[Faith] Too Cool to Go to Hell
Ok, time for a really long post. I spent some time on it, however, and feel it's worth posting on my blog. I identify with what this guy is saying. He's a funny, creative guy, but has some depth to him as well. His original post is here, but I'm including it in my blog in case he ever decides to delete my comments (heh, I don't think he would... :) ). My comment is in response to his post as follows:
Too Cool to Go to Hell (by Danny Daughtridge)
I’ve been so frustrated at times with the pop-culture mega-churches, the mandatory coffee bars and video screens in every multi-purpose building, the horn-rimmed glasses and diesel jeans pastors named Todd. It seems Christianity has become cool. Despite many warnings from theologians like Stanley Hauerwas and sociologists like Alan Wolfe, American Christianity wants to consume its culture and condemn it too.
What good is a cutting edge if it doesn’t cut something? The churches that I’m referring to above are frustrating to me, because they really think they are hip, and they are really BAD at it. I imagine the guy that came up with the Christian t-shirt design that looked like a Pepsi logo thought he was a pretty cool cat. He was wrong. And we’ve been copying him ever since.
Take church music for instance. The impetus in contemporary church music is to have comparability with popular secular music. We play the same acoustic guitars, have the same “look,” and we even have the guy who ran sound for Mariah Carey’s 1995 tour running the audio-tech department. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had over the years with fellow church musicians who assured me that their praise band was awesome. No, really awesome. The fact is that the church will never compete with the secular entertainment industry. Whenever we make an attempt, we look stupid in the eyes of everyone else.
comments: 1 (by Parker Wiksell):
Speaking as someone who is trying to find cultural relevance in church, I would ask, in light of your commentary, "what is the church of 2005 supposed to look like then?"
I have a background in a traditional non-denominational church, replete with pipe organs and choirs (which I sang in for over 10 years). Then I switched over to a charismatic church (boy, talk about culture shock). Every Sunday, banners were waving, people were dancing shaking, shouting and falling out in the Spirit. After several years, new leadership came in, and now our church has pastors who ride motorcycles, have Diesel jeans (though none of the pastors are named Todd) and we just built a new children's theater/multipurpose room, complete with coffee/espresso bar outside (with flat panel TVs so we can watch NFL Sunday Ticket this fall with the other men whilst sipping on our favorite latte beverages).
I'm not saying your observation is wrong, or even harsh. I've had the same feelings as we've gone through these changes. I've been an active member in several different styles of churches. I've seen them work and not, but here's a few observations and questions to ponder:
1) Traditional churches work. People 'expect' church to be like that. It's a paradigm that has worked for generations. The only prerequisite is that you need to learn to worship God through symbolism, classical music, thickly veiled words (as we talk to the Infinite Creator Who Doth Make the Creation For Thine Holy Purpose) and procedure (stand up for the reading of the Old Testament, sit for the Liturgy -- what's a Liturgy again??).
2) Charismatic (or Spirit-lead) churches work. It totally blows away all paradigms and takes a person out of their comfort zone. It allows someone to fully and freely worship God through an external manifestation of His Spirit. The only condition to worship God in a church like this is to shut off rational thought (I'm not being cheeky about that) and allow yourself to be open to the possibilities that God has to offer through alternative worship, such as shaking like a seizure, collapsing wherever you stand (don't worry, someone will catch you, they always do somehow), speaking in tongues, weeping like a baby, laughing hysterically, or other behaviours that Acts describes as:
Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." -- Acts 2:13
3) "Contemporary churches" (or as you put it, "pop-culture mega-churches") work. They assume no paradigms about church at all, and try to fit the world's mold of expression. These churches leverage the talents of their members to "express what is timeless in a manner which is timely (or relevant)." They do a good job of making a brand new member or guest feel as welcome as they can, without imposing "religious" symbols, verbage, or other unknowns. The only requirement to worship God in an atmosphere such as these is to be yourself, have a tolerance for others' worldly attitude, turn a blind-eye to trendy-turned-spiritual logos, attire, music, popular sayings, or other worldly devices that are used.
One word about all three environments that makes them genuine or not: Heart. God wants our heart, no matter what. Our focus can only be Him, or else we fail. If religion and tradition, external manifestations, or culture-relevance ever take the focus off of Him, then we fail. It doesn't matter what the expression, God just wants US.
So I guess the question would be which do you pick? I've got plenty of pros and cons about each of the three styles I've been involved with, and they've all been perfect for my life, right where I was in that particular time in my life.
Aaron Weise (guitarist for Spoken) and I have been talking for some time now about redefining church. Is the church of 2010 going to be largely electronic (cyber-churches)? Will they push some limits in ways we never thought? Will there be corporate churches at all, or will cell-groups take over? I think the answer to all of these, in more or less terms will be "yes." The church of the 20th and 21st centuries has been changing, "evolving" and experimenting. As a result, I believe church will be a pleasant amalgamation of diverse styles and cultures, as diverse as the people who call them their spiritual homes. There will be enough representation so that people can worship where they feel, how they feel, and to Whom they feel (most importantly) with other of like preference.
So if you had to design a church from ground-up, with no limit on budget, time or resources, what would it look like to YOU? What things are important in your life and your expression to God? What would it be like? Focus on those answers, and then DO something about it. Bring it to your home church and influence in your unique way. Find another church where people are already doing what you envision. Or, if there exists nothing that fits what you imagine, then perhaps God has called YOU to start it. Step out, be bold, leave your mark on this world so that others may identify and ultimately worship the Living, Awesome, Diverse and Loving God...
posted by Parker Wiksell | 12:39 PM
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3 comments
