Blog Archives
Does Worship Really Need To Be Exciting?
Over here at Not For Itching Ears, we don’t often repost what others have written. Today is an exception. Andrew, over at The Reformed Reader, wrote an excellent article called “Does Worship Really Need To Be Exciting?” I wanted our readers to get the opportunity to consider that very question. I have included an excerpt of Andrew’s post along with a link back to the entire post. And now, our featured presentation:
“I’ve been reading through Kevin Roose’s book The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University. If you have an interest in learning about evangelicalism and fundamentalism, this book, written by a Brown University student who enrolled at Liberty University for a semester, is a great volume to read. Informed by George Marsden’s more historical Fundamentalism and American Culture, this is a fun and witty memoir of someone who decided to “act the part” of a Christian fundamentalist for a semester.
I was especially struck by Roose’s contrast between the simple, Quaker worship meetings of his youth and the contemporary worship at a local megachurch. He writes:
You can see why I didn’t go to [Quaker worship] meeting[s] much. As a kid groomed on cartoons and video games and Little League, an hour of motionless silence was excruciating. At Thomas Road, on the other hand, there’s almost too much stimulation. The stage lights, the one hundred-decibel praise songs, the bright purple choir robes, the tempestuous bellowing of Dr. Falwell – it’s an hour-long assault on the senses. And all you have to do is sit back in your plush, reclining seat, latte and cranberry scone in hand, and take it all in. It’s Church Lite – entertaining but unsubstantial, the religious equivalent of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie. And once the novelty wears off, once the music becomes familiar and the motions of praise become pro forma and mechanized, you start to realize that all the technological glitz and material extravagance doesn’t necessarily add up to a spiritual experience. [emphasis added]
Today, from my perch in the Thomas Road choir loft, my mind wandered back to the little brown house with stone steps. I think I’d appreciate the minimalist Quaker worship more now than I did as a kid. It didn’t have Jumbotron screens or a five thousand-watt sound system or a cafe in….” To read the rest of this great post, follow the link below.
http://reformedreader.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/does-worship-really-need-to-be-exciting/
“Evangelical Christianity Can BEST be described as…………” Take our Poll and tell the World
How would you best describe Evangelical Christianity? We have assembled some of the most common descriptions of EC in our poll. Taking the poll is easy. You can choose more than one answer, so feel free to combine answers. You can not add your own description to the poll, but you can leave comments. We intend to Read the rest of this entry
How Contemporary Christian Music and the Seeker-Sensitive Movements Failed a Generation
“It’s 1994, and Michael Stipe recently lost his religion. It’s before Bieber and bling, before ordering a latte required six qualifying adjectives. In coffeehouses across the country, bored teens slouch on thrift-store couches nodding along to the Cranberries’ “Zombie.” Weezer breaks into the alt-rock scene with the Blue Album; Green Day tops the charts with the first punk rock song to whine about a lousy therapist. In April, hordes of fans gather in Seattle Park to mourn the death of Kurt Cobain. A few months later, 350,000 people make the pilgrimage to Read the rest of this entry
Blasphemy! If You Want the Congregation to Worship More, Try Singing Less
Worship is fast becoming a topic we avoid at all costs. Much like discussing politics, discussing worship preferences and style, the should and should nots, the rights and wrongs, is not polite conversation. It can and has led to all out war. Challenge the status quo and you may have the same charges leveled against you that they leveled against Jesus: “Blasphemy…He is worthy of death!” Read the rest of this entry
Pray This 400 Year Old Prayer: “May I Live My Life To Honor You”
The following prayer was first offered back in the 1600′s. It is from the largely forgotten deposit of the Puritan Movement of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These people knew God and they certainly knew how to pray. We can learn a lot from them. They are written in old english. I have updated a few outdated words and changed the Thee’s and Thou’s to make it more 2011. However, they still have the feel of that era. This prayer, “A Disicples Renewal” along with many others, Read the rest of this entry
A Worship Song for the Hard Times: “As Long As You Are Glorified”
Does your worship service look more like a High School pep rally?
You remember those days, don’t you? The cheerleaders and the band would work us up into a frenzy, trying to fire us up for the Friday night game. Much of today’s corporate worship reminds me of those days. everything is so upbeat and wonderful. Week after week, upbeat and wonderful, life is one victory after another, aint it all great type of stuff. Don’t misunderstand me. I am not advocating that everything be the exact opposite.
However, sometimes we are living on the other side, aren’t we? Life is hard, you’ve lost a loved one, a job, your kids are making horrible choices, the doctor just gave you the bad news, your worried about the future, your __________________ (fill in the blank). Sometimes, as we gather with other believers, we are not feeling upbeat, wonderful or victorious. Those type of songs, don’t always help pull us out of that.
