2 of 3

Wuthnow's book felt very comfortable in the presence of mission and denominational executives. In fact, the book was growling, jumping up and down in my luggage; it had so much to say and was so fluent in the appropriate language. This is where the book shines. The research is not only trustworthy; it is also the right stuff. Wuthnow had the foresight to ask the right questions. His results are striking and never insulting. Here are some highlights:

Creativity appears consistent across the ages: among the worshippers studied, 55 percent of those age 18-29, 55 percent of those age 30-49, and 57 percent of those 50 and over use music and art in prayer. This concurs with similar studies done by Paul Ray (Cultural Creatives) and Richard Florida (The Rise of the Creative Class), but Wuthnow takes the argument into the church, where creativity must avoid the pitfalls of generational categorization. Creativity is not a youth thing!

The most common way that creativity is sparked and expressed among Americans is by "travelling, taking trips and sightseeing" (52 percent). Cooking and entertaining (42 percent) was almost twice as popular as singing or playing a musical instrument (24 percent), which is precisely where the churches place most of their worship resources.

I make an immediate connection between travel as a stimulus to creativity and the resurgence of pilgrimage as a worship experience, and between cooking/entertaining and the rise of house worship experiences. Whether Wuthnow comes to the same conclusions is not the point (he doesn't mention pilgrimage or the house church movement). All in Sync provides the most useful research data on worship and creativity that I have come across in a long time.

Among mission and denominational leaders, I found Redman useful for a different purpose. We worship in a cross-platform world, one of modularity rather than singularity, and those who lead must know the pitfalls and potentials of the many worship streams. Someone needs to see the forest, and the way through it.

Redman is the man for the moment, showing the road ahead for worship strategy while at the same time providing counsel for a completely different stream, should a church want to diversify or add another service.

This was the wild card, the hairpin curve of worship road-tests. And yet both Rob(b)s performed without a hiccup. Why did the Baptists enjoy the Gospel Brunch while the others stayed home? According to Wuthnow's research, 70 percent of evangelicals "especially like gospel music" but only 47 percent of mainline Protestants. And Catholics? A mere 21 percent. That explained their absence.

With great economy, Redman lays down the history of black gospel music, the origins of "slave worship," the "brush arbor" meetings, their "invisible institution" ecclesiology, and the accompanying worldview (emotive understanding, holism, relational connection, physical participation).

This is the beauty of Redman's book. Its value is in the threads, the historical precedents that underscore our current practices, from Finney's "anxious bench" to the Methodists' "love feast." All of it relevant, informative, and delightful.

Flying colors! Both cover the resurgence of liturgy, the use of icons, the fascination with monastic meditation and the reforms of Vatican 2.0. Wuthnow tackles the subject with the competence of an insider. Redman joins hands with Robert Webber in describing the liturgical renewal inside the evangelical church. And with Sally Morganthaler in weaving the liturgical into existing worship services.

next page... |  2 of 3

share this page