Thursday 23 October 2008
Wednesday 22 October 2008
Worship Cliché #2: People get Most of Their Theology from Songs
Before I rip merciless shreds into this cliché, there are two truths here I want to affirm:
1. People remember songs more than they remember sermons - basic human psychology and memory analysis tells us that music helps people remember words better.
2. Songwriters and worship leaders have a vital role in the shaping of the Church’s theology and language alongside preachers and other leaders - people take their lead from their leaders.
So we know that songs are memorable and play a part in the shaping of theology.
But seriously.... people get ‘most’ of their theology from songs and hymns?
Are you kidding me?
I take great issue with this often recited cliché - it is a favourite amongst self-righteous theologians and jealous preachers - and here is why:
1. There is some base assumption that people are idiots. That they carefully chew over every sermon they hear and book they read - but when they are singing worship songs they switch off all of their critical and analytical senses and descend to mindless sponges - soaking up every word of our songs with a senseless regard for truth and then live in accordance to the lyrics they have unwilling been hypnotised by. This view treats the Church as both gormless and feckless, revealing a belief that the people are a clueless proletariat that many theologians secretly hold them to be.
2. Of course people’s theology better resembles the songs they sing rather than the sermons they hear. This is because songs are written to reflect what people already know. It is worship - a response to revelation. The aim of the song writer is not to fill up the minds of the people with new ideas and theological nuances - it is to put words on the lips of what God is already doing in their hearts and minds. Many people are guilty of backwards logic - ‘we believe it because we sing it’ - rather than the greater truth being - ‘we sing it because we believe it’.
3. This cliché has a distorted perspective of how we form theology (by what we hear, sing, read). It is far more complicated than that. People’s experience, personal interpretation of scripture and fellowship with others play just as big a part in the formation of theology as any leader derived input. And this is not even to mention the primary, powerful and transformative work of the Holy Spirit in people’s lives. To say that ‘most’ of people’s theology comes from songs is actually a pathetically ill-thought out perspective to hold.
4. It is a view, in my experience, born out of jealousy and frustration rather than genuine pastoral concern - “How dare the people disregard my theology degree/masters/doctorate and months of diligent study and scholarly endeavour yet absorb the thoughts of some whimsical ponce with a guitar.” Biblical truth is the reserve of the learned, the studied and the schooled. Woe betide anyone who has not had the privilege of 3 years of Greek and Hebrews lessons from actually claiming to say or write or sing something that is true.
Give me a break. As far as I know it wasn’t King David Ph.D
And without doubt more thought goes into each word of a song than it does in to each word of a book or a sermon.
Now, clearly I’m not saying that songwriters and worship leaders don’t need to be diligent theologians and be aware of the wide influence they have - but this belief that ‘most’ of people’s theology comes from songs is preposterous and entirely unhelpful.
comments and thought much obliged....
dg
1. People remember songs more than they remember sermons - basic human psychology and memory analysis tells us that music helps people remember words better.
2. Songwriters and worship leaders have a vital role in the shaping of the Church’s theology and language alongside preachers and other leaders - people take their lead from their leaders.
So we know that songs are memorable and play a part in the shaping of theology.
But seriously.... people get ‘most’ of their theology from songs and hymns?
Are you kidding me?
I take great issue with this often recited cliché - it is a favourite amongst self-righteous theologians and jealous preachers - and here is why:
1. There is some base assumption that people are idiots. That they carefully chew over every sermon they hear and book they read - but when they are singing worship songs they switch off all of their critical and analytical senses and descend to mindless sponges - soaking up every word of our songs with a senseless regard for truth and then live in accordance to the lyrics they have unwilling been hypnotised by. This view treats the Church as both gormless and feckless, revealing a belief that the people are a clueless proletariat that many theologians secretly hold them to be.
2. Of course people’s theology better resembles the songs they sing rather than the sermons they hear. This is because songs are written to reflect what people already know. It is worship - a response to revelation. The aim of the song writer is not to fill up the minds of the people with new ideas and theological nuances - it is to put words on the lips of what God is already doing in their hearts and minds. Many people are guilty of backwards logic - ‘we believe it because we sing it’ - rather than the greater truth being - ‘we sing it because we believe it’.
3. This cliché has a distorted perspective of how we form theology (by what we hear, sing, read). It is far more complicated than that. People’s experience, personal interpretation of scripture and fellowship with others play just as big a part in the formation of theology as any leader derived input. And this is not even to mention the primary, powerful and transformative work of the Holy Spirit in people’s lives. To say that ‘most’ of people’s theology comes from songs is actually a pathetically ill-thought out perspective to hold.
