Worship Weblog
Friday, June 30, 2006
Recent History 5
Report from the ”Recent History of Christian Worship” seminar:
“In meeting each other we see the content of the history we’re studying embodied.”
We continue to explore the vast variety of the body of Christ. We briefly concluded our discussion of To God Alone be Glory through recognizing the great passion of this “prayer book spirituality” and thinking about how prayer books inform how we understand and approach God.
Jimmie Abbington’s seminar, The Many Languages of African-American Christian Worship and Music, showed us another aspect of the body of Christ through sharing some of their discoveries from the past two weeks. One acknowledged the temptation to add a multicultural song without looking for the deeper wisdom the community can share. Another raised the issue of dealing with novelty and nostalgia and pointed to the importance of giving space to validate our history and experiences. Many commented about the need to listen to the young people, the need to empower them in worship, and discoveries about hip hop. One expressed gratitude for the safe environment for discussion and racial reconciliation and stressed that she learned the need to listen. Still others emphasized the importance of honesty, openness, and authenticity.
Worship Seeking Understanding sparked a discussion of the non-negotiable issues of Christianity as well as the work of the spirit through preparation and spontaneity. As we transitioned into a discussion on Sargeant’s Seeker Churches, one participant asked, “How can we applaud the creativity and zeal behind the seeker movement while at the same time provide a loving critique?” Another cautioned against considering large churches inherently bad. He commented on the passion and commitment of many people in seeker churches for those who have had painful experiences in churches.
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