BOOKS: The Worship Wars

"Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for the Turn-of-the- Century Culture," by Marva J. Dawn (Eerdmans, 316 pp.; $17, paper). Reviewed by Robert W. Patterson, a frequent contributor to Christianity Today.

Not being tied to a defined ecclesiastical tradition, evangelicals have proven themselves winners at reaching American Baby Boomers, a highly mobile generation slow to put down roots. But their preference for a no-frills, generic church also leaves evangelicals vulnerable to conflict over matters that the restraints of a tradition might otherwise mediate. This applies especially to worship, as evangelical churches wrestle with the degree to which they should adopt contemporary worship in hopes of reaching the unchurched or simply holding on to the younger crowd already in their midst.

Few can predict how evangelicals will resolve this hot issue, but in weighing pros and cons, they will find a vigorous defense of more traditional worship from Marva Dawn, whose "Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down" challenges a number of megachurch premises, including that "seeker-sensitivity" is a ticket to growth. A lay member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who freelances as a writer, consultant, and scholar, Dawn warns that the lights aimed on bringing new people in the church's front door are obscuring the vast numbers exiting via the back. As for those who are attracted strongly enough to stay, Dawn contends that the "dumbing down" inherent in many contemporary approaches to worship will produce theologically illiterate congregations poorly equipped for witness and service. That unintended consequence will sabotage the otherwise laudable attempt to "reach out," since a committed laity has historically been the church's most effective agent of growth and cultural penetration.

While the book reads like a rambling diatribe lamenting the idolatries of popular culture to which the church has accommodated, beneath the verbiage "Reaching Out" performs a helpful service by grounding the whole question of worship to the nature of the church. The heart of the matter, Dawn implies, is not traditional versus contemporary worship but how one views the church. If the church is simply a means to an end, an instrument for recruiting converts or motivating believers, then how a congregation worships does not really matter. But if the church, when assembled for worship, is not simply a preliminary to the Christian life, but the essential focus of it, then that essence has all kinds of implications for worship.

Viewing the church as the latter, as the body of Christ anticipating the final wedding feast in glory, Dawn explores the implications of that reality, concluding that true worship keeps God at the center, builds believers' character, and shapes the Christian community. She finds that "user-friendly" services–with their emphasis on attracting newcomers, meeting felt needs, and not offending the unchurched–dilute or eclipse these attributes:

Worship must convince us that we gain there what cannot be found anywhere else. Otherwise we could just as well visit our friendly therapist or a rock concert or whatever else uplifts our feelings. Authentic worship will teach us that we are desperate sinners, enfold us in gracious forgiveness, and empower us to go back into the world changed, eager to share God's transforming power with our neighbors and ready to do all we can to build justice and peace in the world.

Dawn's own views regarding what forms of liturgy and music are most appropriate, given the nature of the church and the purpose of worship, are generally traditional while not opposing modest innovations. The chapter on music may be the most controversial. Contending that "shallow music forms shallow people," Dawn maintains that much of contemporary Christian music is not suited for public worship, although it may have uses in less formal settings like youth groups or Sunday school. Scripture songs and praise choruses, she says, pale in comparison to the larger, richer repertoire of hymnals, which reflect centuries of church history (not just one generation), the comprehensive teaching of Scripture (not just one verse), and the majesty and character of God (not just the experience of the believer). She disagrees that boomers do not like hymns, noting that many have not been exposed to good congregational hymn-singing, perhaps having only sung German dirges in sanctuaries loaded with carpet and padded pews. She also defends the pipe organ as a superior instrument for leading congregational singing and providing a variety of moods and sounds unmatched by contemporary instrumental combos.

Lovers of Bible exposition will find the book's discussion of preaching disappointing. As much as she calls for greater theological and biblical content in sermons, Dawn stops short of a clear declaration that the authentic exposition of the Scriptures–traditionally the centerpiece of the liturgy, at least in the Calvinist wing of the Reformation–is the surest way to keep God both the subject and object of worship.

That she may not invest Scripture with that kind of supremacy is also reflected by her theological method. In writing her "theology" of worship, Dawn interacts little with the Word or with how her own Lutheran tradition understands and interprets that Word in matters liturgical. Because she relies so heavily upon modern scholars, her thinking does not appear to flow out of the wisdom of a theological tradition shaped by sola Scriptura.

Many readers will be tempted to dismiss Dawn's clear preference for inherited worship patterns as a matter of personal taste or an unwillingness to face postmodern realities. That would be a mistake. "Reaching Out" represents a prophetic voice raising probing questions about worship that evangelicals ought to consider, even if they may not agree with all of its conclusions.