The Worship Artist

Sense my last post about Beyond Church in the UK, Martin Poole has kept me informed with what they’ve been up to. Each month they have an event purposed to merge creativity with the spiritual. BBC covered this month’s Beach Hut Advent Calendar. You can also check out the Beyond Church blog post here: Advent Light, Beach Hut 1, Beach Hut 2, & Beach Hut 3.

Rob Bell scares me. His Nooma videos are very popular in most youth group settings. Time Magazine calls him the “Hipper-Than-Thou-Pastor.” He pastors a large church in Grand Rapids, Michigan called Mars Hill Bible Church (not to be confused with Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA). His claim to fame is his book “Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith.” He’s cool–he’s popular–and that’s why he scares me.

Many of the bloggers in the sphere trash on Rob Bell, deem him as a heretic, and when you further question them, you find out they haven’t even read the book. They simply pull quotes they’ve found on other blogs, take them out of context, and decide to call him a heretic. Rob Bell’s name is surrounded by much controversy, and I received numerous hits from search engines of people trying to figure out the “heresy” that surrounds Bell’s name from my last post that simply mentioned his name. With that said, my goal is to be open and honest about what I’ve learned about Bell, and not go to either extreme (i.e. star struck, Rob Bell fan boy or the fundamentalist pastor who’s anti-all emerging church trends). But after reading Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, hearing Bell out completely and attempting to give Bell a fair trial–I have decided that he’s truly a major threat to the church of the next generation.

Before cracking into the book, I’d like to begin to address a Nooma video that came out about the time that I began my analysis of Rob Bell. I believe it was titled, “open,” and here’s a transcription that scared me a little,

“God’s desire is that the divine energy that made the world would flow between us and in the process draw us closer together. Prayer is tapping into the same energy that formed the universe. That’s why people say they can feel prayer, it’s because we can. Praying connects us to the people and things we are praying for. Prayer enlarges our perspective. Praying gives us a bigger heart. Praying makes us feel things. Praying changes thing, but prayer changes us. Praying makes us better people.”

This made me nervous because it seemed to have new age connotations. Almost reminded me of Star Wars. But like much of what he says, it sounds iffy, but he never says anything strong enough to deem him as a heretic.

Perhaps what gives the previous quote more support is that the footnotes of Bell’s Velvet Elvis say, “For a mind-blowing introduction to emergence theory and divine creativity, set aside three months and read Ken Wilber’s A Brief History of Everything.” (Velvet Elvis, page 192, footnote 143) Who is Ken Wilber? Pop his name in Google and you’ll find all sorts of crazy things. Here’s the introduction that Wikipedia gave,

Kenneth Earl “Ken” Wilber Jr. (b. January 31, 1949, Oklahoma City, U.S.), is an American author who writes on psychology, philosophy, mysticism, ecology, and spiritual evolution. He has been described as New Age, although his writings are critical of much of the New Age movement. His work formulates what he calls an “integral theory of consciousness.” He is a leading proponent of the integral movement and founded the Integral Institute in 1998.

While Wilber has practiced Buddhist meditation methods and the teachings of Madhyamika Buddhism and of Nagarjuna in particular underpin his work, Wilber does not self-identify as a Buddhist.

Apparently the guy can even stop his brainwaves, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFFMtq5g8N4. He says, “If you want to know God, you’ve got to get your brain out of the way first. It’s just one big stupid filter….” It would be hard to encourage anyone to learn from the teachings of Rob Bell if he’s getting his insights from people like Ken Wilber.

One of his main movements argues that doctrines cannot be held on the same level as scripture (this is true). Further, we cannot question scripture, but we can and should question doctrines (also true). However, he uses the example of a wall as one’s basis of belief in doctrines. He says that if you take out some of the foundational bricks in your wall of doctrines, then the whole wall will fall. He goes farther to say,

What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archaeologists find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births? But what if as you study the origin of the word virgin, you discover that the word virgin in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word virgin could mean several things. As what if you discover that in the first century being “born of a virgin” also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse? (Velvet Elvis, 26)

He later goes on to say that he actually believes in the virgin birth but he asks, “what if?” His point is that we should not hold to doctrines strongly because if one of the bricks (like the virgin birth) crumbles then the whole wall will fall. This is part of the problem with Rob Bell. He doesn’t hold to doctrines. You can’t discern what he actually believes. I am not ready to call him a heretic merely because I can’t figure out what he actually believes. Because he does not hold to doctrines, and you can’t figure out his stance on biblical issues. Try going to Mars Hill Bible Church’s web site, www.marshill.org, and try finding out what they believe. I would not be quick to take his teachings to heart. I have a problem with him saying that the virgin birth isn’t essential to the Christian faith… yet I also understand he was trying to use it as an example. I think he choose a poor choice in an example, but in what he said, I can’t actually deem him as a heretic for what he says in it’s entirety.

