Diversifying Worship

“Christian worship is a fascinating mixture of constancy and diversity. We have practiced basically the same structures and services for two thousand years; people on the other side of town also practice them but in their own distinctive ways.” (White 31) ABOUT WORSHIP WORSHIP DIVERSITY

“We need, however, to balance these general statements of constancy by considering the cultural and historical diversity that is also an important part of Christian worship. The constancy, as we have already seen, is enormous; the diversity is equally impressive.” (White 31) WORSHIP DIVERSITY

“Where the charismatic movement has reached people, including classical Pentecostals and many African American churches, spontaneous exclamations are a vital part of worship. Quaker worship is spontaneity itself, though it exemplifies the need for a self-disciplined freedom if spontaneity is to bear its best fruit. Spontaneity is not just turning people loose for individual introspection or speaking. It is the use of the various gifts of individual people for the benefit of the gathered community. Paul’s words on spontaneous worship immediately follow his chapter on love (1 Corinthians 13) and aim at one purpose: building up the church (1 Corinthians 14:26). What gifts Christians have received are given to be shared in community, not kept in isolation.” (White 40) DIVERSITY

“Church leaders believe worship is key to bringing racial and ethnic groups together yet have varying opinions on how worship can and should be conducted to accomplish diversity—regardless of their own experiences of success, and indeed, even in spite of continual failure. But misguided worship practices based on faulty racial assumptions are dangerous sin that they can accentuate rather than relieve the pervasive racial tensions in American Christianity. Many sweeping notions of “race” and “worship” influence the practical activity of members and attenders in multiracial churches. Congregational leaders and attenders vary widely in the manner in which ideas about race and worship affect their church’s ministries. The lack of consistency between churches provokes more deeply analytical considerations. Indeed, the talk about worship in any particular multiracial church often masks rather than highlights the core racial dynamics of a congregation.” (Marti 5-6) Diversity

“I found that many members of multiracial churches believe that Asians and whites have a similar affinity to music because Asians have chosen specifically to acculturate toward white-dominant culture. The acculturation toward white cultural tastes is assumed to help them to be successful in American society as a whole. They believe Asians have not moved toward black styles of music because they understand that there’s a power dynamic behind their musical preferences.” (Marti 43-44) Diversity

“The question of worship experience is difficult to grasp and the difficulty is complicated by the inherent contradiction of beliefs held by people regarding the power of music in the face of race. Presumed racial distinctions are essentialized such that supposed differences affect the actual experience of worship. Blacks and Hispanics are passionate; whites and Asians are calmer and quieter. Blacks and Hispanics require louder, deeply rhythmic music while whites and Asians favor smooth melodies and moments of quiet. In other words, the assumed differences between races are believed to have real implications for how racial and ethnic groups experience worship. The puzzle of racial differences is confusing considering that the goal of worship is to bring together people into a corporate worship experience. The analysis and description of worship dynamics presents particular challenges for social scientists because social science does not attempt to describe “spiritual dynamics” directly. Nevertheless, careful analysis of people’s description of their routine worship experiences reveals interesting patterns.” (Marti 78) RACIAL DIVERSITY

“One of the most common approaches to worship is speculation on the importance of style. Considerations of style include classic hymns of the faith, including negro spirituals (differentiated by denomination), with the most famous and most remembered hymns including “All Creatures of Our God and King,” “Amazing Grace,” “How Great Thou Art,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and “Rock of Ages.” They also include contemporary praise music and recent gospel music. When discussing racially diverse congregations, considerations often turn to incorporating “ethnic rhythms” through instrumentals like a certain percussion for a Latin-Hispanic flavor…There is also an attempt to sing in different languages or add phrasing from other languages, especially Spanish or languages from the African continent like Zulu or Swahili. In practice, singing in Spanish is often done in the presence of bilingual people, while music from Africa constitutes an attempt to accentuate a global consciousness, usually a missionary imperative, by reminding people hat Christian worship is happening in other countries as well.” (Marti 127) MUSIC DIVERSITY