The 21st Century Modern Worship Dilemma

The Church is currently facing a significant challenge regarding worship in this new era. The clash between modern contemporary worship and traditional practices presents a pressing dilemma that involves motifs, motives, actions, traditions, and the evolving cultural landscape. This issue requires us to confront important questions about personal preference and scriptural understanding as we move forward in Christianity.

It is vital to understand that worship and liturgy are intrinsically linked and cannot be reduced to mere music. The ongoing tensions between contemporary and traditional worship have led to detrimental divisions within congregations. Some of the deepest and most critical theological questions about God emerge through our personal, online, and corporate worship experiences.

We must ask ourselves: how can we accurately discern what constitutes true worship that is both practically relevant and theologically sound?

The answer to this question is essential for the Church as we navigate this complex and changing environment. I will be using mainly 4 texts (besides the Bible and my MA Th. Church History Book) in order to tell the story of worship and divulge into the problem of worship which may seem right to every individual. My main two texts are (1) Franklin M. Segler and Randall Bradley, (Understanding, Preparing For, and Practing: Christian Worship) 2nd Edition (2) The Convictions of Things Not Seen: Worship and Ministry in the 21st Century by Todd E. Johnson. These two texts about Christian worship will guide my research and writing as I dive into my thesis and this question from the Bible, "What is true worship? How can we discern what is false and what is real?"

The Church is currently facing a significant challenge regarding worship in this new era. The clash between modern contemporary worship and traditional practices presents a pressing dilemma that involves motifs, motives, actions, traditions, and the evolving cultural landscape. This issue requires us to confront important questions about personal preference and scriptural understanding as we move forward in Christianity.

It is vital to understand that worship and liturgy are intrinsically linked and cannot be reduced to mere music. The ongoing tensions between contemporary and traditional worship have led to detrimental divisions within congregations. Some of the deepest and most critical theological questions about God emerge through our personal, online, and corporate worship experiences.

We must ask ourselves: how can we accurately discern what constitutes true worship that is both practically relevant and theologically sound? The answer to this question is essential for the Church as we navigate this complex and changing environment. I will be using mainly 4 texts (besides the Bible and my MA Th. Church History Book) in order to tell the story of worship and divulge into the problem of worship which may seem right to every individual.

Dr. Hemby brings up valid points about the separation of Adam and Eve when it comes to how they stopped worshipping God, and instead started worshipping each other and themselves. They realized their sin, and were:

even [separated] within ourselves, you've ever heard anybody say, Hey, get yourself together, is kind of like, Okay, get your own, get your thoughts lined up with your heart, and then your actions. And it's because we've separated ourselves even internally, through this total depravity issue. So separation has been the result and caused all this.1

Worship should not be about ourselves. It should point towards God. In the Westminster Shorter Catechism, John Calvin says, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to worship Him forever" 2 . My main two texts are (1) Franklin M. Segler and Randall Bradley, Understanding, Preparing For, and Practing: Christian Worship, 2nd Edition & (2) The Convictions of Things Not Seen: Worship and Ministry in the 21st Century by Todd E. Johnson. These two texts about Christian worship will guide my research and writing as I dive into my thesis and this question from the Bible, "What is true worship? How can we discern what is false and what is real?"

Hemby, Sam. The Garden Problem. Web. Accessed Feb. 20, 2025.

Calvin, John. The Westminster Shorter Catechism.Edinburgh. 1648. Church of Scotland.

https://prts.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2016/12/Shorter_Catechism.pdf Web. Accessed. Feb. 10, 2025.