I believe the title “heretic” is very a strong charge, and should only be used with complete certainty. Some people, such as Benny Hinn, require only a few minutes of research to pass judgement. But Rob Bell is a different story simply because he does not hold to doctrines, and does not state anything definitively. I can say that Bell believes in scripture, but I can’t define what that means… and I’m not sure Bell could either. In order for me to call Bell a heretic, I would need to do further research, and I may not even come up with an answer then. However, I strongly trust the theology of Mark Driscoll (founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA). My friends Doug and Rebecca directed me to a lecture Mark did about the emerging church where he addressed the Rob Bell issue. You can find it here. Mark deems Bell as a heretic–Mark is clear about his theology–I trust Mark–and I’m likely to take the research that Mark has done rather than continuing more of my own time and energy on this subject.

Would I recommend the reading? My answer is yes and no. No in that Velvet Elvis is so close to heresy that it isn’t the type of material a Christian should allow to shape their theology. Yes, in that if you are a pastor, and you minister to people below 30, you should know of “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” and be able to express why the church needs to stay away from Rob Bell’s material. If you fit the pastoral description, then I would not only suggest that you read the book, but say it is a must–and give you an even stronger charge if you are in the practice of using the Nooma videos. Or if you have somehow read this entire entry and are still planning on using Nooma videos… please at least read his book “Velvet Elvis” and judge his theology for yourself in light of the context. You owe it to those who look to you for theological direction.

It’s scary to think of the people who watch Nooma videos, turn around and read his book(s), and ultimately open themselves for liberal theology that is inspired by the new age movement, and perhaps ultimately find nothing wrong with the teachings of Ken Wilber.

Resources & Bibliography:

• Velvet Elvis
• C.J. Mahaney on Rob Bell, the Pastor’s Task of Discernment, and My Heart
• Mark Driscoll on the Emerging/Emergent Church
• The Christian Research Journal: Navigating the Emerging Church Highway by Mark Driscoll

On Oct. 31st, 1517 Martin Luther nailed the 95 Thesis to the church door which sparked the Reformation. So in honor of Reformation Day, I thought I’d post one of Luther’s prayers that should strike a cord with any who are involved in church leadership:

Lord God, You have appointed me as a Bishop and Pastor in Your Church, but
you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task. If I had
lacked Your help, I would have ruined everything long ago. Therefore, I
call upon You: I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall
teach the people. I myself will learn and ponder diligently upon You Word.
Use me as Your instrument — but do not forsake me, for if ever I should
be on my own, I would easily wreck it all.

Source

Choosing a song for a congregational worship gathering should be more than finding a catchy and unique tune. Today, there is an overwhelming number of songs to choose from. The congregation wants to offer the very best to their God, thus the plethora of resources allows the gathering planner to be picky. Numerous questions should be asked in considering music, but we will explore two primary questions.
1. What does the text say? Before listening to the melody, it is imperative that the text is evaluated. Music is influential; reading the text before hearing the music will guard against perceiving poor lyrics more highly than one ought. The text must be able to stand on its own, it is the only part that actually says something. Text should also be supported by Scripture either by quoting, paraphrasing, or at least reflecting Biblical concepts. The planner should be able to articulate, to any member of the congregation, as to how the song aligns with scripture.
2. Will the song be used for congregational singing? If so, can people sing it? Corporate worship is to be just that–corporate. Thus, one should attempt to include everyone as best as possible. A good rule of thumb is to make sure the melody mostly fits between Bb (below middle C) and D (13 whole steps above middle C).
The previous two questions will narrow down song options greatly, but one should also consider the context of the church and community (does the song stylistically fit within the demographics of the church and community) and the variety of songs (do they reflect the various attributes of God). Bottom line, we can and should be picky with the songs we choose.

