This is not going to be an 'excuse' post. I promise.
So, if you know me, then you know that I can be a little emotionally-driven, as well as intellectually critical. It's a rare gift, but it suits me just fine. I love to look at the things of this world with a healthy cynicism and then deconstruct and reconstruct in an effort to get the most meaningful, purposeful, and 'pure' experience. And I take this approach to just about everything, which is perhaps why I am so deeply into the things of God and the 'spirit,' since this approach demands an existential ("Must go deeper!") understanding and interaction.
Now, on to the matter at hand, and the thing that occupies much of my thoughts lately: worship. As a Christian, I greatly appreciate the church's fundamental incorporation of a given time to worship God through music in every gathering. I've been to other religions' corporate worship experiences, and despite being meaningful, I always found the lack of music and explicit 1-1 "free" interaction with God to be a fundamental 'mistake.' Religions have always had a musical element, because it not only helped tell (and remember the story/beliefs), but it also allowed an emotional element to come forward within the faith and the individual. And, Christianity has always excelled in this area...even more so then our Jewish/Catholic forefathers (past and present)...and maybe it's because of our doctrine on the 'Spirit.'
Orthodox Christianity affirms not only the presence of the Holy Spirit, but also the spirit/soul of man. We confess that man is not merely flesh and bones, but something more. Now, some say we are a dichotomy of flesh and spirit, while others argue that we are "three:" body, mind and spirit, and, still, others go all "Jesus" and say that persons are body, mind, soul and spirit. Whatever. The point is that we are more than matter...gray or otherwise. We have a spirit (soul, whatever) and it operates both with, and independent, of the flesh. While the Jewish scriptures affirm this notion and the practice of 'spirit worship' (see the Psalms), the idea and practice really took off with the aid of Greek philosophy and the Jesus story (and the two need each other).
According to the NT account, Jesus was a man empowered by, and interacting with, God's Spirit from within His spirit. And, because of such, His experience with God can/should become our experience. He said as much (especially in John), as do the other NT writers. Paul really nails this idea in Romans 8, where he tells us that our spirits have not only been set free from sin to be empowered by the Spirit to do good works, but also that this interaction with the Spirit will also allow our spirit to cry out 'Abba Father' in worship and submission to God. Hence, Christianity is not be understood as fundamentally philosophical or law-driven, but willful/soulful submission/adoration of God in all things and expressions. That's a big deal!...and, because of such, we (the Church) have excelled in 'spirit' worship, and have gotten even better with time and dispensations both inside and outside the church(the Reformation, the Enlightenment/Modernism, the Great Awakening, the Holiness Movement, and...even the Charismatic Renewal/Postmodernism).
Almost all churches today invoke the use of technology and contemporary music in an effort to not appeal to culture, but also the doctrine of the Spirit. It's good, right, and proper, and, yes, some do it better than others. But, this is not my problem. The church I attend with my family has a dynamic and genuine worship team that produces quality sound, a meaningful 'set' each week that conveys our Christian beliefs, and even allows opportunity for 'free' worship (you know, when the musicians just play a few riffs over and over to allow you the opportunity to talk to God on your own). It's legit and its of high quality without being a freakin' production. But, I still can't worship...and there's a reason, I fear, that is beyond the surface elements...
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