Popular music, worship
Rock band sound & theology rage on T
Hybrid genre a musical home for P.O.D.
he hard rock band P.O.D.
doesn’t represent what most people
associate with “Christian music.” With a sound similar to Korn or Rage Against the Machine, they are masters of “rapcore” (or “nu-metal”), a hybrid genre that fea- tures screamed or rapped lyrics over loud, crunchy guitars. P.O.D. has never expected that its music will get played in churches. But a number of songs have ended up being featured in blockbuster movies—often in the background when things are blowing up. One has to listen carefully to realize that most of the songs are actually about faith in Christ and the hope this offers. Their 2001 album Satellite sold
almost 2 million copies before many listeners realized the group was a
Christian band. Then there was a backlash, and the Internet is still filled with vitriolic postings by for- mer fans who “love P.O.D.’s sound but don’t like what they stand for.” The new project Murdered Love
(Razor & Tie, 2012) is no tamer in sound or theology. The title track is a pulsing lament about the cruci- fixion of Christ, while “Higher” is an aggressive track anticipating the blessings of heaven.
“Babylon the Murderer” is an apocalyptic anthem whose meaning will be lost on anyone who doesn’t read Revelation 17–18. “Lost in Forever” became a summer hit on hard rock radio and the songs “Eyez” and “On Fire” will likewise please those who don’t think loud, heavy music needs to be devoid of spiritual content. This time, however, P.O.D. does
This column lifts up trends in worship beyond regular “Lutheran” circles
Millennials and worship There is a stark reality that an entire generation (millennials) has left churches and is dubious of what we say and do. No tradition, no technology, no time changes their perspectives. The church is viewed as intolerant, out of touch and fractious. In a world of faltering megachurches and aging traditional- ism the discussion of why arises. Why follow Jesus? Why wor- ship? And the growing shift is that any meaningful discussion has to begin with “we,” not “I.” If you want an answer to empty pews, an absent generation and worship arguments, then you have to leave yourself out of it. Consider these questions for conversation, not just for leaders but for everyone who gathers for worship. • Do we come to worship because of what we get out of it? Or because of what we give to God? • Consider the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7). What will we leave behind in worship to seek out the one outside the flock? • Who do we invite to worship and how often? Do we listen to those who refuse the invitation to understand why?
38 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
• Can we embrace the cruciform nature of worship—the cross- ing of our relationship with God and our relationships with oth- ers, that must include those most different from us? The secret to millennials and worship is not a formula or
format. It’s an honest, welcoming relationship built on love and forgiveness found in the crucified and risen Jesus and shared in an imperfect church. We are in a new era of church planting and replanting, a
time when we should listen to Paul: “I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some” (1 Corinthi- ans 9:22). We do not change worship for trends or culture. We change so Jesus is made known and glorified in worship and service. You want to bring in millennials? Go find them, listen to them, and then give them the church like Jesus has given it to us. If we can do that, we’ll experience something even more surprising than 33,000 teens worshiping in the Superdome at this past summer’s ELCA Youth Gathering. Tom Lyberg is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Findlay, Ohio, and host of the Wired Jesus Podcast (
www.wiredjesus.com).
offer one softer song, a melodic tune that hopes to belay suicidal thoughts with reminders of how life can, sometimes, be “Beautiful.” The final song on the album (“I Am”) presents the anguished cries of the lost, searching for answers. For the sake of realism, the song origi- nally included numerous instances of profanity. P.O.D. did decide to “bleep” all of the offensive words so they aren’t actually heard. Nev- ertheless, many Christian listeners have objected to the song and, so, a truncated version of Murdered Love (lacking that song) was released to Christian retail outlets.
Mark Allen Powell is a professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, and author
of the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music.
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