Real Worship: Part 10: The Worship Wars

Worship wars

It’s been some time since I posted links to iMonk’s articles about the worship wars. Here they are again —

http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/arant-from-a-loser-in-the-worship-wars

http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/let-me-restate-that

The blogger was writing about the worship wars, but from outside the Churches of Christ. In other denominations, the worship wars are not so much about doctrine as preferences, wants, and needs. That doesn’t make them any less intense or painful. And most denominations have been struggling with music in the assembly for the last few decades.

Rarely, though, do I read an article or book that takes the trouble to build a thoughtful theology of worship before the author announces how change is either God-given or anti-God. We are all masters at declaring our preferences as the very words of the Almighty!

But I hope I’ve shown that a careful study of the scriptures takes us far, far away from the usual wrangling. It’s not about church growth, seeker sensitive, emerging, traditional, respect for elders, respect for the young, blah, blah, blah. It’s about Jesus. Any argument not couched is kenotic terms is a false argument.

I just made up “kenotic.” It’s the adjective form of the Greek kenosis, meaning self-emptying. It’s the word used in —

(Phi 2:5-7 ESV) 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

The NAS translates —

(Phi 2:7 NAS) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

To be like Jesus is to empty yourself, to make yourself nothing, to die for people who don’t deserve it, to suffer willingly even though it’s unfair. This is kenosis. It’s also what the Orthodox call theosis, becoming like God. This will be on the final exam: theosis is kenosis. To become like God, you have to empty yourself.

(Eph 5:1-2 ESV) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Recall that the New Testament sense of worship is sacrifice, but sacrifice in the form of submission to God by becoming like Jesus. Worship includes such things as becoming a “living sacrifice” and being true to the gospel, which is Jesus. Worship includes participating in the spilt blood and broken body of Christ. And the assembly is a time and place dedicated to becoming more and more like Jesus.

We are urged to imitate God by learning to live and sacrifice ourselves as Jesus did. This is the nature of the God whom we worship, and we become like what we worship. If we worship an angry God who sets traps for his children, we become like that. If we worship a gracious, self-emptying God, we become like that.

And the worship wars plainly demonstrate that we’ve been worshiping the wrong God. The God of the worship wars demands his own way, acts in his own interest, and gets angry when he doesn’t get his way.

The God of the New Testament hangs himself on a cross for undeserving people, and then goes to great lengths to pursue people who don’t even begin to appreciate the awful price he paid for them. And were we even a little bit like this God, there’d be no worship wars.

Now, iMonk describes a woman who loved to sing in her church’s choir. It was a small church, too small to have both a contemporary service and a choir service. Therefore, the leadership canceled the choir ministry. The woman, missing her time in the choir, still attended her congregation but joined the choir of another congregation so should could continue to minister in that way.

iMonk writes,

She’s out of job. Without consulting her and others like her, the leaders simply determined choral ministry didn’t fit any longer.

iMonk’s ultimate conclusion is —

Now the bottom line is, when you start defining church and ministry in these terms, you have departed from NT ecclesiology. The church, the Body of Christ, the fellowship of believers is no longer practically understood as the whole family of God; it’s just those who are strong, active, and attractive. The old, the weak, the shut-ins, those with limited gifts or resources, and friends like mine who have gifts that no longer fit with the program are made to feel left out. It’s no longer the pastor’s primary duty to know and feed his flock—all the members of his flock—but to motivate, equip, and use the strong to fulfill the mission.

When a church makes a change in its worship practices, those who oppose the change will see the church as “catering” to the others and feel disrespected. Why did they get to win? Why not us?! But choices are inevitable. Not everyone can have his preferred worship time, preacher, worship style, sermon length, or auditorium temperature.

The cure isn’t compromise, negotiation, or even taking turns. Nor is the cure trying to please everyone. That is quite impossible. If you keep the choir for the sake of some, a small church necessarily rejects other musical styles equally loved by others. They simply cannot meet everyone’s preferences. It is impossible.

The cure isn’t bringing in a conflict resolution expert or giving in to the elderly or the young or bringing in church growth experts. The cure is becoming more like Jesus. And Jesus didn’t get his way even though he had the power to get his way. But for the sake of those he loves, he gave up his preferences and chose suffering and death and humiliation. And to be Christian — Christ-like — we must do the same.

Jesus had far more to lose than any of us, and he was the first to surrender. Therefore, those among us with the most to surrender should be the first to surrender.

