PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

4. New worship forms have robbed the church of its ability to create authenticate
Christian character. 1 The critics of contemporary worship indicate that by surrendering to
contemporary Americans, giving them what people want in worship; we have not changed them
but have pandered to them. Marva Dawn warns us against "Dumbing Down" worship for people
who don't know what they want, don't know what to do, and don't know why they do it. She
would have us keep our worship standards elevated; stretching the American to higher standards
of excellence. Her emphasis on God as the source of worship is to be commended. She
maintains that when people expose themselves to God in the act of worship, individual character
is formed within the individual, and Christian community is formed within the church.
Character is defined by, "Doing the right thing in the right way, with the right attitude, for
the right purpose because you know it is right." The first two aspects of the definition of
character indicate that you do the right thing (i.e. you worship God) in the right way (conform
our methodology to God), hence we change our life into conformity to God, i.e. we develop
Christian character.
Dawn tells us that much of the tension over worship arises because the church has not
taught the proper worship habits and the proper meaning of worship to its young. By not being
"submissive" to proper worship, individuals are "subverted" from godly practice and godly
living. Rather than offering people worship that has the feel, volume, and appearance of culture,
she wants to expose the unchurched to the church's worship culture which will elevate them to a
new understanding of life and a new appreciation of God and His church.
5. New worship forms reinforce individualism and breaks down community. Again, by
giving people the type of worship they want, the critics charge that the authenticity of the local
church is corrupted. Rather than lifting people into the "community of faith", i.e. the Body of
Christ; the church allows itself to be dragged down to the level of people, through marketing and
advertisement to attract and win them for Christ. But in the process, we lose the mystery of
church, and the "communion of the Saints."
The critics see the rise of individualism illustrated when a person lifts a hand toward God
separate from anyone else in the auditorium. The individual act, rather than the act in
communion with other who do the same thing, does not build the church community. The same
thing happens when you become one of hundreds who are praying in "prayer concert."
The critics maintain the church should sing together, pray the Lord's Prayer together, read
the Scriptures together, affirm The Apostle's Creed together and break bread together.
6. Worship has become individual, not an institution event. A few might criticize some
of the different expressions of worship with the accusation that what they do is not worship.
While each of the six expressions fulfilling biblical rules, the critics claim each is not in fact
worship. The six types of worship (Chapters 5 to 10) describe six different dynamics of worship
but they are not recognized by everyone.
1. The Evangelistic model is not worship, it's evangelism.