The Content Cluster Muster (04.27.17)

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Mega-Churches Gonna Mega-Fail


Artwork in the other Moscow…


Willy Wonka + Drums = Why We Have the Internet


And while we’re at it, why not a Carrot Clarinet?


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Eric Purdy
7 years ago

I happen to live around Cincinnati and I know this church. They’ve even gone so far as to promote a men’s weekend event centered on competition and drinking all the beer you want! Oh but the last thing in their long list of manly opportunities was Jesus Christ! Problem is by there time they got there they may have been too drunk to care.

bethyada
7 years ago

I don’t really want to endorse the idea of Superbowl as church. But the critique here is off the mark. I stopped half way, but a lot of his claims are hypercritical in what I would consider a false sense. The golden calf was a problem for God worshipers not for unbelievers. As the Superbowl is not intrinsically idolatrous (a Christian can watch it), it has to become idolatrous (placed above God), then to hold an event for unbelievers with a Christian message is not necessary (on the face of it) analogous to the golden calf. One must be careful… Read more »

Andy
Andy
7 years ago
Reply to  bethyada

I’m in agreement with you for the most part. Especially in regards to the music angle he took. By bringing in the “pretty” version of “Nothing But the Blood” he seemed to be saying that unless we sang in some sort of western style, it is not beautiful. What of missionaries to non-Western countries? Are they to force western styles of music on folks? The opening scene of “African Queen” came to mind: https://youtu.be/6AwROL7OBkc Music is a universal, but it is not a universal language. Dirge-sounding (to western ears) songs in South America are actually songs of praise and joy.… Read more »

mkt
mkt
7 years ago
Reply to  Andy

“By bringing in the ‘pretty” version’ of ‘Nothing But the Blood'”

It’s funny that when most Evangelicals talk about “classic hymns,” they’re talking about late 19th Century hymns that are focused on the individual and their salvation (as opposed to God, the church, etc). Or worse, they’re about walking and talking in the garden or something. I like very few hymns written before 1800, and most of my favorites are pre-1000 (sorry Reformation purists). You can definitely see the slippery slope that led to our abysmal state of “Jesus is My Boyfriend” songs.

Jonathan
Jonathan
7 years ago
Reply to  mkt

What are your favorite pre-1000 hymns?

Dunsworth
Dunsworth
7 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

I’ll offer a couple of mine:

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Be Thou My Vision

I know there are more fairly well known ones but can’t recall them at the moment.

Jonathan
Jonathan
7 years ago
Reply to  Dunsworth

Thank you! I’m familiar with a number of the hymns from the 3rd/4th century liturgies, but I didn’t know what other hymns predated 1000.

jillybean
jillybean
7 years ago
Reply to  Dunsworth

Of the Father’s Love Begotten
O Sacred Head Now Wounded

Dunsworth
Dunsworth
7 years ago
Reply to  jillybean

O Sacred Head Now Wounded was the one that I knew but couldn’t think of. Of the Father’s Love Begotten I’m familiar with but didn’t realize was so old.

D.L.
D.L.
7 years ago
Reply to  Dunsworth

Wide Open Are Thy Hands (also by Bernard of Clairvaux) is excellent.

mkt
mkt
7 years ago
Reply to  jillybean

Two other great ones…especially the first. I like it so much better than “Silent Night” and other standard Christmas hymns. There are others by the church fathers, usually set to melodies from the 1500-1700 range. Maybe I can look some up when I have time.

Jonathan
Jonathan
7 years ago
Reply to  bethyada

Yeah, I couldn’t figure out whether the original service or the misguided rebuke was tougher to get through. I did manage to watch the whole thing, and I felt the second half had just as many missteps as the first. His meaningless demonstration of “a little worldliness contaminates the gospel” didn’t jive well with me. First of all, the gospel is much more powerful than that. Second, if you really think you are presenting the “pure” gospel without the slightest touch of worldliness in your church, and it’s only all those other churches that are worldly… you’re probably blind to… Read more »

bethyada
7 years ago
Reply to  Jonathan

he’s mad at all the wrong things

Yeah. I think the focus on the worship leaders at the front (not the style of music) in charismatic style churches is more dangerous.

Lee Grady makes some good critiques from someone within the movement.

Jonathan
Jonathan
7 years ago
Reply to  bethyada

Yes

gabe
gabe
7 years ago
Reply to  bethyada

So…this is not what I could expect with a visit to the church there in Moscow? Heh… Yeah as much as the service was tacky and way too hype filled, I would say a lot of his criticism was more of preferential nature than true inert problems. It is too easy to take soundbites from a longer sermon and criticize it because that particular portion doesn’t bring the full weight of the Gospel to it. This was clearly an outreach, outreach typically looks different than a normal Sunday service. However I do wonder at how they plan at retaining visitors… Read more »

PerfectHold
PerfectHold
7 years ago

On drums to verbiage — that clip ain’t as inane as it might first sound.

That bastion of religiosity NPR’s RadioLab discovered something of how God puts music into language:

http://www.radiolab.org/story/91512-musical-language/

skip to 1:08 but if you get so far as to 2:37 and listen for a couple minutes .. and you’ll never get this out of your head

lloyd
7 years ago

So I just wanted to take a minute to refer back to previous content muster item from 2/16/17: https://dougwils.com/the-content-muster/content-cluster-muster-02-16-17.html I was out of the country when Is Genesis History was in theaters so I had to purchase it on Blue-Ray. It just arrived and I just wanted to say I think its really good. Its challenging to me. I’ve always struggled with the idea of the 6 day creation, the flood, the young earth ideas. Its not that I disbelieve; I just have doubts. Like, what’s a day before the creation of the sun? But anyway, the documentary is really… Read more »

jigawatt
jigawatt
7 years ago

Wonder what he’d think of the Whippoorwill Song.

https://youtu.be/IrczyFvkv8Q

katecho
katecho
7 years ago
Reply to  jigawatt

According to the internet, if this song doesn’t give you cancer, it will convert you to a staunch Calvinist.

jigawatt
jigawatt
7 years ago
Reply to  katecho

What does this one give you? (Besides a cold chill running up and down your spine, of course)
https://youtu.be/I-tm3UQMVEA

He’s[Jesus] left it up to you. He’s done all he can …

Yep, they went there.

jillybean
jillybean
7 years ago
Reply to  jigawatt

The one that I can’t endure is:

Like a rose
Falling on the ground
He took the fall
And thought of me
Above all.

This is a boyfriend song, not a hymn.

jigawatt
jigawatt
7 years ago
Reply to  jillybean

This is a boyfriend song, not a hymn.

That’s ok because boyfriends are friends forever, if the Lord’s the Lord of them.