Therefore, when the hard choices come, the decision shouldn’t ever be made in political terms or power terms. It’s not about who gives the most or who has paid his dues or who has the most tender feelings or who threatens to leave or who gets mad. It’s about Jesus: Which choice will best fulfill that congregation’s place in God’s mission that he is pursuing through Jesus?

And those who don’t get what they want shouldn’t get mad, leave, threaten to withhold their contributions, or otherwise use the tools of Satan. They should act as Jesus acted.

(Eph 5:2 ESV) 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

The way to get along in church conflict is to give up. Die to self. Empty yourself. Make yourself nothing. Follow Jesus. You see, the ultimate purpose of worship and the assembly (two different but overlapping things) is to become more like Jesus. And having the opportunity to give oneself for others does that. Getting in a huff and demanding your way does not. The Kingdom belongs to the selfless, not selfish. And worship should — of all things — teach us this.

Ahh, you might ask, if I must give up my preferences for the sake of others in the church, shouldn’t they give up their preferences for me? Well, yes and no.

First, you’re not allowed to ask that question.

(Phi 2:3-4 ESV) 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

(Rom 12:10 ESV) 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Jesus died first, and then asked us to join him. He did not withhold his salvation pending our agreement to believe. He died and then asked us to enter his Kingdom. Just so, those who empty themselves empty themselves without bargaining for anything in return.

In iMonk’s example, the woman who was part of the choir was not being denied the ability to worship. She could still sing as a part of the congregation. She could still serve others in countless ways.

The question she should ask herself is: How can she best be Jesus to others? Is the best way for her to be Jesus to others to sing in a choir? Or to demonstrate Jesus’ self-emptying by surrendering her choir robes for a seat in the sanctuary and a chance to associate with and encourage visitors and members from her pew? Is the best way for her to be Jesus to others to give up her choir practice time and instead do another kind of good work?

The leaders in her church decided that they preferred her time be invested in the Kingdom by means other than singing in the choir. Should she bemoan the leaders’ failure to consider her feelings? Or use the change as an opportunity to glorify God in some other way — and perhaps in a way much more beneficial to the people served by that church? (The leaders just might be right, you know.)

Worship is all about whether our hearts are like Jesus’. Get that right and the rest will follow.

Therefore, in my congregation, the song leader does not know my taste in music or my favorite songs. I don’t plan to tell him — and he very, very rarely sings a song that’s among my favorites. I’m an elder, I’ve paid my dues, I give money — and I could get my way if I insisted. And so I don’t tell him what I like — just to be sure he never has to worry about whether I like it. It’s not about me.

It’s an attitude I strongly recommend. It makes the assembly so much more enjoyable when you’re worried about what the visitors and new members think and not your own tastes. I know.

Age and such

Why is it always the older members who complain the loudest? Shouldn’t they be the ones most like Jesus? As they are usually the ones who feel the most entitled, we’ve obviously been doing worship very, very wrong. Catering to every whim of people sometimes makes them feel entitled and very much not like Jesus.

Our young members also need to be trained to surrender their preferences for the sake of God’s mission. One day, they’ll be older and have tastes that are out of step with the majority of society — and their preferred musical styles won’t be catered to. They need to pray that their congregation lasts long enough for them to become old-fashioned and have to surrender their tastes.

A few years ago, my church began singing more contemporary songs. We still sang traditional hymns, but we definitely moved in a more contemporary direction. One of our long-time members was so upset that he drove to Birmingham — an hour away — to sing with another congregation that had a more traditional song service. We missed him, and wish that he’d stayed.

The congregation he commuted to has lost 2/3rds of its members, largely by death. They’ve not been able to attract younger families for the last decade or so — but they’ve kept their older members very happy with their style of worship. It appears likely that in less than ten years, they’ll close their doors. But they kept their members happy — and no one had to empty himself for the sake of the younger generation.

I’m getting up in years. I’m going pretty thoroughly gray, and I’ve lost a lot of hair. My metabolism dropped below slow decades ago. But I’m not going to allow my church to die to please my musical tastes. You see, my passion for seeing young people and visitors become committed Christians, dedicated to a better, truer Christianity overwhelms my passion for the old hymns — some of which I love (but I’ll never say which ones!)

I would listen to rap (which I hate) for hours every week if it meant bringing the lost to Jesus and keeping my children and grandchildren in the church.