Is the High Church Less Pretentious? @rachelheldevans

On Saturday, Rachel Held Evans posted a great piece entitled, Why Millennials Are Leaving the Church. I agree with a lot of what she wrote (and her writing in general). The part I want to comment on is her explanation for why so many young people are leaving the low church (the more casual, traditional evangelical style) for the high church traditions (more focused on liturgy and tradition). In the middle of her post, she writes:

Many of us, myself included, are finding ourselves increasingly drawn to high church traditions – Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, the Episcopal Church, etc. –precisely because the ancient forms of liturgy seem so unpretentious, so unconcerned with being “cool,” and we find that refreshingly authentic.

This is where I disagree. In fact, my experience is that the high church traditions have come across as far more pretentious than those of the low church. Perhaps it's some of the people I've encountered in those churches who look down on anything more casual and spontaneous.

Some argue that liturgy and tradition is quite meaningful, as it makes them feel connected to the many generations who have come before and the congregations worldwide who may be doing the same thing at the same time. This makes sense intellectually, but I have to say I've never had that experience, at least emotionally. (Roger Olson has a great post that includes some comparison and analysis of this.)

Perhaps it's because I'm pretty big into low church tradition in many ways, even theologically. While I haven't gotten to experience it, I love the idea of the completely non-planned and community-driven Friends (Quaker) services. And I can't say I personally have ever been moved by a liturgy. But I've definitely been moved by more casual experiences.

I think where there's a big disconnect for many people of all generations is the scripted nature of evangelicalism. While casual may appear to be spontaneous, many of us know the services Held Evans criticizes are highly scripted, often more so than their liturgical counterparts. And I've heard it said a few times that most churches actually are quite liturgical, if we look at having a routine set of behaviors and schedule for a service.

But some seem more performance-driven than others. Is the purpose of a script/routine/liturgy for practicality, everyone knowing what comes next, or because we all believe this is the right way to do it and will draw more people in, effectively creating an emotional experience (and these are not mutually exclusive options). In my experience, many evangelical churches have moved more and more to the latter, effectively disregarding the potential work of the Holy Spirit to move. And at the same time, I don't think the emotions created by an amazing performance are inauthentic or wrong (concerts and theatrical performances do this all the time, and we're fine with it).

I think too much of a focus on the performance in an area where performance isn't key (the Church) is the problem, though. There becomes this fear of failing to do things properly (another theme in many areas of Christendom). And soon we lose a direct experience of God for performance. I love Renovaré's retreat theme this year: "Changing Performance for God to Experiencing Life with God."

Too much performance in church, and the congregation becomes an audience. That's why I generally like low church traditions: I feel a greater sense of participation. Yet early in grad school, I remember one of my professors sharing her experience in the Episcopal Church. She described how even her small son (around 4 or 5) could participate because of the repetition of the liturgy. That gave me a whole new appreciation and understanding of liturgy and high church traditions.

In my current congregation, I see there being a very nice balance between the low and high church traditions. There's definitely elements of liturgy, but there's also a low church accessibility. People of all ages and backgrounds lead the congregation in some of the liturgical prayers and elements (I don't know how common this is elsewhere). But then there's times when the service feels like a pretty casual, contemporary service. I don't think anyone would ever freak out if something were missed or forgotten one week. I think the key is that there isn't a rigidity to a particular style. In many ways, I see our congregation engaging in this balance because it's worked practically for the congregation. Not because it's so inherently amazing.

Traditional liturgy has a lot of benefits. So does the casualness and apparent spontaneity of stereotypical evangelical churches. But both are just a style and can be used to be highly pretentious. Both can create accessibility, and both can shut people out.

Prayer Books Summarized

This week, I have reviewed seven rather different prayer books. If you missed any of them or would like a summary with links, here you are!

Celtic Devotions: Based in the Celtic Christian tradition with short morning and evening prayers and devotions. Portable and useful for individual use. Could be used in a group.

A Pastor Prays for His People: Developed and transcribed from a pastor's prayers over the years for his congregation during weekly church services. Has an index of themes. Probably more useful in a group setting. Good portability.

Prayers: A Personal Selection: A short audiobook of prayers from the Bible and from Church history set to music. Particularly good for individual meditation time.

Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals: Thick and dense book rooted in the long history of liturgy from several Christian traditions, making it quite comprehensive. Included is a songbook, making it quite unique. Focused primarily on a contemplative tradition. Not as portable as some. Could be used individually, but more useful in a group.

