"Write an original composition that uses modern examples of conventional wisdom to "set the trap" for a dissenting perspective that subverts the conventional wisdom."
Job has just finished Lamenting to God the decline of her congregation. (See previous post.) Worship leaders now appear to give her sage advice.
Worship Leader #1: The source of congregational decline has been clearly shown to be unsatisfactory worship practices.
Worship Leader #2: Decline in worship attendance is because worship is too impersonal and does not speak directly to people's needs.
Worship Leader #3: Decline in worship attendance is because people are not being sufficiently challenged to live faithful lives.
Worship Leader #4: Decline in worship attendance is because traditional church music is not attractive to today's consumers of music.
Worship Leader #5: Decline in worship attendance is because people don't get to sing the wonderful old hymns they love.
Worship Leader #6: Decline in worship attendance is due to lack of skillful use of media resources.
Worship Leader #7: Decline in worship attendance is because worship looks too much like everyday life and has lost the sense of the Sacred.
Worship Leader #8: Decline in worship attendance is because people are not welcoming to children in worship.
Worship Leader #9: Decline in worship attendance is because of a lack of opportunities for worship before or after the service.
Worship Leader #10: Decline in worship attendance is because sermons are too formal.
Worship Leader #11: Decline in worship attendance is because sermons are too sloppy.
Worship Leader #12: Decline in worship attendance is because congregants do not welcome seekers.
[The reader is here invited to fill in reasons they have heard or given for the decline in church worship attendance.]
Job: You are all giving me conflicting advice. How can I listen to you if you can't agree on anything?
Worship Leader #1: But we can agree on one thing, Job. We can agree that declining worship attendance is your fault.
Worship Leader #2: You have not been faithful in your attendance at worship at your church.
Worship Leader #3: You haven't invited your friends and neighbors to attend worship at your church.
Worship Leader #4: You haven't repeatedly and persistently invited your friends and neighbors to worship at your church.
Worship Leader #5: You haven't told your friends and neighbors how spiritually satisfying worship is at your church.
Worship Leader #6: You haven't told your friends and neighbors what inspirational sermons your pastor preaches at your church.
Worship Leader #7: You haven't told your friends and neighbors how uplifting the music is at your church.
Worship Leader #8: You haven't volunteered to sing in the choir for worship at your church.
Worship Leader #9: You haven't volunteered to serve as an usher for worship at your church.
Worship Leader #10: You haven't volunteered to serve as a reader for worship at your church.
Worship Leader #11: You haven't given enough money to support excellence in worship at your church.
Worship Leader #12: You haven't prayed for the leaders of worship at your church.
[The reader is here invited to fill in all the reasons they have heard or given as to why decline in worship attendance is the fault of the laity.]
God appears.
God: You are all worship leaders, so naturally you think everything has to do with worship. I suppose you would be astonished if I told you that congregational decline has nothing to do with worship. I was just winning a bet, so stop berating my servant Job.
Ha-satan appears.
Ha-satan: What you need here is more expert advice. I say you hire some consultants. Really expensive ones.
Worship Leaders: Great idea!
Job: I repent me in dust and ashes.
Hi Char, Thanks for this very interesting application of conventional and dissenting wisdom. I think you're comment from Satan, that what's really needed is more expert advice and consultants, is spot-on. But I wonder what God's dissenting wisdom might look like. The story as you write it seems to let God off the hook (or at least to spring the trap). I was kinda waiting to hear from, for example, a token young person, suggesting (tongue-in-cheek) that the fault of low worship attendance among their subset because there was no coffee shop. Of course, maybe that suggestion has been proffered as conventional wisdom. So what's the dissenting piece here? What could God offer that would dissent against this common theme other than just that God placed a bet with Satan?
ReplyDeleteMaybe something about authenticity? About seeking genuine fellowship with God and with one another?
I enjoyed reading your post! It got me thinking differently about conventional and dissenting wisdom.
Thank you for your post, Char! I think that it is interesting the way you came at this project. I have heard many of these excuses used in churches as to why the attendance is declining, so I got a good laugh from reading some of these. Thank you for posting about conventional and dissenting wisdom, it really helped me to think about it in a different way!
ReplyDeleteYES! What a trick ending. Even knowing Job as our focus I was pleasantly surprised and drawn into some serious contemplative thought on the problem of decline in worship. Round and round we go with the blame game.
ReplyDeleteI guess we still haven't learned from Job.
I'd love to think I'm Job, but sometimes I am one of his friends...or worse yet...Ha-satan.