A recent article for Christian educators pointed to the plethora of resources now being marketed to churches for enhancing Christian education programs. The nature of much of the effort is “market driven” accommodation to meet calls for limited preparation demands for those using the materials to fast paced, catchy titled, video enhanced, sound modified, contemporary, traditional, ecumenical, or conservative, globally focused or community minded tracts capable of meeting the religious education needs of churches everywhere.
It’s a long way from the picture card and “quarterly” offered to a generation past. It’s long past the posters and resource kits that targeted age graded groups by developmental needs and age focused content. It’s gone the way of the media minded gameboy generation that must insert religious instruction between the inflatable blow up mangers and the bible verse wrapped candy pacifiers. (Sad, but true…I have the catalog to prove it.)
On the other end of the spectrum are well prepared, carefully designed efforts to share biblical story and knowledge with integrity and impact for the present generation of learners. To learn the scriptures in new ways is a positive in every way. Some bible study tools of this age are more than amazing for their speed and facility in allowing us to study the scriptures with ever increasing comprehension because of links to those enhancing information sources that blend our study of scripture with the culture, the geography, the history and the experiences of those periods of time. As computer resources supplement translators and enhance language review of ancient manuscripts, our knowledge is greater as a reservoir for learning.
At the same time, the question becomes, at what level is the benefit of utilizing this vast array of sources lost in the complexity of determining which of those is beneficial and on what basis? Our decision-making regarding Christian education falls into many categories. Do we require a denomination focus? Do we require a certain theological interpretation of certain material? Do we encourage an ecumenical spirit or something more distinctive? Do we limit discussion and interaction or encourage it? Do we utilize teams of teachers or look for “master teachers” over large groups? Do we wish to utilize drama, music, and the arts, or do we wish to avoid them?
All are questions linked to decisions made by Christian educators today. Even more challenging is the reality that many churches have no one who is instrumental in the responsibility to review these resources or in the position to make good decisions about their application. Denominational publishing, while still widely available, is fragmented and shrinking, while marketing of an expanded list of “outsourced” resources is commonplace. Churches of tomorrow may have more choices than ever, not unlike Toffler’s “overchoice” scenario, but will it be of real value in the basic endeavor to nurture Christian faith? “Faith development” and “maturation” are important to support in positive ways, but we will have to make some difficult choices in regard to the methods of instruction incorporated by the local congregation.
Sound theology, tasteful and appropriate design, clearly biblical insight and focus – all should be hallmarks of good Christian education resources. May their presence be celebrated and their use multiplied!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Losing Ground in Glorifying Sounds?
It has been a long time since the pioneer communities hosted singing conventions featuring guest musicians who taught entire communities how to sing the great hymns and songs of faith. In backwoods locations where instruments were few and musical training scarce, it was none the less a backbone for the future development of musical gifts in the service of the Lord.
“Lining out” a hymn was a typical teaching technique with the leader singing the line first, followed by repetition by the congregation. Some communities having no instruments utilized a pitch pipe and an acapella choir, often with great harmonies.
As further progress was made in musical training, more instruments were utilized with an increasing popularity in the use of pianos and small pedal powered pump organs. My grandmother played such an instrument and it was always with considerable enthusiasm that she pumped the pedals and played the keys. The introduction of electricity allowed for motors and bellows to be attached, thus allowing the organist to give more attention to the music rather than their athletic ability.
While it was always common to have singers with unique skill as soloists and sharing in small ensembles, the tradition of congregational singing became very much developed as printed music became more available and songbooks and hymnals became more broadly utilized. The range of music included in such collections varied from toe tapping Stamps-Baxter styles to the classical works of Bach, Beethoven and Handel. The old Broadman hymnal among Baptists included the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.
Long utilized Christian Hymns and classical forms of religious music began to fall into less frequent use by numbers of churches in more recent history. That pattern was seen in churches utilizing less formal physical structures. The utilization of hymnals gave way to projection of lyrics without musical notations on large screens and the utilization of a small number of “lead singers” as opposed to large choir participation. Such options gave the congregation less to do and more to observe. It also was a factor of cost and mobility. A traveling “praise band” could set up in a matter of hours and transform most any hall or movie theatre into a worship venue. Without hymnals and training environments for singers, congregational participation became reduced to long patterns of repeated choruses and few words. While some were encouraged to stand and clap or sway with the sound, the theological content and learning shared by the previous generation has been significantly diminished.