That is why I like this weeks song, “As Long As You Are Glorified”, by Mark Altrogge. It reminds us that God is control of all things, and that no matter what I am going through in my life, Read the rest of this entry
Our Top 5 Most Read, Most Interesting and Most Debated Posts of the Year
It is hard to believe that August is fast approaching, and that 2011 is more than half in the tank already. We have had some very interesting debates and discussions here at Not For Itching Ears. In case you missed them (how is that even possible) I have posted their links here.
Our Top 5 Most Read, Most Interesting and Most Debated Posts of the Year…. Read the rest of this entry
Sunday Morning Funnies: Something else All Men Inherited from Adam. Happy Father’s Day!
If history is any indicator, then a sinful nature is not the only thing we inherited from Adam as this comic depicts.
Saturday Morning Funnies: Where Did All The Pastors Go?
The old school pastor seems to be a dying breed, as this comic strip suggests.
400 Year Old Prayer: “May I Live a Life Worthy of You”
The following prayer is from the largely forgotten deposit of the Puritan Movement of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It testifies to the richness and color of evangelical thought and language, as well as their devotion to the Savior. This prayer and others can be found in a book titled “The Valley of Vision”, by Arthur Bennet. I have included them in this blog so that others can use them in their own prayer life as a springboard to a more faithful walk with Jesus. These prayers are 300-400 years old! They were written in old English,but that should not get in the way if you don’t let it.
Need of Jesus
Lord Jesus,
I am blind, be my light,
ignorant, be my wisdom,
self-willed, be my mind
Open my ear to grasp quickly your Spirit’s voice,
and delightfully run after His beckoning hand;
Melt my conscience that no hardness remain,
make it alive to evil’s slightest touch;
When Satan approaches may I flee to your wounds,
and there cease to tremble at all alarms.
Be my good shepherd to lead me into green pastures of your Word,
and cause me to lie down beside the rivers of its comforts.
Fill me with peace, that no disquieting worldly gales may ruffle the calm surface of my soul.
Your cross was upraised to be my refuge,
Your blood streamed forth to wash me clean,
Your death occurred to give me a surety,
Your name is my property to save me,
By you all heaven is poured into my heart,
but it is too narrow to comprehend your love.
I was a stranger, an outcast, a slave, a rebel
but your cross has brought me near,
has softened my heart,
has made me your Father’s child,
has admitted me into your family,
has made me joint heir with yourself.
O that I may love you as you have loved me,
that I may walk worthy of you, my Lord,
that I may reflect the image of heaven’s first-born.
May I always see your beauty with the clear eye of faith,
and feel the power of your Spirit in my heart,
for unless he move mightily in me
no inward fire will be kindled.
For More of these old Prayers, visit our prayer page https://notforitchingears.com/prayer-of-the-week/400-year-old-prayers-1/
You Can Reach More People In Your City if You Will Only Do What They are Doing
A local church in my city recently ran this “Pure Sex” advertising campaign to attract the non-churched to come to their services. They drove around the city with this banner on a trailer. First, I thought it was an advertisement for a porn shop. I was stopped dead in my tracks when I realized it was an advertisement to Read the rest of this entry
What is Your Favorite Part of the Sunday Morning Church Service? Take the Poll
Over the past few days, hundreds of people have read and commented on our post “Does God Care How We Worship?” As a follow-up to that post, we have created an online poll asking the question: “What is the Most Important Element of Corporate Worship for you Personally?” We hope you will take the time to vote. About the poll: We understand that we are asking you to make a choice that Read the rest of this entry
Saturday Morning Funnies: The New Pastoral Job Description
One of the casualties of the seeker-sensitive church movement has been a re-defining of what it means to be a pastor. Here’s the new job description:
Get Your Free New Testament on Mp3! (Yes, Free!)
In my search for an audio copy of the New Testament, I stumbled across the “Faith Comes By Hearing” website. I was familiar with their ministry, having taken our church through their very edifying listening program a few years back. I was stunned to find out that they give away, completely free of charge, the Bible in Mp3 format. I downloaded the ESV version and I must say, I am completely thrilled. I just listened to 1 John while I was driving.
Here is a statement from their website, followed by a link to get your own free audio copy of the New Testament on Mp3:
“Faith Comes By Hearing is committed to reaching the nations with the Word of God in audio, offering the Bible in a format that will connect with the world’s 50% illiterate population. To accomplish this enormous task, the Lord has assembled a group of committed leaders and dedicated servants of His Word to develop into a reality the vision of bringing His church together and making disciples.The word nation is the Greek word ethnos, which means “of the same language and people group,” not the political borders of a country. The worldwide Bible translation and distribution ministries have determined there are 6,809 ethnos, or nations, in the world, most of which cross many Read the rest of this entry
Whatever Happened to the Message of Christianity?