4. It is a view, in my experience, born out of jealousy and frustration rather than genuine pastoral concern - “How dare the people disregard my theology degree/masters/doctorate and months of diligent study and scholarly endeavour yet absorb the thoughts of some whimsical ponce with a guitar.” Biblical truth is the reserve of the learned, the studied and the schooled. Woe betide anyone who has not had the privilege of 3 years of Greek and Hebrews lessons from actually claiming to say or write or sing something that is true.
Give me a break. As far as I know it wasn’t King David Ph.D
And without doubt more thought goes into each word of a song than it does in to each word of a book or a sermon.
Now, clearly I’m not saying that songwriters and worship leaders don’t need to be diligent theologians and be aware of the wide influence they have - but this belief that ‘most’ of people’s theology comes from songs is preposterous and entirely unhelpful.
comments and thought much obliged....
dg
Laura Marling - Cross Your Fingers/Crawled out of the Sea
from her excellent 'Alas I Cannot Swim' album - you should get it.
dg
Monday 20 October 2008
Worship Cliché #1: Worship is a Lifestyle
“Worship isn’t singing - it’s the whole of your life”
Well done. What do you want? A biscuit? A medal?
This is the most frequently spouted cliché in regards to worship. It has become a declaration of tedium and piety. It pertains to be a ‘myth busting’ type statement - that we don’t have ‘times’ of worship and our worship is more than the singing of songs. Yet this often offered proclamation of true worship is inadequate and even unnecessary for a number of reasons which I will look at now:
1. When did you ever hear someone claim that worship was just singing? Nope me neither. One of the reasons why declarations of worship being your entire life can be so pious in nature is that nobody I know in the whole Christendom believes anything different - except maybe 7 year olds.
2.Worship can be the whole of your life but we still need ‘times’ of worship. Time set aside to have no other agenda but worship. For example when I am doing the washing up, I can do it with an attitude of worship and service to God and my family. But I don’t do it as worship. I do it because the plates are dirty. Equally as I am picking my toe nails it does not have to ‘all be for His glory’. I can pick my toe nails because I’ve got dirt in them. When we sing our songs of worship together it is specifically for Him with no other agenda than to please Him and honour Him. That is important and should not be diluted by claims of a superior ‘life of worship’ - which leads us to.....
3. Worshipping with your ‘whole life’ doesn’t mean you get out of singing in church. Get over it and sing up.
4. 'Worship is a lifestyle’ is an inadequate statement. It is just not extreme enough. ‘Lifestyle’ implies something you read about in a magazine or is just a bunch of consumer choices. The language of obedience and worship in the New Testament is a lot more graphic.
Here it is: Sacrifice; Self Denial; Loss; Suffering; Death - can those things be adequately described as a ‘lifestyle’?
I don’t think so.
Most of our lifestyle choices end up being represented in a glossy magazine or clever adverts and even with great design none of these themes of death and sacrifice would look appealing. I think it is more accurate to describe worship as a ‘death-style’ or a ‘way of sacrifice’ rather than a ‘lifestyle’ or a ‘way of life’. It is a lot harder and all-consuming than our usual clichés would imply.
Although this way of phrasing worship maybe helpful in an initial simplistic way it is not actually that helpful in building a theology of worship - it is a starting point or a stepping stone - but certainly not the whole picture!
Well done. What do you want? A biscuit? A medal?
This is the most frequently spouted cliché in regards to worship. It has become a declaration of tedium and piety. It pertains to be a ‘myth busting’ type statement - that we don’t have ‘times’ of worship and our worship is more than the singing of songs. Yet this often offered proclamation of true worship is inadequate and even unnecessary for a number of reasons which I will look at now:
1. When did you ever hear someone claim that worship was just singing? Nope me neither. One of the reasons why declarations of worship being your entire life can be so pious in nature is that nobody I know in the whole Christendom believes anything different - except maybe 7 year olds.
2.Worship can be the whole of your life but we still need ‘times’ of worship. Time set aside to have no other agenda but worship. For example when I am doing the washing up, I can do it with an attitude of worship and service to God and my family. But I don’t do it as worship. I do it because the plates are dirty. Equally as I am picking my toe nails it does not have to ‘all be for His glory’. I can pick my toe nails because I’ve got dirt in them. When we sing our songs of worship together it is specifically for Him with no other agenda than to please Him and honour Him. That is important and should not be diluted by claims of a superior ‘life of worship’ - which leads us to.....
