Thursday, May 31, 2007
Brian McLaren on the Worship Industry
Check out this cool short video by Brian McLaren about his concern over the worship industry. I found it through Tony Jones' Emergent Village site. Wow, Brian says this better than I could. I download the loop, but it being offered by the group "The Work of the People" and it costs $250/year to sign up. Now that's ironic, isn't it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Very true words, this mclaren guy.
I use to be an active part of that very industry.
...back in my days as an up-n-coming prophetic music superstar. Whatever that is.
good words... but ironic indeed- somehow they would be more powerful were they free!
The worship industry bugs me because it can stifle creativity and can make faith seem flaky. With that in mind I am reminded of when the apostle Paul did not criticize his fellow prisoners whose motives were less then pure as they preached the gospel but praised God that the gospel was at least being preached. I'm not sure if I can have his attitude with other situations like the worship industry one though. hmm.
Hey B,
Your still superstar! Who esle does Chapman Stick worship leading?!
Sally,
Is that insane? or what?!
Carl,
I'd love to have the grace to say things as balanced, and deeplyt as McLaren said those words.
Mclaren certainly does speak with grace and wisdom
So what if songs and worship leaders are honest and artful?
I suppose we assuming the worship industry does not embody those things. But I would argue, that's where we stop our observation, before we cross the line into just becoming reactionary.
I think there is a line we begin to cross when we lump anything all together and give it a label... we are in danger when we say "the worship industry needs to change and become more honest," because that already assumes that the bulk of the people who are a part of it are selling propaganda.
Brian McLaren does not sound too biased, and for that I'm glad. What I am concerned about are those who use his words and this video as a diatribe against all those who are a part of Hillsongs or Passion or Vineyard or anybody else in the "worship industry." We take aim and fire because we aren't able to handle the idea that God might be able to redeem all of it if the participants and the listeners are all looking for Christ, and not simply producing/consuming.
I guess I would agree with the poster who commented on Paul's reluctance to criticize the other people who were preaching out of insincerity. If Christ is preached, why would we complain?
It takes a certain amount of faith to say that God is working, even through the depraved institutions we set up (think slavery, racism, democracy, institutional church, the education system). Otherwise, we will always be reactionary, unable to allow God to redeem anything we screw up.
Post a Comment