A generation ago many congregations began adding “contemporary” worship services. While any style of worship can be done well and in ways that clearly glorify God, any style is also capable of falling well short of those standards. The following video about “contemporvant” (a made up word created by blending contemporary and relevant) worship illustrates what can happen when contemporary worship loses its way.
So What?
According to multiple sources, this video was produced by North Point Media although it is no longer available on their site. For those interested in what others think of this clip, I encourage you to read an interesting piece by Jon Reid.
- Have you ever attended (attended seems best since it is a “show” led by celebrities rather than a worship service in which all — those leading and those in the pew – participate) a service that felt just like the one portrayed in the video?
- Why do you think some people are attracted to this kind of worship?
- Is contemporary or “contemporvant” worship uniquely susceptible or are all styles of worship able to move in similar unhealthy directions?
- Is this the image many unchurched Americans have of church? If so, then I understand why they have no interest in Christianity. (Read the manuscript of my sermon “I Quit” to understand what I think Christianity is and must be about and if it is about the opposite, then I have no option but to quit.)