Cultural Relevance in Serious Worship

Should Christian worship focus more on cultural relevancy or godly reverence?

Is the issue of cultural relevancy biblically mandated?

I believe the answer to this question is found in the story that forever-changed history: when the Word became flesh and lived with mankind.

The doctrine of the Incarnation is primary to the Christian belief and practice. It is the Incarnation that distinguishes Christianity from every other religion and belief system. In this doctrine, the divine nature permanently identifies with human culture. God entered into the culture for the purpose of communicating his ways and accomplishing his mission of restoration. To be effective, Jesus had to participate in some of the elements of the culture and, at the same time, discern which elements He had to be separate from. He had to be in the world, yet separate enough so He was not of the world.

This is the same paradox that the church finds itself in today. The church model in the New Testament was a community that was an alternative to the world. Its mission was to communicate the Christian faith through contextualization. To contextualize means to protect the message so that it remains unblemished, but present it in such a manner that it “fits” the present environment. The message of the Gospel must remain whole, but the method or manner of communicating and expressing the Gospel must adjust according to its cultural context.

To be sincere, worship must be reverent; to be serious, it must be relevant.

That is our struggle & that is our goal every week @ www.Warehouse727.com