The sign said, “Now serving Starbucks coffee!”
It was the late 90’s and the premium coffee craze was taking the country by storm. Everyone who liked coffee LOVED Starbucks or soon would. So it wasn’t surprising that some business would be utilizing the brand name to promote what they were doing. It made pretty good sense. It would not have fazed me a single bit if any other company was doing it. However, this massive sign was hung in front of a local evangelical Christian church. The message was crystal clear: “Come to our service on Sunday, we have free Starbucks coffee!”
With the arrival of the church growth movement and the seeker-sensitive ministry focus it birthed.. Read the rest of this entry
Can You (Personally) Worship God Without A Band or A Song?
Can You (personally) Worship Without A Band or A Song?
I remember sitting in a church service as a young pastor explained why they were beginning a building project. “We are growing so fast, we do not have room to put everyone.” His assessment of the situation was correct. They didn’t have room for all the people who were coming. However, I thought his conclusion was wrong. Building wasn’t the answer.
I had attended for three months so I felt I had a good sense of the leadership and the congregation. I thought the answer was more basic: Start preaching Biblical messages, presenting the message of the Cross, instead of tickling everyone’s ears, and the space problem would be fixed. How, you ask? People would Read the rest of this entry
Rethinking the Contemporary Worship Service
“It’s Sunday once again and we haven’t even pulled into the parking lot of the church but already the frustration is building. With a glance skyward I whisper a now familiar but heartfelt prayer: ‘Lord, let this be a meeting of the saints. Please let there be something real in the House of God today. No ridiculous nonsense, no overt heresy, no deceptive ploys cast in Your Name, no silly sales tactics. Let us hear some of Your everlasting and immutable truth; anointed and unfiltered. Challenge me through the singular preaching of Biblical doctrine. Dare me to strive for Holiness, to love more freely, and believe absolutely. Let this be the very church service where I die! Where my fleshly passions and desires are nailed on an ancient splintered Cross to be wholly absorbed into a pool of Regal Blood. Never to rise again.’
The words leave my heart but I hold out little hope. Not that I doubt my Lord but because I know the modern church all too well….”
My friend Jim over at LivingElect penned those words, but it could just as easily been written by myself or countless other Christians who have grown so VERY tired of the modern American church. A quick glance at those assembled on any Sunday leaves one thinking that everything is fine. People are smiling, sermons are preached, songs are sung, offerings are collected. But if we take Rafiki’s advice (Lion King) and “Looked Harder!” we see a different picture: believers who are spiritually mal-nourished, longing for just a sip of cold water and a stale piece of bread that never come. Week after week after week, the spiritual food never arrives, and the body becomes weak. This is where many of the Contemporary churches have led God’s people.
In an earlier post, I asked the question “Can We Bring Him More than a Song?” It was a question that Read the rest of this entry
A Compelling Alternative to Calvinism? You Decide!
“What shall a Christian do who is convinced of certain central tenets of Calvinism but not its corollaries? Specifically, what if I am convinced that God elects individuals to salvation but I am also compelled by the evidence of Scripture to reject the notion that Christ died only for the elect? What if I am also convinced that the Calvinist doctrine of irresistible grace – that God gives saving grace only to the elect while withholding it from others – has little or no biblical foundation?”
“Calvinism has at least three dilemmas: (1) reconciling God’s sovereign election of individuals with His genuine desire for the salvation of all; (2) adhering to a deterministic view of sovereignty without blaming God for the fall of Adam; and (3) adhering to limited atonement and irresistible grace while also affirming that the gospel is genuinely offered to everyone. There is an alternative to Calvinism – called Read the rest of this entry
Get Your Free Audio Copy of the New Testament on MP3
In my search for an audio copy of the New Testament, I stumbled across the “Faith Comes By Hearing” website. I was familiar with their ministry, having taken our church through their very edifying listening program a few years back. I was stunned to find out that they give away, completely free of charge, the Bible in Mp3 format. I downloaded the ESV version and I must say, I am completely thrilled. I just listened to 1 John while I was driving.
Here is a statement from their website, followed by a link to get your own free audio copy of the New Testament on Mp3:
“Faith Comes By Hearing is committed to reaching the nations with the Word of God in audio, offering the Bible in a format that will connect with the world’s 50% illiterate population. To accomplish this enormous task, the Lord has assembled a group of committed leaders and dedicated servants of His Word to develop into a reality the vision of bringing His church together and making disciples.The word nation is the Greek word ethnos, which means “of the same language and people group,” not the political borders of a country. The worldwide Bible translation and distribution ministries have determined there are 6,809 ethnos, or nations, in the world, most of which cross many Read the rest of this entry
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