Worship. Many would argue that worship is the center of the life of the religious community. It is the apex of all that the community gathers around. It also tends to be one of the more controversial – over style of music, preaching and even the decorum of the room. One of the fun things about being Baptist is that we do not have a set liturgy, or a specific way that we collectively have agreed to worship. The idea of Baptists collectively agreeing on anything is a thought that strikes terror into my very soul…. but that is neither here nor there.
Baptists have tended to be free form having prayers, scripture and a sermon interspersed with hymns. Yet even our worship should say something. Even our worship should have a theological statement that can be articulated and embraced. Christopher Ellis believes this is so, and he attempts to demonstrate Baptist liturgical theology in his book: Gathering: A Theology and Spirituality of Worship in Free Church Tradition. Ellis looks at Baptist worship in England historically and currently and pulls out trends and patters suggesting a liturgical theology that is implicit. He suggests that all Baptist worship contains four things:
Baptists have tended to be free form having prayers, scripture and a sermon interspersed with hymns. Yet even our worship should say something. Even our worship should have a theological statement that can be articulated and embraced. Christopher Ellis believes this is so, and he attempts to demonstrate Baptist liturgical theology in his book: Gathering: A Theology and Spirituality of Worship in Free Church Tradition. Ellis looks at Baptist worship in England historically and currently and pulls out trends and patters suggesting a liturgical theology that is implicit. He suggests that all Baptist worship contains four things:
Scripture
A sense of devotion to God/Christ on behalf of those gathered
An openness to the actions of the Holy Spirit (via pray, singing…)
An eschatological orientation
A fanatical devotion to the pope (this one is my suggestion)
Ellis suggests that one should not look at the order of worship, nor even the particulars of the content, but be open to the four principles occurring in worship.
I think Ellis is making a great point and one that is needed for Baptists to take the idea of worship seriously (beyond falling into the liturgical trap of changing the music and calling that “worship” – liturgical crap). When one plans worship, all four aspect can and should be considered, and more importantly, when one is engaged in worship all four aspects should be sought. Ellis is not allowing worship to become a spectator sport – he even considers White’s distinctives between active and passive worship. Specifically the sense of devotion to God/Christ. If the gathered body of the congregation is only observing without a sense of devotion, then even the best sermon cannot “make worship happen.” This is different from a liturgy that believes the sacrament will happen no matter what the participants believe – which occurs in the higher liturgical, sacramental traditions. This is stating that the power of worship rests, to some degree, in the hands and hearts of those involved in worship.
Now does this happen? I am sure that on any given Sunday about 10 – 15% of the congregation is not really there. I am sure that on any given Sunday about 10-15% of the congregation is really involved. What about the rest?
On another note, what does this say about God? Is God’s presence contingent on the beliefs and attitudes of the congregation? Now we get into theological questions of God that have been answered by Cupato, Hartshorne, (see previous reference) and Fiddes (whom I am reading right now) as well as others.
Worship; I could say more, pointing out the difference between Baptists in America and Baptists in England, but I don’t want to lose the reader (all two of them) in this hyper-byte culture (write to much and you will be lost). It is good to see Ellis suggesting something concrete for Baptists to grasp and embrace – maybe it will help. Probably not.
A sense of devotion to God/Christ on behalf of those gathered
An openness to the actions of the Holy Spirit (via pray, singing…)
An eschatological orientation
A fanatical devotion to the pope (this one is my suggestion)
Ellis suggests that one should not look at the order of worship, nor even the particulars of the content, but be open to the four principles occurring in worship.
I think Ellis is making a great point and one that is needed for Baptists to take the idea of worship seriously (beyond falling into the liturgical trap of changing the music and calling that “worship” – liturgical crap). When one plans worship, all four aspect can and should be considered, and more importantly, when one is engaged in worship all four aspects should be sought. Ellis is not allowing worship to become a spectator sport – he even considers White’s distinctives between active and passive worship. Specifically the sense of devotion to God/Christ. If the gathered body of the congregation is only observing without a sense of devotion, then even the best sermon cannot “make worship happen.” This is different from a liturgy that believes the sacrament will happen no matter what the participants believe – which occurs in the higher liturgical, sacramental traditions. This is stating that the power of worship rests, to some degree, in the hands and hearts of those involved in worship.
Now does this happen? I am sure that on any given Sunday about 10 – 15% of the congregation is not really there. I am sure that on any given Sunday about 10-15% of the congregation is really involved. What about the rest?
On another note, what does this say about God? Is God’s presence contingent on the beliefs and attitudes of the congregation? Now we get into theological questions of God that have been answered by Cupato, Hartshorne, (see previous reference) and Fiddes (whom I am reading right now) as well as others.
Worship; I could say more, pointing out the difference between Baptists in America and Baptists in England, but I don’t want to lose the reader (all two of them) in this hyper-byte culture (write to much and you will be lost). It is good to see Ellis suggesting something concrete for Baptists to grasp and embrace – maybe it will help. Probably not.
2 comments:
Thanks for the heads up on the book. Adding another to my wish list. I need to get a second job just to afford all the books I want.
Here is my issue with hymnody (in reference to the worship issue) I'm growing less and less comfortable with much of what passes as 'praise' music. It is repretative and theological drivel and seems to be created more for our quick consumer age (buy, use, discard) than to have any lasting effect on the listeners discipline in faith. However, I find many of the traditional hymns to be equally unsatisfying. I am tired of reading about the blood of Jesus because these hymns only espouse atonement theory that suggests a blood sacrifice required by an angry God. There are too many hymns about 'heaven' and not enough about the 'Kingdom of God.' And they are all about personal piety and not enough about ethics in action in the here and now.
And, although I do not like most of the praise music genre, I am also weary of the dirges that get played on an organ. We need something with a 'pop' sensibility, but with theology that leads not only to orthodoxy but orthopraxy.
How bout them apples???
Malone,
I ditto DC for the tipoff on this work. A comparison of Judson Press's worship book: A Manual for Worship (written primarily by John Skoglund) and Gathering for Worship by the Baptist Union of Great Britain can illustrate some of the points Ellis brings out on a more pragmatic level.
Also, the British experience does not seem to have the greater influence of the African-American religious experience.
I have yet to find a serious discussion of the creative possibilities of Baptist worship. Perhaps the Ellis book will get that conversation started.
Peace
Travis
Post a Comment