Angst and Reflections

I'm working through some angst right now on the state of the church. I am starting to uncover how much conservative evangelicalism there is in the Boston metro, and I am trying to figure out how to create social change. I think part of my angst has to do with the complete lack of knowledge of this culture in liberal discourse up here. It's like evangelicals don't exist up here. There's a lot of whiteness I don't want to unpack in this post, but it's generating feelings in me.

I think a big issue is that the evangelical churches are exciting imaginations. I think that's what mainline churches do too, to an extent. The people whose really love mainline churches do so because their imaginations have been excited by them. Maybe it's the smells and bells. Maybe it's gorgeous artwork or music. Maybe it's the beauty of the liturgy itself. These things are indeed amazing.

But for many, the beauty of the Bach or European-derived liturgy is inaccessible. Yes, God dwells in inaccessible light but we don't. Merely updating our art pieces isn't enough. There is so much more work to do.We've got to learn from what is speaking to people now. Those who create worship must be listening to what is really important to people. I'm afraid we in the mainline church aren't doing this well.

I think, in part, we need to rescue God. We need to rescue God from philosophy. Philosophy has stolen God and suggested that to know God is to know a set of bullet points. Our task is to create something so beautiful it creates an experience deeper than rational faculties. Mainline liturgies once enabled this. I wonder if they might not be able to do this now for many people.