Last night my wife and I walked out of the Mad max film after 45 minutes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not over sensitive in any way. I like watching all sorts of appropriate movies a lot! My problem was that I felt insulted in my intelligence. With almost no storyline, it just erupted into a massive vehicle chase with loads of violence. It was... just silly.
"Why go and see an obviouly violent film (it's a remake) if you don't like violence?" The thing is, I will watch a violent film if there are reasons for it being there. I'm not talking about horror or gratuitously violent films. It's just that we live in a violent world and if the plot justifies it and deals with it well... it has some place in my permissions. Last night was just ridiculous CGI, implausible situations, an unlikely cargo, metrological impossiblilities and all for no reason. Even artistic license got up and left before I did!
While refecting on our exit, today I wondered why about 150 other people were happy to sit and soak up the 'fun.' I think I stumbled upon some analogies with the modern day church.
If we reverse engineer the modern church service it is like going seeing Mad Max. If you care little for the story... how it occurs that we are all stood in a room worshipping, you must only be there for the experience you get from it. In the cinema you would have had a couple of hours of an experience whereas if you had watched The Matrix for example you would have experienced a truth, a challenge, a peice of art and the usual things we find in a film because of the storyline. Modern church can see the seats fill because it offers an experience yet fails to explain the truth of why we worship etc. If that was fully explained from the Bible, people would be a little reticen to look for sensual experiences. What we are left with is songs that include hints of the story, but while everyone is trying to get a worship experience, theres no chance of drilling truth down. I'll leave the issue that most worship songs are man-centred for another time.
To be clear, I LOVE corporate worship, but I don't need slick musicians or tight riffs with Coldplay style lyrics. I don't need it because it wouldn't be filling a void of understanding about why we are doing it. Today's church has to be more of a live 'here and now' experience because people have little clue about the Redemption story and how it applies to them. If you find out about what Jesus has done and allow it to drop into your heart you don't need a song about Redemption to help you worship because you'll aready have a heart singing His praise all day!
You will be a worshipper and not need a vehicle to take you to an experience of it.
I think Hillsong has a few good elements but I fear for this and other Hybrids of it that they are producing believers who have defined their Christians walk by how sunday morning goes. "How was church?" Many ask after the service. It is, for me, a strange question. It is saying 'how was your experience of church today?' Who cares frankly! The entire issue of believers meeting is a Risen Glorified Lord of all Creation who commands us to turn to Him in our entirety for the abundance of walking with him in repentance and faith. Who cares how your church experience was! Get sourced and anchored in Him, not a 'blessing centre' that can only play Kareoke to an authentic Christ life.
Rant over
Gary Ward
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