Light for the Journey: Morning and Evening Prayers: Written with a goal of becoming more active participants in our lives and with God to renew the world. I received a PDF version, so I cannot comment on portability, but it is like mobile. Could be used in both an individual or group setting.

Eucharistic Prayer for Inclusive Communities (Vol. 1 & 2): Coming from a feminist Catholic perspective, the editors bring together "high church" liturgy from worldwide authors for use in group while celebrating the Eucharist. A unique element is using gender inclusive (and often female) language around God. It comes in a spiral bound version that lays flat for easy use. I received a PDF version, so it is difficult to know the dimensions, but they appear to be 8.5x11.

BodyPrayer: Focused on a more Incarnational tradition, emphasizing the role of our bodies in prayer, reminding the reader that the body is important to holistic spirituality and prayer. Very mobile and can be used individually and in a group.

BodyPrayer @pagitt @randomhouse

This post is part of my series on prayer books. This was one book in the series I purchased and did not receive a complimentary review copy.

BodyPrayer was one of the first books I purchased by Doug Pagitt, and I love it. He is currently posting excerpts from the book on his blog, so that's a great way to get a free introduction to the book. He is also offering a special discount on several of his books, including BodyPrayer.

This small hardcover book is also written by Kathryn Prill and illustrated by Colleen Shealer Olson (when one of the authors is well-known, others get overlooked, so I don't want to overlook them! :) ). The size makes it very user-friendly, as it is quite mobile. One of the practical difficulties is that with it being a hardcover, it doesn't always stay open on its own. So if you're trying to do a prayer posture while reading, it can be a challenge! :)

As indicated by the title, a major focus of this prayer book is not as much on contemplative prayers or meditations (although short ones are included in it), but rather including our bodies in our prayers. As the authors state, so often we forget about our bodies when engaging in prayer and with our spiritualities. As I often discuss on this blog, an Incarnational approach, recognizing the humanity of our spirituality, is very important. This is one of the few prayer books that is centrally Incarnational, which I appreciate.

The authors note that including the body in prayer actually has a long history in Christianity, although we often forget about it in Western Christianity. They offer several suggested prayer postures for various themes and events. One of the things I particularly appreciate is that they explicitly state in the introduction that these are not meant to be formulaic or perfect solutions to prayer. Rather, they are suggestions, essentially prompts for us to engage in prayer in deeper, more holistic ways. I think just approaching prayer slightly differently like this can be particularly powerful.

This book has helped me remember to pay attention to my body during times of prayer and make sure that I posture myself in a way that is most meaningful during that particular prayer. I also used it a couple of years ago during a spiritual formation presentation at my church to help people engage more holistically. There was some initial awkwardness, but people generally had a positive reaction to it. So this book can definitely be used both individually and in a group.

Eucharistic Prayer for Inclusive Communities @sofiabmm

This post is part of my series on prayer books. I received a complimentary review copy of this book without a requirement or expectation of a positive review.

Eucharistic Prayer for Inclusive Communities comes in two volumes, Themes and Special Occasions and Possibilities for the Liturgical Year. The volume titles are rather good definitions of the respective books. Volume 1 can be used year-round for various life cycle events, while the second volume is organized aroudn the traditional liturgical year. They were edited by Sheila Durkin Dierks and Bridget Mary Meehan, while the prayers were compiled from a variety of men and women worldwide.


The central focus of the volumes is time to gather to enjoy, celebrate, and experience the Eucharist (also known as Communion). Therefore, they are intended to be used in a group, communal setting rather than for individual devotion.


Besides the focus of the prayers on the Eucharist and community, these books particularly emphasize inclusion--communities that are not defined by walls and in- and out-groups. Meehan, in particular, has been advocating for female clergy in the Roman Catholic Church, so there is a strong feminist theme that runs through the books.


Ultimately, these prayer books are particularly aimed at more liturgical congregants of Catholic, Episcopalian, or Anglican traditions who emphasize inclusion in their communities. As the authors noted in the introduction of volume 1, many of the traditional Eucharistic prayers have been lost over time and create a feeling of exclusion for certain groups. The authors seem to want to help people feel welcomed to worship and connect with God, which is a noble and difficult task.


One way they attempt to be more welcoming is by intentionally using more inclusive language (those who have followed the debates over the TNIV know how controversial this can be in some circles). This inclusive language even moves to language about God. Specifically, the authors state:

A couple of thoughts: we encourage variations in naming toward God. The world is full of amazing possibilities, and as you give yourself permission to stretch in words of Eucharistic prayer, you will also find new ways of calling out to God in all the her/his/its wonderful abundance. (Vol. 1, p. xii)

Gender ambiguity related to God can definitely be controversial, but as most theologians would agree God is without gender, it should be less controversial than many make it out to be, in my opinion. Even if one is comfortable using male gendered language with God, changing our language temporarily can help us remember why we use the words we use.


