive and vile. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Contemporary Worship & Lutheran Worship: One Pastor’s Change
In Bible Study today I gave a long talk on entertainment and worship. It was prompted by a lapsed member who claimed to attend the Cowboy Church. Attendance was good, they reported, but it “depended on the entertainment” for that day. This evening I discovered an essay by Rev. Sean Rippy, a former advocate of Contemporary Worship who changed his ways. The entire essay is well-worth a read. It’s not too academic (probably not enough for any CW supporters out there), but i has a good man-on-street reporting to it. He has a very good section on Scripture and the Confession’s statements on worship acceptable to God and the conclusion is very strong. Again, read the whole thing. But here are some excerpts from the middle. I particularly liked his observation about … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
LCMtvS
I fully expected the videos from the Commission on Worship (CoW) to include a Contemporary version. I clicked on the first one and wasn’t too surprised. The song was vaguely familiar, and after a while I realized it was a rockified version of a hymn in Lutheran Service Book. The phrase “become the Lamb of God” stuck in my maw, as I commented below. The video images presented varied from boring to horrifying. One image of Jesus in particular could have come from a fever-nightmare. So I expected the second video to be more ”traditional,” if you can call music videos traditional at all. I was flummoxed that it wasn’t. Not only was it contemporary, but it was more obnoxiously contemporary than the first. I didn’t notice the images in the video because … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
The Latest from the Commission on Worship
I received an email from the LCMS Commission on Worship. It asked me to watch two video clips and then respond to a 22 question survey. Here are the two clips: Lamb of God (CLIP ONE) from John Smythe on Vimeo. Lamb of God (CLIP TWO) from John Smythe on Vimeo. The survey determined what demographic I was in, what role in the church I served, who plans worship, what hymnal or resources we use, how many “lead worship” on a given Sunday, how we project hymns and video, if we use background images that are moving or static, what software we use, and then survey me about how much I would pay for the clips above for use in worship. What do you think? How would you respond to this? How … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
It’s Not the Liturgy’s Fault
It happened again Sunday. At the late service I felt bored during the liturgy. Yes, I remember back on that side of the nave it can happen frequently. But in the last (almost) nine years since I’ve been in the chancel it happens much less, at least for me. But this Sunday again it struck me during the Kyrie, and went all the way through the Gloria in Excelsis. It felt rote. It was rote. It felt dull. What one does at times like these is critical. Some pastors take this ennui and run with it, thinking they must liven things up, that they must make some big changes, mix in some new and some peppier sounds. Do jazz hands. Well, maybe not jazz hands, but something along those lines. This is what … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Pandering Doesn’t Work
People want churches to be churches. Religion to be religion, too. Perhaps God to be God and not a Coca-Cola symbol. “Traditional church buildings may be more attractive to the unchurched because they want to see something that is different from other aspects of their lives,” which are often shaped by narrow demographic branding strategies…. Mark Torgerson, author of An Architecture of Immanence: Architecture for Worship and Ministry Today, says that in an era in which new buildings are designed to look retro, symbols are especially potent. “Most people in our culture are symbol savvy,” says Torgerson. “The Christian church has adopted powerful symbolism throughout its history, and this has served it well in developing a public presence and nonverbal testimony. … It’s [important] to use such a primary avenue for communication.” Jacobsen says a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
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