I’m short on time, so this will have to be short. As you know, I’m a huge fan of Planning Center Online, it seriously has helped my organization [see my review here]. Every 6 hours of what I’d do in just organizing (putting together cue sheets, chord charts, etc.) now is down to 1. They do offer a free service, but it really gets cool for the paid service (we use the $30 a month plan). One of my favorite functions of Planning Center is the chord chart transposition. Planning Center not only offers this function for FREE to everyone, but also offers an mp3 transpoition function that’s is yet to be released in Planning Center Online. If you don’t use Planning Center, you can still use this function. You must check this out: transposr.com

Been uber crazy lately. Hopefully my schedule will be normal in the near future. I’m backlogging a little bit this week with the services. I have two for you this week. I tried using the Psalm 8 and the Psalm 8 prayer at Grace, then StoneBridge. It was a wonderful way to begin a service, and I would strongly encourage other worship leaders to try similar things with scripture. I had 1 person kick off the service with reading Psalm 8 first, then follow up with another person praying the Psalm.

August 14, 2008

Grace Community Chapel

Psalm 8 & Prayer
Indescribable :: Story, Laura
Psalm 25
To You O Lord :: Kendrick, Graham
Psalm 23
You Never Let Go :: Redman, Beth | Redman, Matt
Surrender :: James, Marc

StoneBridge Community Church

Psalm 135
Famous One :: Tomlin, Chris \ Reeves, Jesse
All Creatures of Our God and King :: Saint Francis of Assisi
You Never Let Go :: Redman, Beth | Redman, Matt
Open The Eyes of My Heart :: Baloche, Paul

August 21, 2008

Grace Community Chapel

Praise To The Lord, the Almight :: TEXT Joachim Neader; translated by Catherine Winkworth MUSIC: Stralsund Gesangbuch, 1665
Rescue :: Anderson, Jared
Once Again :: Redman, Matt
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) :: Tomlin, Chris | Excell, Edwin Othello | Newton, John | Rees, John P. | Giglio, Louie
Message :: Afraid?
Psalm 56
You Never Let Go :: Redman, Beth | Redman, Matt
Surrender :: James, Marc

StoneBridge Community Church

Psalm 8 and Prayer
Indescribable :: Story, Laura
All Over The World :: Smith, Martin | Redman, Matt
Lord Reign In Me :: Brown, Brenton
I Give You My Heart :: Morgan, Reuben
Draw Me Close :: Carpenter, Kelly

I haven’t liked this book for the longest time. But it’s nice to see others who hold some theological weight (like John MacArthur) comment on the book. This book is one of the biggest threats to modern day Christian theology and culture. It’s worth 6 minutes of your time.

A good friend of mine, Mike, sent me a written evaluation of the hymn “Jerusalem My Happy Home.” I thought it was very insightful, and I really appreciated the direct application for worship leaders on how they could best use this song in a corporate worship setting. He is so gracious to agree to share this evaluation with the worshiping community via my blog and additionally pop in periodically to create a series of hymn evaluations. Please be sure to check out the following hymn evaluations.

In one of my worship classes at MBU, the class was challenged to take a Psalm, read it, and then write out a prayer based on the Psalm. I’ve only done this in personal prayer times, but I haven’t done it with the purpose of using it in corporate worship. Altogether, I really enjoyed studying this Psalm and then writing a prayer based upon it. Coincidentally, I’m using this Psalm to “kick off” the service at Grace on the 14th, and I think I’ll also use this prayer to go along with it. I’ll be sure to give a follow up on how it went.

Psalm 8 (ESV)
1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Prayer
God,
Your name establishes glory and honor throughout all the earth and it’s greatness surpass the limits of the unbounded universe.
Your glory and honor does not wait for us to come to an understanding of you. Even through the mouths of infants is your glory and honor proclaimed.
We look at the earth, the stars, and ponder on the surpassing greatness of the universe; we wonder, “what do you see in man that you find value in him? What is it about him that you have chosen to also give him glory and honor? Why is it that you have chosen to establish his authority over all you have created?”
O God, the magnificence of your name is established throughout all the earth.

Grace Community Chapel

Rescue :: Anderson, Jared
I Will Boast :: Baloche, Paul
You Gave Your Life Away :: Scott, Kathryn | Baloche, Paul
Once Again :: Redman, Matt

StoneBridge Community Church

Famous One :: Tomlin, Chris \ Reeves, Jesse
How Great Is Our God :: Tomlin, Chris \ Cash, Ed \ Reeves, Jesse
Giving It All To You :: Gungor, Lisa | Gungor, Michael
Forever :: Tomlin, Chris
Let My Words Be Few :: Redman, Beth | Redman, Matt