Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down
“To attract people from our culture, some Christian churches depend on glitz and spectacle and technological tools, rather than on the strong, substantive declaration of the Word of God and its authoritative revelation for our lives.”
Marva Dawn- Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for the Turn-of-the Century Culture
Benji,
Read that at DTS. Good book and provocative thought generation tool. At our church, we neither have the budget or the wherewithall to add glitz and technology to our rented, run-down elementary school meeting space. We offer hard cafeteria benches, long-winded, Bible-based sermons, a sub-par, boring website and restrooms maded for fourth-graders. I am AMAZED that people even come at all. We’re growing now but just over 100 in average attendance and we are desperately searching for new more comfortable and more appropriate space to rent because I know that Americans in Scottsdale, AZ will suffer such discomfort only for a limited time. But I respect the 100 saints that gather at Mosaic deeply simply because there are many more comfortable places to worship each sunday in our city but they keep coming back. God is using them to build my faith. Keep us updated as you keep interacting with Marva Dawn. We’ll all benefit.
Heath
Heath Taylor said this on April 30, 2008 at 11:57 am
Heath,
Yes, its a good book. I read it in seminary too. I also went and heard her speak at Southwestern for a worship conference back in seminary. She was very challenging. I ran across the quote and thought I’d share it.
I love that you’re packing out the school. May the Lord continue to bless and eventually provide a comfy-er spot.
And what’s with this blog you just started? I’m glad you did. I’m gonna post on it soon!
Rabbi said this on April 30, 2008 at 1:14 pm