Posted on by jamie

Worship propaganda

I found this video and was really struck by it. Mainly because of the boldness of Brian McLaren, and also because I agree with everything in it.

This goes along with what I shared on Monday, that music is dangerous and sweeps us away in happy emotions.

In case you can’t watch the video, here are the key points:

  • People want to “feel” certain things in their worship. They bring a worship check list to each service and if it doesn’t meet each check point, well, the Holy Spirit just didn’t show up today.
  • People put pressure on the worship leader to deliver a certain “worship experience.” As a result, “pre-fabricated worship experiences” are created.
  • When we do this, it ceases to be worship and it becomes manipulation and propoganda.
  • “There’s a huge difference between propoganda and art. There is something about art that says, ‘I’m telling the truth as I see it.’ The truth may not be pretty. It may be, ‘I don’t feel that God is real.’ We can’t handle that.”
  • We may not be able to handle ugly truths, but the Bible can.
  • “When you’re honest about the ugly things in life, it’s a beautiful thing.”
  • “When you try to make everything pretty, it ends up looking really cheap.”
  • “If we try to market God like He’s an infomercial, He seems less real.”

I applaud him for bringing these key points to light. And I wholeheartedly agree. It explains why I often can’t get excited about the worship experience. I long for raw honesty and it’s something that is often lacking in worship.

He asks a question in the video that I’d like to pose to you: How can we be people of truth and rediscover honesty in our relationship with God?

6 Replies to “Worship propaganda”

  1. You know, we might as well be honest. He knows whether we are or aren’t anyway. I think we have to agressively and passionately pursue that on an individual basis. That’s all we can be responsible for. Hopefully our enthusiasm for the things of God will ignite that in others.

  2. I would agree with Larry and you Jamie. I think first we have to be honest with ourselves and then have the courage to be honest with others. We often do not let true honesty happen in our relationships. We put out a front that we think will let us be acceptable or left alone and just do not want to rock the boat. Sometimes we have to rock the boat if we want true change or exchange.

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