The websites for each book also include a sample liturgy from the books. These definitely represent the "high church," strong liturgical traditions, so checking a sample could be good if you are unsure if you are a fan of liturgy. If you are a "low church" Protestant who is new to and exploring the liturgical traditions, other prayer books, like Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, may be a better start, as it provides more instruction and guidance. However, for those who love liturgy, this is an excellent resource.


The prayers are strong and definitely represent inclusive language. Those who are open to different approaches to language about God could benefit from these prayers in stepping back from routine ways of talking about God in order to remember the meaning in our language.


Unless the reader is a feminist or a strong advocate of explicit inclusive language, this may not be a resource for regular use. I definitely want to see more inclusion in communities and am an egalitarian rather than a complementarian, but the text was still representative of a perspective that is more "liberal" than my own and would probably not be one I would use. Again, though, it is still useful as a way to reflect on my own position and beliefs, and I can definitely see how this can be a very valuable prayer book for many people.


I received PDF versions of the books, but I was told they come in spiral-bound versions, which are made so they easily lay flat during times of prayer and celebration, making them sound quite user-friendly.

Light for the Journey: Morning and Evening Prayers for Living Into God's World @msa @ChristineSine

This post is part of my series on prayer books. I received a complimentary review copy of this book without a requirement or expectation of a positive review.

Christine Sine, the author of Light for the Journey: Morning and Evening Prayers for Living Into God's World, along with her husband, is the Executive Director of Mustard Seed Associates, an intentional Christian community that extends worldwide to try to live out the Gospel and transform the world and future "one mustard seed at a time." It's a great organization, which I particularly like because of its focus on Celtic Christianity, so I was excited to review Sine's prayer book.

Like some of the other books in this review series, the introduction is particularly powerful and sets the stage well for a powerful engagement with the prayers and devotions. The mission of MSA is immediately evident in the introduction of the book, laying the foundation for the purpose of this prayer book:

I believe that we need to regain our focus. God’s grand plan is not for war and violence with an end-times cataclysm of death and destruction, but rather a renewal of the earth and all its creatures and the restoration of the abundance, mutual concern and love of God’s original creation. (p. 10)

I love this focus not just on contemplation or avoidance of sin, but true renewal of ourselves and the world. It takes great intention to be renewal-minded. And I agree with Sine that God's "grand plan" is for "a renewal of the earth and all its creatures." Being focused on a particular goal helps makes this prayer book more coherent than many, which can definitely be a benefit. As I often advocate on this blog, Sine asserts that "our faith should not be a passive expression of our love for God, but rather an active participation in God’s work to

change our world" (p. 21). Having this kind of excellent foundation makes this prayer book particularly helpful and focused on not just passive contemplation, but meditation with a focus on transforming ourselves to go out again and be active in the world. And that is good.

Further, Sine has a healthy and biblical view of the Gospel, stating, "The good news of the gospel is that we don’t need to wait to see God’s wholeness come into being" (p. 15). So often we assume things will change later and miss out on the transformation going on right now. And so often we forget that we can be a part of that change and transformation.

Sine also states that a central purpose of the prayer book, like many other similar tomes, is to help us gain a rhythm of life that is focused on God. She says it so beautifully that I have to share her words:

In order to move our devotional life beyond its chronic randomness, we need life rhythms that intentionally renew our hope in God’s kingdom vision and connect us to the essential foundations of our faith. Only then can the Holy Spirit work to shape how we allocate time and use resources with God’s priorities in mind. (p. 14)

The prayer book is divided into a rhythm of seven days, with a daily theme. The daily devotions are not short, but they are meaningful. Sine also suggests using one of the themes per week, focusing the whole week on a theme rather than a single day. I like the flexibility of the work, being able to adapt it to each individual's needs.

Additionally, this prayer book can easily be used in both an individual or group setting, which adds to its flexibility. It's definitely one I want to continue using personally.

Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals @zondervan @Shane_Claiborne @TweetEnuma @newmonasticism

This post is part of my series on prayer books. I received a complimentary review copy of this book without a requirement or expectation of a positive review.

