Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for This Urgent Time

Marva J. Dawn, a Lutheran theologian at Regent College in Vancouver, throws in her views on the current "worship wars" being waged in churches across America. Taking a firmly traditional stance, though not in an unconditional and close-minded way, she details how churches have become captive to today's therapeutic, TV-addicted, and narcissistic culture. Churches have unthinkingly adopted the standards of the secular culture by singing songs that have more to do with our feelings than God, preaching sermons that are motivational speeches rather than exegeses of the Word, and encouraging church atmospheres which pretend to intimacy but replicate the alienation of our age. Dawn, citing figures as diverse as social critics Neil Postman and Jacques Ellul to theologians Walter Brueggeman and David Wells, shows how American Christianity got that way, and details some positive corrective steps. Worship is about God, and worship should form the character of the Christian, she insists, and anything less than that is unworthy of the Lord. The book's clarion denunciation of the easygoing, narcissitic "gospel" is a real eye-opener and a prophetic challenge to the contemporary church. Though somewhat repetitive, her points are made clearly and with good support from both Scripture and theological tradition. The passion in her critique stems from what's at stake, which is the very life and death of God's people today. Her case for the traditional liturgy is particularly compelling in how she describes its effect on children and newcomers to the church. Having a set, repeated, and Scripture-rich liturgy following the church calendar will do much more to shape the worshiper's character than most of today's informal services. Dawn is also a classically trained musician and choir director, and it shows in her preference for older church music and especially in the chart presenting the difference between "high" and "pop" culture productions; it is such sections that have led some to accuse her of elitism. The criticism is unwarranted, in my judgment. The issue is not aesthetic taste, but whether the content of both the lyrics and the music are focused on God and will last over time. It's a mistake to think that people will be turned off by substance and depth, and prefer what they hear and see in the outside culture; thoughtful people come to church looking for something different. The church imitates the outside culture at its own peril--the final warning in her book, about the church being its own worst enemy, is a striking warning to churches who think otherwise. They may be, in fact, be captive to "principalities and powers" that guide our broken ways of life, and may be committing slow spiritual suicide in the end. Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down needs to be read by everyone, especially church and worship leaders, concerned with the way they are evangelizing their neighbors. From the Old Testament we learn that the Holy God cares a great deal about the struct

Marva Dawn asks how can the Church reach out, without losing its powerful message? Having attended many churches, I believe the Christian message is often "dumbed down" to fill pews. Dawn confronts our long-held views of worship. Worship, she says, is about God, not us. Christ, not entertainment value, is its meaning. Dawn reinforced my current beliefs, though I wish I had read her book earlier. I attended a "contemporary" church (she points out that it is more like an 80's church; if truly "contemporary" it would use trendier music), and found little depth. As I was discovering the riches of Christian tradition, my old church was proudly ignoring the past. Ultimately, she says we practice idolatry when we mimic empty secular culture, instead of transcending it. Contrary to popular notions, "contemporary" churches don't appeal to all young persons. Dawn tells about a college student who left a "contemporary" service saying his intelligence was insulted. Many tire of being entertained, especially when their lives become rough and upbeat songs don't cut it, and the power-point presentations become indistinguishable from any other self-help seminar. Worship should subvert culture. Since the true gospel is shocking, it is not something that is able to be mass-marketed. Dawn is not an old-timer. She believes that some traditionalists have let the liturgy become stale. The idolatry of "doing things as they always have been done" is no better than embracing secular society. She is not a future-fearing hidebound; she wants us to engage Christianity's rich history, but not just follow it blindly. She believes that liturgy, "the work of the people," should indeed be the people's work, not just the pastor's. The meaning of the liturgy should be taught so we can understand its fullness: confession, thanks, prayer, etc. Memorized forms, e.g. creeds and prayers, are important, because they create a solid believing community, rather than a fragmented loose association. Yes, some of her arguments are forced, but I do hope her ideas will challenge us to worship God in Word and Sacrament (instead of being entertained), and build community (instead of just numbers). I want to share a few excerpts. Dawn discusses Youth Sunday at her Church. Everyone expected the youth to design a contemporary service. However, the youth did a traditional service, and chose old, deep hymns! I too have found that most youth want something deep, but are usually forced to endure hype-heavy study materials (which to the teen are patronizing). I was a teen 4 years ago, and the belief that teens only want contemporary is a myth. Another point Dawn makes is that worship services rarely convert anyone (friends do this). Conversion services are based on a false premise. All in all, she wants us to abandon both stagnant traditionalism and the business-church, and worship God as a tight-knit community with character, grounded in our living tradition.

Worship is meant to be meaning-full. Every word, pause, and action is (or should be) intentional and holy. Dawn invites the reader into (an admittedly one-sided conversation) that reminds the reader of the sacredness of a gathered community of faith; and persuasively argues for the preservation of the rich tradition of Christian worship.Passionate proponents of "contemporary" worship will at the very least find points of disagreement. In fact, they may very well be offended. Nevertheless, this excellent book is a much needed and well-researched counter to the current trend towards assuming that traditional worship has no connection or meaning to contemporary culture.I highly recommend this book to anyone planning, contemplating, or participating in Christian worship in any form or denominational tradition. Warning: It may very well change things you have believed for a long time.

In this thought-provoking book, Marva Dawn challenges all of us to make a deeper committment to more meaningful worship. For those of us who have trained to become professional musicians serving the church or pastors, it is an excellent commentary on why we need to maintain the rich heritage of rites and rituals of many faiths.Dawn takes a no-nonsense approach to expressing herself and uses many personal experiences to support and explain her positions. While tough reading at times, this book is well worth the effort. The opinions shared must be faced by all of us if we are to have continued meaningful worship in our churches in the future.Dawn solidly challenges us to care.