Many Lutherans have pretty much abandoned the historic liturgy to embrace evangelical worship styles. And yet now, many evangelicals are embracing the historic liturgy. In fact, liturgy may be the latest thing in “contemporary” worship. If you don’t believe that, read the article from Christianity Today that I link to after the jump.
The article defies excerpting, so read it all: Kirsten Guidero, We Need More Than Liturgy | Christianity Today.
It goes into depth about why evangelicals are so taken with liturgy, going into all kinds of “spiritual formation” issues. The article, though, while affirming liturgical worship, points out the problems with this approach and why liturgy is not enough.
And certainly she is right, though perhaps not for the reasons she cites. It seems to me that if there is no theology behind it–specifically, no strong belief in the efficacy of the Sacraments–liturgy can be just an empty shell, a set of decorative gestures and beautiful words, a style void of substance.
I get that sense when I have attended certain liberal Episcopal and ELCA services, which put on a beautiful liturgy, even as the sermons showed the celebrants believed little of what they were reciting. (Then again, the words of the liturgy communicated the Words of Scripture, making the worship service meaningful despite the sermon.)
Evangelicals do have theologies that they believe in, and they believe in the Bible, which is what most of the liturgy is simply quoting. So I can see some possibility here.
But there is also the problem of cognitive dissonance. Surely one’s worship should grow out of and be consistent with one’s theology. A Baptist theology expressed in liturgical worship can clash in the same way that Lutheran theology expressed in a Baptist worship style does. (Note: Lutheran theology and worship are “evangelical” in the sense of centering on the Gospel.)
I welcome the phenomenon of evangelicals of all stripes becoming interested in using some form, at least, of the historic liturgy; and yet I agree that “liturgy is not enough” and that liturgical worship might undermine certain evangelical theologies.
What do you think? I’d especially like to hear from evangelicals who are attracted to liturgical worship and from those whose churches have adopted it. (How is that working?)
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