Common Prayer is a the result of a collaborative effort of Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro. All three (from my understanding) have an emphasis on missional living, intentional community, and the new monasticism. This instantly brings the book into a more modern context, particularly as the authors includes notes integrated into the book of marks of the new monasticism.

Like many people who have interacted in the emerging conversation, the authors are re-introducing people (especially younger people) to the beauty and power of liturgy. The introduction is long, but relevant, as most readers will likely be minimally familiar with liturgy and its meaning. This introduction itself is one of the most meaningful parts of the book, reminding the reader of the unity of the worldwide Christian Church. As the authors note, the power of liturgy helps keep all churches on the same calendar, which allows all churches who choose to do so to read the same Scripture and meditate together on the same issues (hence the title common prayer). It's like a National Day of Prayer for the whole world year-round. This alone reminds us we are not alone and need to be mindful of our global brothers and sisters.

Another element of liturgy that they note is that the book is not "so much an 'inspirational' text as it is a workout guide" (p. 20). Oftentimes we don't feel the Spirit moving and don't have much motivation to pray and worship. Liturgy helps us stay in the motion and habit of remembering God. Granted, plenty of people go through the motions without any intent, so remembering why you're doing what you're doing is important. That's why "workout guide" is a great analogy. I usually ride my bicycle to work. There's many days I don't feel like doing it, but once I get going, I usually enjoy it. And the days I choose to drive, I usually miss my bike. I think the same can be true of liturgy, as long as we remember the purpose of them (connecting with God, not going through the motions).

The prayers are definitely intended to be read in a group, socially. There are directions as to how to say the prayers as a call-and-response (if you've never experienced this in a positive way, trust me, it can be awesome). That does not preclude their use individually. A nice element is that there is a songbook at the back with actual sheet music (not just chords--I hate that :) ) for a variety of, as the authors say, various traditions' "greatest hits." Occasionally throughout the liturgical prayers, there is a notation to include a specific song to enhance the experience.

The prayers and songs are a nice compilation of Christian traditions and time periods, reminding me a bit of the Mosaic Bible. It feels modern enough to be relevant, but ancient enough to help feel a connection to the long history of Christianity.

The version I received to review was a book editorial version dated 9/10/10, so there may have been some differences. It was also a thick stack of 8.5x11 pieces of paper bound together, which took away from some of the devotional feel that the final published version seems to have (I've seen it in a bookstore--it has a nice textured cover and seems rather light for its size). It still seems a bit bulky to be used as an individual prayer guide, and again, the goal really is a more communal experience.

They have also created a companion website, with a liturgical calendar to which you can subscribe and daily prayers automatically updated. This element seems more inclined to the individual user. It would be nice if it was set up as an RSS feed to automatically get the daily prayers from the website.

Prayers: A Personal Selection @christianaudio @caReviewers

This post is part of my series on prayer books. I received a complimentary review copy of this book without a requirement or expectation of a positive review.

This is not your traditional prayer book; rather it is an audiobook. Prayers: A Personal Selection is narrated by Michael York (yes, the actor). York's British accent lends a sort of grand gravity to the words. The accompanying music, by Michael Hoppe, could be seen as cheesy in many audiobooks, but truly adds something meaningful to book.

Running at only 53 minutes, this audiobook is particularly useful for a devotional time. I listened to this on my commute to work, meaning it was broken up into smaller sections. And it was not a very stress-free week. However, when I began listening to the words and music, it helped me calm and center myself. This is definitely an excellent prayer book for those of us who are more auditory. It will also be one of the few audiobooks I will return to time and again.

It would have been nice to have some way to identify the Scripture references and other prayers used in the book. Doing so at the end of each prayer would have likely taken away from the flow and meditative nature of the experience. This allow easier referencing later if one particular prayer stood out as especially meaningful to the listener. I also would have liked to know whose personal selection these prayers were. York's? Hoppe's? An editor's? It's not really important, but as "a personal selection" is in the title, this context would be helpful.

Most of the translations seem to come from the King James Version, giving the book a traditional feel. Yet in the audio format and with York's voice, it is not off-putting, but rather aids in the devotional element, in my experience.

A Pastor Prays for His People @TyndaleHouse @AdamSab

This post is part of my series on prayer books. I received a complimentary review copy of this book without a requirement or expectation of a positive review.

This small, gift-like book, A Pastor Prays for His People, by Wendell C. Hawley begins with an introduction explaining the creation of the book. Most of the prayers in the book were crafted by Hawley to be read during services at his church throughout the year, for special liturgical occasions or particular (happy or tragic) events in the life of the church. He noted that people so often approach prayer as something that must be spontaneous. There is something good to spontaneity. However, as he noted, there is also something powerful about taking the time to contemplate the words of the prayer and connect them to words in Scripture and other ancient prayers.

