I grew up in a contemporary church world with music played by guitars and four chords. I went to traditional services and hated every minute because they were 'boring.' As I've matured, I've realized that I disliked many of the hymns not because of their content (although a lot of the language no longer makes sense in today's context) but because the way we sang them was...painful. I've listened to countless arguments on why contemporary, modern music doesn't belong in worship context and I've expressed via this blog before that I think those arguing that are wrong. I've kind of looked down upon the organ as a legitimate instrument for much of my life. They were expensive (I once heard someone arguing for traditional music yell at me for my use of a Taylor guitar because it was 'lavish'), hard upkeep, and generally boring to listen to. I thought of them as the 'old way,' once used to decorate unnecessarily lavish sanctuaries and provide a huge sound, one that is getting closer and closer to being able to be replicated digitally. And, we can conquer their original purpose with audio amplification. They were cool I guess, but the church ladies never let me play it, so I had a bad taste in my mouth. You had to have the special shoes. Ugh. I guess I just thought they were antiquated. Duke's Divinity School is incredibly fortunate to have a stellar organist in David Arcus,and I've spent time in very traditional services at Duke enjoying his art.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygb-IQNUCJI&w=640&h=385]Don't miss his CBS (old) appearance either. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3ApgF2s3LQ&w=640&h=385]-B
Rules for Teachers - 1872
Funny.
-B
"The Sexual Orientation of My Parents has had ZERO Effect on the Content of My Character"
Zach Wahls, a 19 year old student raised by two women, speaks out about his upbringing and prejudice in allowing at couples to marry, and supposedly, adopt and parent. He is remarkably well spoken, detailed, logical, charismatic, and passionate.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMLZO-sObzQ]
It often occurs to me that changes in culture (whether good or bad) are almost always led by passionate, charismatic leaders who have enriching, yet different, ideas and can articulate it in a clear, concise manner.
It seems to me like Zach might be just the type of leader the cause is looking for. He's young, articulate, and experienced.
Don't miss his appearance on Ellen either.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOeGgvfcxcQ]
He's a quality speaker and his thesis is an interesting approach.
I don't care what "side" of the issue you consider yourself to be on; as Americans, I believe, we have a call to fight for equality of all. And as Christians, we have a call to fight against injustice. So, we must ask ourselves, even in the midst of the morality question, are we supporting or fighting against injustice and inequality?
What a tough subject. We need more articulate people, like Zach, on both sides.
-B
Yes, Use Words When You Preach the Gospel
You can say a lot of things about Mark Driscoll, and I often do, but he is one of the preachers in today's world who is actually using theological concepts in his sermons. He doesn't sugar coat anything and he doesn't preach simply for the sake of his own voice (though he is often accused of such things). His sermons are passionate, clear, long, and theological. There's not any fluff in Mark's sermons. In case there is any confusion, this is the way things once were. Pastors have served as theological guides since the beginning. They've described hard concepts for parishioners to get and they've outlined things like salvation so that their understanding of the Scriptures is clear. Mark may be wrong in many ways, but he is doing what others, recently, haven't been. Yesterday he said this, in regards to the St. Francis attribution, "Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.": [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm6j_Bxy6wI&w=640&h=385]Mark's view is clear: The Gospel must be preached, with words. Demonstration is not enough. This is not a new idea by any means. At first though, I was struck by his tone. I mean, it's St. Francis for God's sake. St. Francis was all about demonstration of the Gospel. We remember St. Francis and his lifestyle more than many many who have preached the Gospel. Mark's understanding hinges around his conception of salvation, and I've made it clear in the past that I don't agree with his concept of elected salvation much at all. However, I tend to agree with him here. I suppose that Jesus's command to preach the Gospel is significant, but Jesus's command takes different forms at different points. In Mark, Jesus commands his disciples to enter ministry by casting out demons. In Matthew, Jesus gives direct command to the disciples after his resurrection to go make more disciples by baptizing them and telling others to follow his teachings. What, then, is ministry truly supposed to look like? Probably, both and. I agree with Driscoll. Not because it might lead to damnation if you don't, but because it is practical for the spreading of the message. Mercy, hospitality, help, etc are all important for the livelihood of the Gospel. They are things that Jesus and Christian history has spoken of time and time again. But, in practicality, are they enough to spread the Gospel? The truth is, we communicate with each other through words. Sometimes these are developed languages, sometime they are little more than grunts. But we communicate with each