Saturday, March 03, 2007

Worship is Empty?

The last show of the two-year-43-country-tour of rockers from another era came to a close in Vancouver’s BC Place only weeks before the roof blew off. The Rolling Stones played an amazing show complete with songs from their newest album along with re-makes of all of the old classics. The show, while absolutely amazing and heightened by a weird and colorful acid trip, raised some pretty serious questions about God and church worship music. Like, for example, why is it that worship music seems to be so similar to every other kind of music but its words are so empty? Or, why is it that when we find ourselves at a show the expectation is that we are moved with our emotions to some sort of response while at church we are told to be wary of emotive response to music?

That is, at least, what my tripped out friend on acid asked me the other day.

5 comments:

project said...

hey jer,
what else did your 'friend' ask you? hahahaha, i had a'friend' who got really drunk one time and wondered to himself (he told me later....), about how when ever the c.d. skipped, it was at the exact same time he stomped his foot on the ground. it was like he could predict when the c.d. was going to skip and was able to stomp his foot really hard at the precise monent. perfect timing. that's what he told me anyways....

Paul & Wanda Moores said...

BC Place not GM Place.

Christian music is empty because it is intent on copying mainstream music because the larger demographic in the US is looking for Christian music "that sounds like....".

Brian Doerksen, in response to a question about doing popular worship songs at church vs writing your own, said this, "Imitation never produces authority".

Anonymous said...

for me, I am looking for worship music that cuts straight to the heart. I find that Christian music for the most part is all about hype and not heart.

I have been thinking lately that I would actually rather go to some old catholic service and sing some of the old hymns. Something written as heart felt praise to God, not by someone trying to "make the big time".

Jesse said...

"Imitation never produces authority".
Wow, that's a powerful statement!

Anonymous said...

when we imitate God - that is powerful.