Again, “looking out my kitchen window,” here are a few more informal observations of my world, which (as I have noted in my previous “Fundamentalism Today” blogs) is the theology and practice of historic, Biblical fundamentalism. There have been some shifts that are undeniable. To pinpoint some of the obvious ones—with neither advocacy for nor criticism against—I share my view as a matter of discussion and “food for thought” rather than debate.
In this post, I want to talk about worship in our churches. I am painting with a broad brush, and none of my remarks will be true of every assembly. But there are, I believe, observable trends in what we call corporate worship. In his book Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God’s People, Matt Merker defines it as “the gathering of God’s people by his grace, for his glory, for their good, and before a watching world.”
Here’s some of what is trending:
(1) Hymnals, the use of. The hymnal is being replaced by a visual display of a song’s words on an overhead screen that is easily read by anyone in the assembly. Most of the time, only the words (and not the notes) are displayed. Fewer people remove the hymnals from the racks in front of them, as there is really no need to read the words from a hymnal held in one’s hands.
One evangelist who visits scores of churches remarked that he cannot hear any harmony when a congregation is singing by words only. The music is just not there, so only if one knows the score of a song, musically, can he or she sing the harmony or a specific part. This may be an unintended consequence of making it easy for everyone to sing without holding onto and looking at a hymnal. And, despite the cost of installing the technology and equipment to project the words, it may prove cost-effective by saving a hefty sum of money to replace worn-out hymnals.
(2) Bibles in hand. Have you noticed that Bibles are carried by fewer people; or, at least, it seems they are used by fewer folk? Like songs, verses of scripture are often projected onto the overhead screen, making it possibly quicker and simpler for the worshippers to follow along as a passage is read or quoted. And some who do not carry a Bible to the worship service simply open their phone. With a couple of clicks, they can read any passage the speaker may be teaching or quoting from. Again, I am not advocating for or against this shift in worship ways. It is just an observable trend that characterizes corporate worship in this 21st century.
(3) Version Diversion. Speaking of Bibles, there is also a shift from what in the mid-20th century was an almost universal use of the King James translation to the use of multiple versions. Most older people in fundamental churches grew up memorizing from and reading the KJV translation. That was almost exclusive up until maybe the early 1980s. Then, other translations began to be used; and, gradually, versions such as the New KJV became more common—first in devotional books, then as an option in Awana, and finally in some pulpits. Today, with a plethora of versions on the market, a pastor may use, cite, and preach from a different translation than some in his congregation are reading from. Again, good or not so good? Each pastor, teacher, and church will make their own call; but it is, without question, what distinguishes some of what we know today as corporate worship in fundamentalism.
(4) Preaching and teaching. With modern technology available to any pastor or teacher, many lessons or sermons are delivered through a “Power Point” presentation. Some pastors and teachers use this medium exclusively, some less. It surely has its pros and cons. The audience can both hear and see the truths presented, which is certainly a plus. Maybe the negative is that one’s message tends to become a “lecture” rather than a soul-stirring sermon that appeals to the heart over the head.
(5) Invitations. Is it safe to say that fewer worship services end with an “invitation”? The “mourner’s bench” has been pretty much put into wraps for good; but even an appeal for hearers to “come to Christ”—or to make a decision for salvation or consecration—may be “old fashioned” to many. Dr. R.V. Clearwaters, former pastor of Fourth Baptist Church in Minneapolis, when I was a student in the seminary he founded, used to chide preachers who were hesitant to extend an invitation—for fear that no one would respond—with these words: “I stand here week after week with sometimes no one responding, but I will keep throwing out the life-line every service, leaving the results to God.” (That is not a direct quote but the essence of what I remember “the Doc” as saying.)
Many who read this will think of other trends common in today’s corporate worship, for better or worse. I have mentioned just a few. Please feel free to respond with your comments, for or against. Change is inevitable. The early church, meeting in rooms and sometimes caves, would surely be “taken aback” if they were to visit a service in any of our fundamental assemblies. It is a changing world to be sure. But what must never change in any of our worship services is what the “mother church” (at Jerusalem) established as the sine qua non of corporate worship: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42)
“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (I Tim. 4:13)
YOU and GOD 