other through vocal inflections that we mutually agree mean something. These inflections help us to understand things. These inflections help us to understand each other. These inflections help us to understand our actions. Evangelism is, I think, a word that was hijacked by those trying to save souls. They used it for all kinds of things: monetary gain, bigger churches, among others. They used the crap out of it, over and over, even distinguishing themselves from the mainline denominations with it. I think St. Francis's quote has been used a lot as of late because society has begun to regard evangelists as crazed, religious people who fight with whatever powers they can until their bullhorns run out. Society hasn't appreciated the Christian television programs because they seem inauthentic. So, Christians not associated with these people have turned to other ways of spreading the Gospel. And the quote has found a new home, within people who want to spread Christ's love, and care little about telling people why. But evangelism is a call upon Christians. A call for the future of the Church. And it's a call that some Christians are afraid to approach now because of the connotations of it in our society. And that's a problem. Less and less churches in America have a steady string of members and attendees. Which means less and less Christians are being formed. And less and less Christians are being inspired to go and spread the Gospel. Which means that less and less Christians are hearing the Gospel story. Which means there are less and less Christians. Which means that Jesus's command isn't being followed. We should exhibit works of mercy. We should also preach, with words. Both, and. -B
15-0 @ Maui Invitational
In case you wanted to relive it, dukeblueplanet always does a nice job. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXJQXjhuxmI]
Tyler's shot was epic, even the fourth time watching it.
-B
Shame on You, UC Davis Police
I know little context regarding this situation. But I watched this citizen-recorded-synchronized-from-several-cell-phones video.
The video is incredible.
I know two things:
This is police brutality.
This isn't America.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4406KJQMc]
Shame on them.
-B
Music in the Church - A Series
The facts are simple.
They can be boiled down to this: the Church, as an all encompassing body of believers, is declining in influence and popularity, in general, world-wide. The mainline denominations have less than 50 years left at their rate of decline and the "growing" churches among the world are not growing anymore. When "growing" churches can be named, because they are so few and far between, we know that we have a problem; we shouldn't be able to name the churches that are growing.
In general, religion is dying. While it seems to be growing in African countries and tribes, it is declining in Europe and America, places where lots of money, power, and world influence are still held. It is sometimes losing to "spirituality" or "divine relationship." The decline of organized Christianity will, by definition, lead to a loss of Christians. Less Christians might lead to less accountability. Less accountability often leads to weaker discipleship. Weaker discipleship allows the sinful world, not God, to win.
We are to be comforted, though, because we know that in the end God does win. However, I often fear that we are forgetting Jesus's commands to go and make disciples.
As far as the Church is concerned, I think I've come to the realization that the Church needs a revitalization movement. We've had several successful ones in our history, and there's not reason to think that God wouldn't bless a faithful one even today. Within that movement, we're going to need leaders. We're going to need followers. We're going to need ministers. We're going to need missionaries. We're going to need disciples.
And, we'll need some practical things as well.
We'll need new, creative, innovative, relevant, contextual, powerful ways to reach the world. We'll have to be ahead of the world, reflecting the ultimate Creator, rather than behind the world, simply copying what they do.
I imagine that we'll need some leaders that will attract followers with their charisma and gifts. But I don't think this movement will be led by only key leaders (what movement ever has?). No, I think this movement will need everyone; all hands will need to be on deck.
One of the gorgeous things about the Church is how diverse we are...we have so many people with so many talents, passions, and gifts. We'll need them all.
So, here is my thought: Let's stop talking about it. Let's just start it. It's already too late.
The movement is beginning, so let's start.
Throughout reflection, the Church has to find within each of its individuals a sense of place, a sense of fit, a sense of call. The area of which I feel I have been impassioned and gifted is music.
The point is often made: music is not the reason people come to church. While I'd often be inclined to disagree, I'll forego that opportunity to make a larger point: music serves a higher purpose than to get people to come to Church. Whether or not people come because of music is irrelevant. I believe that if we have quality, solid music, the details will often take care of themselves.
When people attend a church service, questions that are often asked are, "What songs did you sing?" or "How was the choir?" or "Is the service 'contemporary' or 'traditional'?" These questions are indicative of the situation of music in the Church. It matters to people.
