Saturday, January 31, 2009
Even more king cake!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Is there ever a true medium?
I feel conflicted about change, tradition, or confrontation, avoidance. I see so many things that are slowly rendering the church into an irrelevant institution in the United States. Yet, I also see the threat of getting caught up in an anti-conformity mindset that isolates people and falls apart after a while.
Matt and I often talk about the reason why Protestants avoid artistic design in their churches. Ego infected the purpose of grand architecture and ornate interior decorations hundreds of years ago, and it seems that the potential beauty of a church has been tainted with humanistic pride. We also notice how some churches get wrapped up in their buildings that they forget about the people and their missions. Is there a happy medium? As a person who greatly appreciates aesthetic elements incorporated into buildings, I believe that churches should be more than tin warehouses and musty sanctuaries. I think that just as a person dresses for success to show his or her self-confidence, a church should also display some proactive thought in the way it presents itself in its building.
Also, I read an interesting article in the New York Times about Mark Driscoll's church in Seattle. Interestingly enough, Mark is known for being very confrontational in his preaching. I find this interesting because many mega-church pastors preach more digestable, marketable messages to attract members. People are coming in droves to Mark's church, though. The people of Seattle said that Pastor Mark helped them to see how God fulfills their needs, and that they didn't feel uncomfortable coming to the church.
What does this mean to me? I believe in making church and the message of salvation accessible to the general public. But, I was always concerned about diluting the true meaning and significance of salvation. Pastor Mark could be creating a new model for the church. It's a casual, modern experience. I'm definitely not trying to say that the old hymns are bad and that people who dress up for church are judgmental. But, I believe that music to which people can relate, and creating a casual environment are important in reaching this different society. Pop music is popular because people can understand it. No one dresses up to go to shopping now and dress codes in general are slowly changing, too.
All of this is to say that I believe that a church needs to consider the image it projects. However, the image is truly secondary to bringing the message of salvation to the general public and to building a healthy community. I want to see the church as a shining light of culture, creativity, fellowship, and most importantly, God's saving grace in the community.
Matt and I often talk about the reason why Protestants avoid artistic design in their churches. Ego infected the purpose of grand architecture and ornate interior decorations hundreds of years ago, and it seems that the potential beauty of a church has been tainted with humanistic pride. We also notice how some churches get wrapped up in their buildings that they forget about the people and their missions. Is there a happy medium? As a person who greatly appreciates aesthetic elements incorporated into buildings, I believe that churches should be more than tin warehouses and musty sanctuaries. I think that just as a person dresses for success to show his or her self-confidence, a church should also display some proactive thought in the way it presents itself in its building.
Also, I read an interesting article in the New York Times about Mark Driscoll's church in Seattle. Interestingly enough, Mark is known for being very confrontational in his preaching. I find this interesting because many mega-church pastors preach more digestable, marketable messages to attract members. People are coming in droves to Mark's church, though. The people of Seattle said that Pastor Mark helped them to see how God fulfills their needs, and that they didn't feel uncomfortable coming to the church.
What does this mean to me? I believe in making church and the message of salvation accessible to the general public. But, I was always concerned about diluting the true meaning and significance of salvation. Pastor Mark could be creating a new model for the church. It's a casual, modern experience. I'm definitely not trying to say that the old hymns are bad and that people who dress up for church are judgmental. But, I believe that music to which people can relate, and creating a casual environment are important in reaching this different society. Pop music is popular because people can understand it. No one dresses up to go to shopping now and dress codes in general are slowly changing, too.
All of this is to say that I believe that a church needs to consider the image it projects. However, the image is truly secondary to bringing the message of salvation to the general public and to building a healthy community. I want to see the church as a shining light of culture, creativity, fellowship, and most importantly, God's saving grace in the community.
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