I think this is where prayer books can be particularly powerful and helpful: They encourage an additional level of depth, thoughtfulness, and contemplation in prayer. When using already-made words as prayers, they can be used devotionally, which is quite helpful when we are lost for words.

Hawley's text is broken into months, although the prayers associated with the months appear to be generally arbitrary. However, he includes an index so the reader can search for topics. The prayers he wrote live up to his goal of being deep, meaningful, and yet easily understood. They can be useful for individual prayer, but I think they would be particularly helpful in more of a group setting (that was their original purpose anyway). This book tends to have a more traditional feel, which reflects the context from which it came.

Prayer Book Week @ivpress @ivpbooks @adriannawright

The new Church liturgical year has begun: It is Advent, the time of waiting and anticipation. The liturgical year lends itself nicely to seasons and rhythms of worship and devotion. One of the ways to engage spiritually throughout the year is, of course, prayer. Prayer books have long been a traditional way of aiding people's prayer lives. Over the next few days, I will review some rather diverse prayer books (I have received a complimentary review copy of most without a requirement or expectation of a positive review). I have had a couple for quite a while, so I apologize to the authors for delaying on the review.


Update: Here is a summary and index of all the prayer book reviews, with links.

Celtic Devotions

I previously reviewed Celtic Devotions by Calvin Miller. Below is an excerpt from the prior review.

The book is meant to be a 30 day devotional to lead the reader in morning and evening prayers. Physically, it's an easy book to carry, which makes it effective for its intended use. It's small in all dimensions, but has a hard cover, which is nice to protect as it is carried or moved.

Each chapter for the 30 days includes a devotional reading to set the day up and then a morning and evening reading and prayer. The book uses Psalm 119 as its core, which Miller explains is because this Psalm is central to Celtic spirituality. I like the use of this kind of core because it ties all the chapters, devotions, and prayers together.

The chapters and prayers are short, making it easy to use the book for a quick morning and evening devotion. The incarnational element reinforces what I love about Celtic spirituality.

If you like Celtic Christianity or want to get into a rhythm of daily prayer, this is a nice book to use. It's nothing that will be shockingly new, but that's the beauty of it. So often I try to use my time and reading to learn and engage new things, when in fact, I probably need to slow down. This book encourages just that.

Liturgical v. Contemporary Church, Part 2

Three months ago, I wrote a post noting some observations I had about liturgical versus contemporary churches. I recently read this article, entitled The Living Emerging Movement. Many readers of this blog know that I do consider myself best described by the emerging movement. I appreciate it because (from my perspective and my version of it as it seems everyone's definition is different), the conversation is just that: A conversation. There is the ability to discuss life and theology and be critical thinkers in the search for Truth with the hope and belief that there is an ultimate Truth. I think the emerging movement has also reignited discussions and focus on lively worship.

There is a lot of talk of the emerging church being dead or almost dead. I hope it doesn't, in part because of what the above article mentions. McKnight guessed several years ago that emerging Christians each will go one of three ways: into the mainline denominations, back into old evangelicalism, or leading evangelicalism into a missional direction.

I personally can really feel the tension between these options. I'm not sure where I land, which is why I don't want the emerging church to die. It's something with which I can associate that is the best descriptor of me. And I know many people also feel like they are not accurately described by any movement, denomination, or label.

Anyway, one of the reasons I struggle with this is the feeling of worship and what the mainline versus evangelical churches emphasize. I realized this weekend that mainline churches do a very nice job of being critical thinkers. They nail the cognitive elements of Christianity, usually much better than the evangelical churches. I've been a member and a part of evangelicalism for many years, and I can say it often advocates much less than critical thinking.

However, the evangelical churches historically have done an excellent job of having more lively worship. By that I mean more affective, referring to emotion and the full range of emotion. While some people are very moved by the liturgical, traditional services (I went to a service like that for quite a while myself), these models do often have the implication of displaying less affect. Now, as one of my friends has said, evangelical churches have become rather stale recently, focusing more of inauthentic performance rather than real, affective worship. And that's one of the things the emerging movement has challenged.

So in many ways, it seems we have found ourselves in the age-old cognitive-affective, head-heart, thinking-emotion split. It's hard to integrate the two together (believe me--I've worked with many clients on that issue). Yet I long for a church community that can do just that. They exist, but they're hard to find in my experience. What about yours?