3. Worshipping with your ‘whole life’ doesn’t mean you get out of singing in church. Get over it and sing up.
4. 'Worship is a lifestyle’ is an inadequate statement. It is just not extreme enough. ‘Lifestyle’ implies something you read about in a magazine or is just a bunch of consumer choices. The language of obedience and worship in the New Testament is a lot more graphic.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. Matthew 16: 24, 25
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. Philippians 3:10
Here it is: Sacrifice; Self Denial; Loss; Suffering; Death - can those things be adequately described as a ‘lifestyle’?
I don’t think so.
Most of our lifestyle choices end up being represented in a glossy magazine or clever adverts and even with great design none of these themes of death and sacrifice would look appealing. I think it is more accurate to describe worship as a ‘death-style’ or a ‘way of sacrifice’ rather than a ‘lifestyle’ or a ‘way of life’. It is a lot harder and all-consuming than our usual clichés would imply.
Although this way of phrasing worship maybe helpful in an initial simplistic way it is not actually that helpful in building a theology of worship - it is a starting point or a stepping stone - but certainly not the whole picture!
thoughts?
dg
Wednesday 15 October 2008
The Recipe for Strong Concrete
Concrete walls, floors and sidewalks can last for centuries, but not all concrete lasts that long. Poorly produced concrete will crack, crumble and flake, sometimes at alarming rates.
Many people confuse the words concrete and cement. Concrete is the hard, strong material we walk on and use to construct buildings. Cement is one of concrete's ingredients, the glue that holds it together.
To make good, strong concrete, a crucial part of the mix is water, which moistens the powdered cement and transforms it into a thick paste. This coats all surfaces of the aggregate and sand so they'll stick together. Proper mixing evenly blends the small and large particles so the concrete compacts well.
The correct amount of water causes the microscopic crystals of cement to react, absorbing water in the process, growing closer together to hold the sand and aggregate more tightly. Too much water causes the crystals to grow farther apart and weaken the concrete. The amount of water added to make a good concrete mix is a compromise between strength and workability.
Excess water also causes concrete to lose its thick, syrupy consistency and become soupy. In a soupy mix, the aggregate sinks to the bottom and cement rises to the top. Result: weak concrete as a whole and the exposed surface in particular. A mix that's too wet will cause the surface to crack, chip off and powder.
After pouring, but before smoothing the surface, you have to let the concrete set - stiffen to the point where your foot will sink only about a quarter-inch into its surface if you stand on it. During this waiting period, excess water from the concrete rises to the surface. This bleed water is normal and is soon reabsorbed by the concrete. The more water there is in the mix, the longer you have to wait for the bleed water to be absorbed. Never add more water to the mix than the manufacturer recommends.
Once concrete stiffens and its surface is troweled smooth, curing begins. The longer the cure, the stronger the concrete.
You'll get fewer cracks with longer cures. But there's no escaping cracks because when concrete dries, it shrinks. While troweling, concrete masons control cracking locations by deeply grooving the surface at regularly spaced intervals to make weak spots called control joints. The concrete cracks at those joints and not randomly.
Many people confuse the words concrete and cement. Concrete is the hard, strong material we walk on and use to construct buildings. Cement is one of concrete's ingredients, the glue that holds it together.
To make good, strong concrete, a crucial part of the mix is water, which moistens the powdered cement and transforms it into a thick paste. This coats all surfaces of the aggregate and sand so they'll stick together. Proper mixing evenly blends the small and large particles so the concrete compacts well.
The correct amount of water causes the microscopic crystals of cement to react, absorbing water in the process, growing closer together to hold the sand and aggregate more tightly. Too much water causes the crystals to grow farther apart and weaken the concrete. The amount of water added to make a good concrete mix is a compromise between strength and workability.
Excess water also causes concrete to lose its thick, syrupy consistency and become soupy. In a soupy mix, the aggregate sinks to the bottom and cement rises to the top. Result: weak concrete as a whole and the exposed surface in particular. A mix that's too wet will cause the surface to crack, chip off and powder.
After pouring, but before smoothing the surface, you have to let the concrete set - stiffen to the point where your foot will sink only about a quarter-inch into its surface if you stand on it. During this waiting period, excess water from the concrete rises to the surface. This bleed water is normal and is soon reabsorbed by the concrete. The more water there is in the mix, the longer you have to wait for the bleed water to be absorbed. Never add more water to the mix than the manufacturer recommends.
Once concrete stiffens and its surface is troweled smooth, curing begins. The longer the cure, the stronger the concrete.
You'll get fewer cracks with longer cures. But there's no escaping cracks because when concrete dries, it shrinks. While troweling, concrete masons control cracking locations by deeply grooving the surface at regularly spaced intervals to make weak spots called control joints. The concrete cracks at those joints and not randomly.
Tuesday 7 October 2008
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