Stones for Bread

A. Daniel Frankforter hits the liturgical nail on the head with this book. The chapters explain how vapid, vulgar, ahistorical, anti-intellectual, shallow and meaningless most "contemporary" worship services are. His writing demonstrates how American evangelical worship, which amazingly fancies itself a representation of how the first Christians worshipped, is really a nineteenth-century innovation that into the twenty-first century has developed into little more than a self-centered, entertaining and consumerist subculture all its own. The book has its faults, including Frankforter's obvious view of do-gooding as religion. He advances the ridiculous notion that the ten commandments are "incomplete" because they don't include social justice ideals but sneers at churches whose social justice activities include opposition to abortion. Though I happen to share most of his views of liturgy and worship, he does indeed present a "my way or the highway" thesis and offers only a perfunctory address at inculturation in worship. Despite these drawbacks, the book masterfully articulates what's wrong with the low-church culture of American religion and the importance of true faith as demonstrated through authentic worship.

For those who enjoy being beat up, Frankforter's work will be a thumping success. However, to some his blunt way of communicating the truth without love could be interpreted as an attack. In every destructive and constructive criticism he has about the church, Frankforter is looking how it will affect the integrity of the church in the years to come. I think he uses the heat controversy conjures in people to get them to reexamine their worship. If they hate him he cares not, only that they may better understand the impacts of their worship styles. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I did not entirely agree with Frankie's association between rock music in worship and sexual anthems, but it sure created a book with flavor. An intensely prophetic book. Whatever your worship preference is, you will benefit from reading this book.

This is an important book on a subject churches need to take seriously. The author goes beneath the surface to show the weaknesses inherent in popular culture and thus the potential dangers of it for the church. Yet he does not argue that the church should never change its methods-he just says it should not do so without first knowing what it wishes to accomplish and then looking at what methods do that best, rather than starting with the methods one wishes to use. He argues from theology, from history, and even from pragmatism (the "fill-the-church-whatever-you-have-to-do" principle is at best a short-term solution; faithfulness builds stronger, more effective churches).The one weakness of the book-a rather large one-is the author's limited respect for Scripture; his view seems to fall somewhat below infallibility, literal truth, or sola scriptura. Thus, for example, he suggests that important symbols of the church (particularly the sacraments) were based on first-century pagan rituals and given meanings that were useful to their audience, but they may need new meanings today-is that not trading bread for stones? As to his perspective on "rhythm"-he's pretty clear that he believes the secular, sexual rhythms of rock music can't readily be used to worship God, but that's a legitimate philosophical perspective rather than Eurocentrism.A stronger book is Marva Dawn's Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, but this one is quite good.