Music is, as I see it, one of the most integral parts of the Church as it stands today. It is Biblical, traditional, formational, communal, along with many other things. It serves to worship God, it serves to create disciples, and it serves to create fellowship. Music is a magical thing that challenges perspectives, opens eyes, implants happiness, and encourages hope. It's often empowering and bold.
Last week, I attended a conference that tried hard to be cool and to reinvigorate a livelihood into the United Methodist Church. So, having thought about some of my thoughts above, I went to a a workshop on music ministry. I thought'd be a good reflection time. The lady who led it was nice, intelligent, talented, and very talkative. There were all kinds of students there. There were practiced, studied musicians. There were diva-like "worship leaders." There were hipster, tight-jeaned guitarists. There were classical snobs. We talked for about an hour about random things, mostly having to do with the practicalities of organizing a music team, rehearsing them, and some about leading music for worship. All in all, it was an ok workshop.
But that was my issue: it was just ok. It wasn't mind-blowing. We didn't talk about writing new music. We didn't think creatively. We didn't even really discuss why Christians sing. We just talked about how cool or sucky our band was and how to pray with our group. Then we left.
And I left the room knowing there had to be something more. There had to something more to our approach. I left the room feeling as if we were just sitting in a rut, trying to push ahead while the dirt just kept us back. And I realized this (probably aided by our worship service experiences throughout the weekend): We're faking it. We're faking it really badly. And we aren't growing from it; all we are doing is keeping from dying.
So that's what I hope to explore throughout a small series here on this blog. I'm going to be posting over the next week and organizing my thoughts into three different posts and categories, explaining why I think we do what we do and what good it is going to do for a dying church.
I often don't like using violent language, but I feel as if this fits: We aren't on the offensive, we are on the defensive. I can't think of a single point in history where those on the defensive changed the world because they intended to.
It's time to take the offense, and because it's one of the only things I know, I'm starting with music.
I hope to cover things like:
- Why do we sing?
- Is music foundational for the future of the Church?
- Is music for the Church ever-changing?
- What do we sing?
- What's a 'good' song for worship?
- Why do we use terms like "hymn" and "praise song" and what are their connotations?
- Who is writing quality material in 2011?
- What historical church material is worth retaining?
- What movements have progressed the Church positively?
...along with many other nuances of music ministry.
As is always the case with me, you'll hear my opinions and observations, and those often change from time to time.
It is, though, something we should be talking about, and I'm ready to get going on it. This dead time within the Church is killing us.
Follow along? I hope so.
-B
903
America's Greatest Coach. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHb1mQSm2S0]
-B
The Death of the UMC #explo2011
I've had over 63 pages of writing due in the last two weeks. It's funny that we often describe Divinity School as "Hell on Earth." Currently, I'm tired of writing my theology paper. Thus, I am taking a break to do this. I attended Exploration 2011 this weekend in St. Louis. Exploration is a conference for about 600 young, college-aged, United Methodist adults who are exploring (hence the title) a call into some sort of ministry. It serves several purposes:
- Encourage young people to explore their calls into ministry,
- Explain the ordination process,
- Educate attendees about different methods and modes of ministry,
- Provide reflection time in small groups to discuss,
- Enable UMC young-adults from around to the world to meet each other, converse, worship, and fellowship.
Gone. No more. One of the denominations on which Christian culture was established in the United States will have vanished.
Does anyone here, including myself, really know how to save the United Methodist Church?
All I can do, as a new comer to this movement, is observe. I can tell you what I think the church is doing well. I can definitely tell you what the church is not doing well.
And for me, it seems to be summed up in this: We aren't skating to where the puck will be.
This phrase is attributed to Wayne Gretsky (though I'm unsure if he actually said it) and was one of the favorites of the late Steve Jobs. Jobs wanted to move ahead. So, to do that, he moved ahead…taking great ideas from other people and fusing them with his own. Through this, he innovated and created products people didn't know they wanted. Like Henry Ford, he created phones without keyboards, tablets without styluses, and computers without disc drives. Ford is claimed to have said, "If I'd have asked the customers, they'd have said they wanted a faster horse."
