Dear Pastor,
“I was
told in a theology of ministry course that I am taking as an elective
that the church in its worship should not be attached to western
European models.”
Can you tell me what was heretical about what I said happened
in my theology of ministry course?
Thanks in
advance,
Confused in Bible College
Dear Confused,
1.) It is impossible to not have some culture influence our worship. As Western Man has been saturated with Christian worship for over 1000 years and as Western men are the ones who have dedicated the most time to thinking about what Biblical worship looks like I think it is reasonable for Western men to continue worshiping in Western Christian categories.
2.) If it will not be Western man who will it be? The juju syncretism of the Philippines and Mexico? The Haitian Witch Doctor culture in the Church? Certainly your Prof can’t be so stupid as to think there is worship from nowhere. Well, if culture is going to affect our worship which culture has been most shaped by Biblical categories?
3.) If non-Westerners want to worship according to their culture then let them build their own churches and offer strange fire to the Lord.
4.) In all this we must remember that theology is that which determines culture. So… it is not just a matter of culture influencing worship. It is a matter of theology influencing worship. Why not follow a culture which has been shaped by Christian theology?
5.) In the end he’s just saying, once again, that all cultures are
equal and no culture should have pride of place.
6.) Enjoy
with me the irony of this chap teaching this while your sitting in
your very Western classroom, reading very Western books, under the
tutelage of a man trained himself in the Western system in a college
that would never exist had it not been for the creation, by the West,
of the University system.
