■g3g3by WARREN COLE SMITH
“Worship Wars” Are
Not Just About Taste;
They’re About Theology
A
RELIGION NEWS Service dispatch shows at least a third of Christian radio Certainly there are limitations to the

this week caught my attention. listeners are not Christians. They are slow-changing, sometimes bureaucratic
Under the headline “Missouri overwhelmingly female, and they are way new music has historically made its
Synod Leaders Declare Worship mostly in their middle 30s. Again, noth- way into songbooks and hymnals. And I
Wars ‘Sinful’” came a story announcing ing is wrong with any of that. I’m glad am not advocating tradition for tradition’s
the conservative Lutheran Church-Mis- there is a radio station for these people. sake. But let’s be plain: Christianity is a
souri Synod’s eight-page “Theses on Wor- But what happens next? The popular religion based on history and tradition.
ship,” which was adopted unanimously songs are then promoted relentlessly to The Resurrection is not an idea; it was an
by the denomination’s top officials. worship leaders. Sheet music and instru- historical event. Jesus was not just a great
The document declares, “The polariza- mental tracks are pushed in a steady teacher; He was God incarnate. He chose
tion that is affecting the church concern- stream of catalogs and advertisements to reveal Himself to us in history. That’s
ing the issue of forms, rites, and ceremo- in magazines with titles like Worship why when we throw over the highest and
nies is sinful and hinders the proclama- Leader. Are the songs theologically solid? best traditions and practices of our faith in
tion of the gospel.” Do they teach the core doctrines of the the never-ending pursuit of what’s new,
True enough. These intramural con- what’s relevant, what’s “hip” or what’s
flicts consume a lot of energy, and to the “cool,” we inadvertently, but no less cer-
outside world they can appear to be irrel- tainly, erode core doctrines of the faith.
evant to the point of silliness. Jesus him- We say to ourselves and to our children
self, near the end of His earthly ministry that history doesn’t matter. The testimony
and during one of His most impassioned of the faithful men and women who came
and emotional moments, prayed that before us doesn’t matter. The highest and
we, His followers, would “be one,” as He best thinking of our greatest minds—well,
was indeed one with God (John 17:22). what was so great about them anyway?
In Psalm 133:1, we read it is “good and This is cultural arrogance of the worst
pleasant” for believers to “dwell together kind. And, as everyone from the author
in unity.” of Hebrews to George Orwell has made
However, it is important to clarify Christian faith, or the specific distinc- clear, when we cut ourselves off from the
that a dwelling of unity that is not built tives of your denomination? Are they the lessons of history, we quickly become vic-
on a foundation of truth is nothing more highest and best our generation has to tims of the worst kinds of intellectual and
than a shack that the first strong wind contribute to the great musical tradition spiritual fascism.
will blow over. In the so-called “worship of the Church? None of that matters. If So, are the “worship wars” unfortu-
wars,” there is much more at stake than they’re a hit on Christian radio this week, nate? Most certainly. But let us not shrink
what style of music we’ll sing on Sunday they get performed in church the next. from these battles for the sake of a false
morning. The worship issue, properly Contrast that to the way music has and temporary “unity.” Let us instead use
understood, is not about taste but about historically been chosen: some of the these struggles as an opportunity to come
theology—and about protecting the core greatest theologians and musicologists to agreement not about how we can be
doctrines of the faith. of our denominations carefully deliber- “relevant” to the culture, but rather about
To get a glimpse into what I mean, ate matters of theology and discipleship. how we can bring what is permanent and
consider how modern worship songs Does this song reflect our beliefs? Does eternal to a culture otherwise headed for
make their way into contemporary wor- this song deepen our understanding of the trash-bin of history.—EP News
ship services. More likely than not, the poorly understood doctrines? Does this
songs are first heard and popularized on song unite old and young, black and Warren Cole Smith is the publisher
contemporary Christian radio stations. white, or is it so stylistically specific that, of the Evangelical Press News Service and
There is nothing inherently wrong with in its attempt to be “relevant” to some, it the author of A Lover’s Quarrel With the
that, except that survey after survey alienates everyone else? Evangelical Church. He lives in Chicago.
26 EVANGEL • JAN 2010
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