Archive for March, 2007

Haha, I wanted to write the most convoluted title I could.

I just got back from a men’s bible study I’ve been leading for the local InterVarsity chapter and it was a really great study. We went over Galatians 2:1-10, and specifically it was about Paul’s meeting with the church leaders in Jerusalem and the comparing of notes that they did.

The central theme of the passage was that of Unity amongst the denominations and how we have commonality in diversity which compels us to love each other and extend each other a ton of leeway in methodology.

For me, I realized that although I fancy myself willing to extend leeway to others in their practice, I still have a lot of people I lump into a ‘them’ camp that God really convicted me of; there’s alot of freedom in extending love and grace to someone else and appreciating the true diversity of the body.

There’s a post on the Emergent movement and worship and what might happen in 30 years when we’re all older and greyer and 20 somethings are complaining about our music on Margaret Feinberg’s blog today; will modern worship somehow take the place of being old and stogy and will something else be considered ‘hip’. My answer was Yes.

I have to say I’m not a fan of Philip Bliss and most of his contemporaries and their music. I find it too simplistic lyrically and musically, although catchy at times, lacks the density of some of the big daddies of hymn writers.

With that said, I have older friends in churches currently who are in a pitched battle with the younger generation who long to sing David Crowder, David Ruis, and Matt Redman. When I ask my older friends about it, they usually respond with an allusion to listening to music in the car and how you should get to listen to what you want to just because you’re driving. Their point is that they did their time and now it’s their turn at the wheel.

My worry is that we’re headed to this same argument in 2037 when the next big thing that is relevant and meaningful to the 20 somethings of the day usurps the place of David Crowder as being ‘relevant’. The grey haired people of the church will pine away about the time when music was ‘good’ and how the only music that speaks to them was written in the late nineties and the early part of the 21st century. We will, most likely, become what we rail against: a hegemony of worship style and music.
I think the call, given the passage tonight is to recognize the beauty of both David Crowder and Philip Bliss in that they speak to people’s thirst for God and assist them in worship and that is beautiful.

We need to get away from seeing non-essentials as ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong’ and simply appreciate them for what they are – broad, beautiful brush strokes of a God who loves diversity. Does that compel me to get a CD of Philip Bliss music for the car? Not likely. But before I tear a brother or sister down by chiding them for listening to bad music, I should love the fact that they are spoken to through it.

What do these two guys look like when they’re brought under the same roof? I’m not sure, but it’s a good thing that God gave that task to broken, imperfect people because it’s really beautiful when it happens; when we think less about ‘them’ and how ‘they’ are different and start looking at ‘them’ for who they really are: ‘Us’.