Music in worship continues to morph into ever increasing variety and forms. The skilled techno musicians of the present can emulate sounds from every period of history, but they seldom bring forth from congregations the ability to share as participants in the process. Audiences are present to see and hear sound and light extravaganzas, but the praise that is so often called for falls flat in the face of little understanding of what we are singing about and to whom.
I am not solely a traditionalist when I speak to this matter. I value and appreciate contemporary sounds and musical expressions that glorify God. Nevertheless, I find that this present generation of church musicianship, while capable in many aspects of music within small numbers, seems to lack an intentional focus upon building the capacity of future generations of Christians in the theological and musical skills necessary to sustain prolonged church music leadership and participation. In the absence of musical scores during the singing, vocal harmonies and arrangements are seldom heard. The pattern of pre-recorded accompaniment for singers has left a void in the pattern of training and utilizing trained musicians in the service of the church. Even the vast theological influence of what has been familiar hymnody has now eroded significantly.
When the digital age turned key changes into push button variations, musicianship began its decline. The challenge is clearly before us. Will the next generation of churches have music as a part of their worship at all…at least in the sense of having congregational singing and participation? It looks like it may be fast becoming a “dying practice.”
My sense is the need for a rejuvenation of musical training at all levels to prepare the congregation to sing…to read music…to learn new songs and to write them with enthusiasm and joy in the service of the Lord.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 4:16 NKJV)
“Lining out” a hymn was a typical teaching technique with the leader singing the line first, followed by repetition by the congregation. Some communities having no instruments utilized a pitch pipe and an acapella choir, often with great harmonies.
As further progress was made in musical training, more instruments were utilized with an increasing popularity in the use of pianos and small pedal powered pump organs. My grandmother played such an instrument and it was always with considerable enthusiasm that she pumped the pedals and played the keys. The introduction of electricity allowed for motors and bellows to be attached, thus allowing the organist to give more attention to the music rather than their athletic ability.
While it was always common to have singers with unique skill as soloists and sharing in small ensembles, the tradition of congregational singing became very much developed as printed music became more available and songbooks and hymnals became more broadly utilized. The range of music included in such collections varied from toe tapping Stamps-Baxter styles to the classical works of Bach, Beethoven and Handel. The old Broadman hymnal among Baptists included the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.
Long utilized Christian Hymns and classical forms of religious music began to fall into less frequent use by numbers of churches in more recent history. That pattern was seen in churches utilizing less formal physical structures. The utilization of hymnals gave way to projection of lyrics without musical notations on large screens and the utilization of a small number of “lead singers” as opposed to large choir participation. Such options gave the congregation less to do and more to observe. It also was a factor of cost and mobility. A traveling “praise band” could set up in a matter of hours and transform most any hall or movie theatre into a worship venue. Without hymnals and training environments for singers, congregational participation became reduced to long patterns of repeated choruses and few words. While some were encouraged to stand and clap or sway with the sound, the theological content and learning shared by the previous generation has been significantly diminished.
Music in worship continues to morph into ever increasing variety and forms. The skilled techno musicians of the present can emulate sounds from every period of history, but they seldom bring forth from congregations the ability to share as participants in the process. Audiences are present to see and hear sound and light extravaganzas, but the praise that is so often called for falls flat in the face of little understanding of what we are singing about and to whom.
I am not solely a traditionalist when I speak to this matter. I value and appreciate contemporary sounds and musical expressions that glorify God. Nevertheless, I find that this present generation of church musicianship, while capable in many aspects of music within small numbers, seems to lack an intentional focus upon building the capacity of future generations of Christians in the theological and musical skills necessary to sustain prolonged church music leadership and participation. In the absence of musical scores during the singing, vocal harmonies and arrangements are seldom heard. The pattern of pre-recorded accompaniment for singers has left a void in the pattern of training and utilizing trained musicians in the service of the church. Even the vast theological influence of what has been familiar hymnody has now eroded significantly.
When the digital age turned key changes into push button variations, musicianship began its decline. The challenge is clearly before us. Will the next generation of churches have music as a part of their worship at all…at least in the sense of having congregational singing and participation? It looks like it may be fast becoming a “dying practice.”