But the UMC doesn't seem to be doing that. The UMC doesn't seem to be taking old ideas, mixing them with new ones, and coming out with something effective. The UMC doesn't seem to be thinking creatively. The UMC doesn't seem to be not only listening and reading their Wesleyan heritage, but synthesizing it to create something that will serve the needs of the world. No, it doesn't seem to be doing that.
And that's ok. Research In Motion isn't doing that either. But come five years, they won't be around.
Wesley was an innovator. Wesley was clear about what he thought. Wesley knew of effective ways of maintaining accountability in discipleship. Wesley knew of positive ways to change the world. Wesley knew that the power behind religious revival was in a movement. And Wesley should get a lot of credit for thinking differently than many, many others in his time.
I think United Methodists recognize this. And I do think, as a General Church, the UMC is trying to be relevant.
It's just that our methodology seems a little screwy.
Our version of "relevancy" seems to be based on what the Reformed or evangelical churches are doing. And we, as we always have been, are behind. Seriously behind. And sometimes we throw resources into the wrong areas. We staff the wrong places. We don't always hire the best in the field.
So no wonder our attempts at things are less successful. We're creating the hi-PHONE instead of the iPhone. We're trying to play contemporary music, but it's just not…quite…right…yet.
I think it is happening this way: through desperation, we are copying others. 20 years ago, we saw the evangelical denominations growing faster than us. So we decided something had to change. We waited around for 5 years to make a decision to do so and then we got to work. We started marketing campaigns (I would say, some of the more successful things we've done). We started rethinking who we were. Why? Because we saw others do it. I ask of you: how different are those rethink church commercials, really, than those billboards from non-denominational groups that advertise a "new way to do church"? They're only different in that they are more socially minded (a good a righteous thing), but our attitude is much the same. "Oh, God, they're undercutting us by stripping down some of the perceived ridiculousness of our liturgy and system," we might as well have said.
The funny part is, the ReThink Church commercials are easily one of the best things the Church has done, in my opinion. I think we've called on people to question some things that ought to be questioned. It just appears to have had little follow through.
Which gets me to my point. We copy others. AND THAT'S FINE. But, in our copying, we aren't thorough. We write things like "Open Hearts, Open Doors, Open Minds" when large percentages of our church simply don't believe it. We try to be relevant, but many of our churches are much, much older than other churches. So, we try to do things in our old buildings that just aren't practically possible. And the product of our efforts doesn't look "cool" like we think it does. It looks like a cheap knock off. And people, congregants, don't see authentic worship, they see posers (something our culture is less and less tolerant of everyday). They see people faking what's popular. They see BOBS instead of TOMS. They see Samsung instead of Apple. We're ripping off others, and to make it worse…we're not even doing it well. (At least Samsung stuff still looks good)
Instead, perhaps, maybe we ought to truly rethink church. Not basing it off of our own social values. Not basing it off of our own bias. Not basing it off of our own thoughts. Not basing it off of our own Scriptural interpretation. Not basing it off of our own political beliefs. Not basing it off of our own definitions.
Because the Wesley that I read doesn't seem to have been ripping anybody off. Wesley seems to have been starting something new, incorporating the traditional values, thoughts, concepts, and theological insights of the old tradition to bring about a revival that focused on holiness in discipleship. That movement is what helped influence the Christian culture in America. And his thoughts were so good, I'm convinced there's another opportunity, if only we'd wake up.
Picasso said, "Good artists copy. Great artists steal." There's a huge difference between the two, and I'm unconvinced that the UMC understands that.
So please, let's not put up a GPS (or phone…we had disagreements about what it was) around the lyrics being projected on the screen unless we're going to take the time to actually explain it, incorporate it, and usefully employ it. Otherwise, it looks like we saw the evangelical churches using the iPhone theme for their events and thought, "Oh, God, we're behind." Which, I'd imagine, is exactly what happened.
If we're going to do it, we need to do it well. Otherwise, we're going to die.
Like Vance, I don't know what is going to save the church. But, I do feel as if I'll know when I see it. And I know this from observation: we can't keep following everyone else. We have never been like that as a church and this is an awful time to start. We ought to seriously rethink who we are, where we're going, and where we've been. We make corrections, we synthesize, and we move on…making the best, most faithful decisions we can as fast as we can. And we have to do it throughly, with class, artistry, energy, and resources. Every detail has to be ironed out so that what we say is cohesive and intentional. And we don't need to try to be "cool." That'll come to us, if we are who we are and the story is as good as we say it is. And, friends, it is.