Advent and Waiting in the Mosaic Bible

Last week was the first week of Advent, and the focus in the Mosaic Bible is waiting. The theme of waiting is appropriate, but the way it was addressed brought up some questions and thoughts for me.

First, the Mosaic Bible's suggested Scripture readings and meditations did not just focus on the birth of Christ, like might be assumed. Rather, it included a smattering of perspectives of longing and waiting in a variety of contexts.

At first, I did not like this. I thought it would be most appropriate to focus on the reason for Advent--the birth of Jesus. Including other forms of waiting distracts from this focus. At the same time, as I kept reading through the week, I found I appreciated more and more the different perspectives of waiting and the way longing has appeared in many forms throughout the Bible.

I do like how the editors tried to focus the idea of waiting on excerpts that could be applicable to readers' current lives. Again, waiting on the Christ child (sorry, the event is past) is hard to relate to now. At least for me... And then there can be whole argument about Christ's Second Coming, but that gets into other theological debates. And that's still an abstract concept. It's not something I, at least, think about regularly.

At the same time, the various perspectives and contexts in this case made this week feel much more disconnected and disjointed than other weeks' meditations have been. Other weeks have been very well-organized and all excerpts clearly connected. This week had been bouncing between waiting for Christmas and waiting for everything else I long for in life. Maybe I haven't connected the two as much as I should, and that may be some of the point of this week, but in any case, that's some of my reaction.

The other big reaction I had was to the idea of waiting and longing itself. The introduction to this week's topic of Longing discussed how much of Christianity is centered around waiting for things to be better and restored later. I agree with that. The pain of the present and recognizing this is now how things were meant to be is important. Focusing on this for the season of Advent may be appropriate.

At the same time, I find myself longing and waiting most of the time. To the detriment of the present. While our culture may not advocate waiting, it also does not advocate for appreciating the present very well.

For me, my focus is always in the future: Everything I'm doing now is just so things will be better later. I'll work hard and sacrifice now so I can relax later. But later does not always come. And killing yourself now to enjoy later is not necessarily a good way to live. It can cause depression and anxiety, which are definitely not good ways to live. As Brother Lawrence described in The Practice of the Presence of God, it is particularly important to watch for and experience God now, in the moment, and not just expect him to show up later.

Practicing God's presence now and longing for restoration in the future are not necessarily mutually exclusive ideas. In many ways, they work nicely together. However, some of us probably spend more time in one of those areas than the other, and then should probably spend more of their devotional time in the opposite side to re-train themselves. For me, I think I need to spend more time seeing the blessings I have right now instead of just waiting for others to come later... What about you? What do you think?

Liturgical v. Contemporary Church

As my wife and I moved a few months ago, we have begun looking for a new church community closer to us. In the places we have visited, we went to one that is a pretty traditional contemporary service (nice oxymoron, huh?) and one that is a pretty traditional high church, liturgical service. Both Laci and I have had much more experience in the former, so that feels more comfortable.

However, we noticed some key distinctions between the communities, which led me to think about differences between liturgical and contemporary communities in general. The thing I noticed (which is not an amazing or new insight) is that liturgical communities tend to be more liberal politically and theologically, focusing on communal issues and social justice at large. In contrast, contemporary communities tend to be more conservative politically and theologically, focusing on individual experience and personal responsibility. Now there are obvious exceptions to these rules, but often they do characterize churches as a pattern, I believe.

That got me to wondering why this is the case. And here's my conclusion:

Liturgical churches are by their nature communal. They focus on the whole community, not individual's reactions. Liturgy by its nature is participative. It is also not focused on creating a conversion experience or a deeply moving personal experience. Again, it is focused on the group coming together. As a result, it would make sense that these churches would focus more on the whole community and larger social justice issues.

In contrast, contemporary churches developed out of the Protestant Reformation and a focus on personal relationship with Christ, personal conversion, and personal conviction. The service is therefore focused on moving each individual. Hence, you can get a more performance-driven service that is non-participative, but leads to touching, emotional experiences. As the emerging movement has emphasized, these services have usually lost the participative quality. When that is lost, then it makes sense that politically and theologically they would ignore the social justice issues and instead focus on personal morality and responsibility.

Interestingly, I saw these two blog posts with similar ideas. Maybe I just had my eyes out for these concepts. What do you think about these patterns? Have you seen them? Have you seen a successful mix of the two? That's one of the strengths of the emerging church, I believe: It attempts to merge the strengths of both while cutting out the weaknesses of each.