We have discussed in outline form God’s desires and purpose in our worship. We have looked at the evidences and the elements of worship based on the Scriptures. We have outlined and developed a worship service that helps us understand some of the struggles we face in formulating worship weekly.
So how is this done? How do we go about forming corporate worship in the 21st century? There has been an obvious evolution of practice in worship from the Garden of Eden to present, but what has not changed? God. His plan, His purposes, His mission have all remained constant through the ages. His desire is to have a people who are recklessly abandoned, wholehearted, dedicated and in right relationship with Him.
The issue of style has gone past hot to volatile in the western church in recent years. Interestingly, most other countries do not have options for style or preferences in worship. In other cultures church members are just grateful to be alive and celebrate their salvation in community. As long as it fits within biblical parameters, style is not the top tier of concern.
Is a style for worship is biblically determinable? Some have taken the position that if the Bible does not prescribe it when we should not do it. (Regulatory Principle) Others have taken a different approach that if it fits within the spirit of the Scriptures and does not violate biblical principles then it is permissible. (Normative Principle) While the Scriptures provide guidelines, parameters and some methodology, neither the Old or New Testaments seem to prescribe a style of worship; especially in regard to music.
To broaden our perspective, we must focus our attention on history and the human propensity toward idolatry. It would be an understatement to say the development of music has monumentally shifted since the Scriptures were written. The music of the early church would have sounded very odd and strange to us as tonal scales were more like muslim chants or eastern music than the melodious harmonies we are accustomed to today. It wasn’t until the 17th century when J.S. Bach, refined the tonal system with his Well Tempered Clavier, that music became audibly more what we are accustomed to today. In reality, only 300 years (or 15%) of church history has had music that sounds remotely close to what we hear today.
We must also understand that at each stage of development in music and church, there have been opportunities for conflict. There are countless stories and examples of conflict arising from innovations and creative development in regard to music and its application in times of worship. Some of the hymns and songs we have loved and cherished we once ridiculed as unbiblical, trite, and/or not worthy of worship. However, a different dynamic emerged in the latter 20th century. With affluence, freedom, and technological innovations, the church found itself engaged in a cultural shift centered around the formation of worship, unlike any recent generation had seen. This continues to result in fissures and fractures philosophically, injured friendships, decimated pastoral leaders, and blemishes on the name of Christ and the testimony of the church in the last 25 years. It seems no church has been immune to the volatility of this issue.
For the church to overcome worship conflict we must find a way to change the prevailing conversation. The conversation that typically centers around the application of worship stylistically in a cultural or missional framework. Culture is a component for consideration, but it cannot, and in my opinion, should not be the impetus. The Scriptures are not designed to put a straight jacket on the church, but to set us free in Christ. There is liberty in Christ, yet that liberty is not boundless. Freedom in worship has as its backdrop a biblical framework that must be considered paramount for the 21st century to worship in unity of purpose and mission.