Please, it's too good of a story not to tell in new and fresh ways. And besides, Jesus is calling us to tell it.
-B
Mind Controlled Siri
If this is legit, it's very cool. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFIRmnRHNUM]
-B
Duke Music and Arts Festival
Watched this while I waited in the Detroit airport to get to St. Louis.
Raise your hand if you didn't realize that Kara DioGuardi was a Duke Alum.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZBn_oDvUXg&w=640&h=385]
Don't miss Andrew Rohm, a Wesley student, playing the Bari Saxophone at the end.
-B
Goodson Chapel's New Cross
Great video of the new cross recently installed in Goodson Chapel at Duke Divinity. It was a neat experience to watch the cross be lifted up and talk to the men making it happen. With commentary and explanation from the cross designer and our Chaplain, Rev. Sally Bates.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMsLvtjjKjI]
Next time you're in Durham, make sure to stop by and see it.
-B
But The iPad Is Just A Toy!
When people say that, laugh in their face. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaIhEXZ7WW4]
Consider that an order.
-B
AutoTuned Siri
Ever wondered what Siri would sound like AutoTuned. Wonder no more.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53my-LM23wI&w=640&h=385]
Funny work. Catchy progression.
-B
Rolling In The Deep, A Cover
Two of my good friends cover one of the best songs of the year. They're really very good.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA-9EwLKtEY]
Is there a bad Adele song?
-B
No One Said It Was Easy
Great commercial. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMfSGt6rHos]
I love progress, but accountability has to be a part of it.
-B
Apple's Ruthless Ad Campaigns
Steve Jobs used to explain Apple something like this
Our goal is really simple, we like to make GREAT products for people. Then, we tell people about them. If they like them, we get to come to work tomorrow. It's really simple.
Apple has had quite a few iconic ad campaigns since its inception. With the exception of the 1984 commercial, they buy A LOT of air time.
Here's the newest addition (expect to see much more from where this came from):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uS6d7fsPnM]
In the biography by Walter Isaacson, Steve is quoted as saying this before he passed:
“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,” Jobs said. “I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”
If you want to watch a good fight, this is going to be a good one.
Apple is ready to battle and they have the resources and infrastructure to do it.
It began with those Samsung lawsuits. Now it is time for the ads. Again, I'd expect to see a ton of these ads in the near future.
-B
The Occupy Occupy Movement
My good friend, and one of the brilliant minds behind the "Come in Pluto" movement, Jordan Stout, is heading up the Occupy Occupy movement beginning in Tampa. It's a quality movement and quite enlightening. Their work is solid.
Lucky for you, he's releasing a documentary. And so, with that, he has posted a teaser video for what will surely be the film of the century.
Nice work with iMovie if you ask me.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfAiV8wFSrY&w=640&h=385]
Find them on Facebook.
-B
If The South Would Have Won
In light of the Hitler and ESPN controversy, I'm reminded of this song.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxEmry5lRKk&w=640&h=385]
The question is, of course, would we have had it made? And who is "we"?
Make no mistake, Florida does need to get back "on the right track" but it is not because of "Miami" and the need to "take it back".
Rather, it is because of this guy:
I say we take back Tallahassee.
I'm tired of this being a Republican vs. Democrat argument. I'm tired of this being a liberal vs. conservative argument. I'm tired of it being a Fox News vs MSNBC argument. It's not ok to compare people or leaders to Hitler unless they are oppressing and killing their constituents. And this is isn't a North vs. South argument or a Hate vs. Heritage argument either. This is about being responsible citizens of America.
Sometimes, for us all to get along, we all have to let go of something. I'd day this kind of country music would be a good place to start.
-B
Five Year Old "Super Bass"
As you watch this little gem, ask yourself questions like, "Is what we play on the radio formational?" or "How do kids learn things so much faster than we do?" or "Should we film our children?" or "What the heck is her sidekick doing the whole time?"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7hTAp6KrGY&w=640&h=385]
Five years old. While I don't support children this young saying, "Excuse me, you're a hell of a guy"....
...she killed it. I'd love to hear her sing in two more years.
-B