My sense is the need for a rejuvenation of musical training at all levels to prepare the congregation to sing…to read music…to learn new songs and to write them with enthusiasm and joy in the service of the Lord.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 4:16 NKJV)
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Theory or Fact?
Has the economic profitability of war-making become an engine for maintaining and producing conflict in the world?
Our recent period of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq has clearly continued to escalate in terms of economic commitment and the outlay of resources and manpower. In the midst of this measurable military escalation has been an accompanying civilian escalation of war related goods and services that exceeds the military led activity underway.
A recent military contractor has advertised over 100 available jobs in all areas of materials procurement, computer analysis, engineering development, and a wide range of support systems for military activity. The top executives of this military contract firm have salaries above $400,000 annually. This firm has close ties to Pentagon officials and key political leadership. Strangely but true, this company provides funding for interim military civilian personnel without requiring those personnel to do any work for their company. The reason…this company is regarded as a non-profit charitable organization.
But don’t be too surprised when $45 million dollars is handed over to this company for its work on behalf of government projects…all while enjoying profitable tax free status. Even if this corporation is totally legitimate and legal…in its documents for job openings, one of the positions is to oversee a team of 70 to generate a revenue stream of over $20 million annually. Are we “revenue streaming” war these days? I’m afraid so.
To make matters worse, if we are calling these endeavors a non-profit initiative…do we further promote the sacrifice of soldiers on the battlefield in the name of profitable enterprise? Is that the ultimate motivation for prolonging conflicts?
If war has become the motivator of ever bigger business endeavors…there will be no peace if profit-taking is the initiative that propels greed deeper into our mentality and calls for reckless pursuit of military activity.
The truth is … I was almost tempted to solicit a $14,000 a month paycheck for myself. I felt confident I could do nothing but be assigned an in name only consultant title and could even help them develop some imaginary non-profit “faith initiatives” like metal welding and computer programming to go along with similar efforts now underway. Profiteering and war…it sounds like a match made for the evening news.
In the midst of these revelations…remember the words of Jesus to his followers…”You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Matthew 5:13 NIV
We are called to influence our world…to preserve it…to help it to be healed…to share the light and love of Christ…to wage peace as peacemakers…and those who show mercy. It is time to act.
Our recent period of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq has clearly continued to escalate in terms of economic commitment and the outlay of resources and manpower. In the midst of this measurable military escalation has been an accompanying civilian escalation of war related goods and services that exceeds the military led activity underway.
A recent military contractor has advertised over 100 available jobs in all areas of materials procurement, computer analysis, engineering development, and a wide range of support systems for military activity. The top executives of this military contract firm have salaries above $400,000 annually. This firm has close ties to Pentagon officials and key political leadership. Strangely but true, this company provides funding for interim military civilian personnel without requiring those personnel to do any work for their company. The reason…this company is regarded as a non-profit charitable organization.
But don’t be too surprised when $45 million dollars is handed over to this company for its work on behalf of government projects…all while enjoying profitable tax free status. Even if this corporation is totally legitimate and legal…in its documents for job openings, one of the positions is to oversee a team of 70 to generate a revenue stream of over $20 million annually. Are we “revenue streaming” war these days? I’m afraid so.
To make matters worse, if we are calling these endeavors a non-profit initiative…do we further promote the sacrifice of soldiers on the battlefield in the name of profitable enterprise? Is that the ultimate motivation for prolonging conflicts?
If war has become the motivator of ever bigger business endeavors…there will be no peace if profit-taking is the initiative that propels greed deeper into our mentality and calls for reckless pursuit of military activity.
The truth is … I was almost tempted to solicit a $14,000 a month paycheck for myself. I felt confident I could do nothing but be assigned an in name only consultant title and could even help them develop some imaginary non-profit “faith initiatives” like metal welding and computer programming to go along with similar efforts now underway. Profiteering and war…it sounds like a match made for the evening news.
In the midst of these revelations…remember the words of Jesus to his followers…”You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Matthew 5:13 NIV
We are called to influence our world…to preserve it…to help it to be healed…to share the light and love of Christ…to wage peace as peacemakers…and those who show mercy. It is time to act.
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