Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Pop Culture, Evangelicalism and the "Kudzu Effect"

...Pop culture, including that which finds its way into the worship of God's people, can be like kudzu. It will overtake whatever it attaches to and transform it into itself, replacing what was a distinct substance with a pop form, and obscuring or completely eliminating the reality that lies beneath.

I hope this won't be the fate of worship in the American Church.

But if we continue clothing the substance of worship -- liturgy, music, preaching, and so on -- with pop forms, leaving behind the rich tradition and heritage of worship bequeathed by our forebears, ultimately, all we will be left with is a pop culture form of worship. All the rich substance of worship will be buried under the rhythm and beats, lights and multi-media props, skits and anecdotal sermonizing that is coming increasingly to characterize much contemporary worship....


Read the rest of T. M. Moore's excellent reflections on the dangers of pop culture "kudzuing" contemporary worship at The Point, the blog spun off from Prison Fellowship's Breakpoint site.