Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Ponder Anew

Home
Evangelical
Is It Really Worship If You’re Selling Tickets?

Is It Really Worship If You’re Selling Tickets?

Last updated on: May 6, 2018 at 12:35 pm by Jonathan Aigner

Is It Really Worship If You’re Selling Tickets? 2018-05-06T12:35:27-05:00 Jonathan Aigner

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A few weeks ago, a woman in a Facebook group pertaining to church music and worship posted a picture of two tickets that she was trying to unload for an upcoming event. A closer look revealed that these were tickets to a Chris Tomlin concert, except it didn’t call itself a concert. The name of the event was “Chris Tomlin Presents Worship Night in America.” And for a price, one could apparently arrange to get in.

Wait, wait, wait!

Is it a concert, or is it worship?

Of course, I did something that makes me unpopular in such groups. I asked a question.

“Is it really worship if they charge you to get in?”

Let’s just say the original poster forgot a few manners. After a couple long-winded diatribes questioning my intellect and masculinity, and expressing her incredulity at how I could have possibly found a woman willing to marry such a worm as I, she made it clear she had no good answer.

But there it was. Right there on the ticket. For around 50 bucks, one could enter to worship with a bunch of leading commercial “worship” artists.

Brother Tomlin is not the only one to bait people in with the promise of worship, but it’s apparently a successful venture for him. As of today, there are eight concert worship dates remaining. This very night, May 6, 2018 at 7pm in Norfolk, Virginia, you can reserve your own spot before Tomlin’s throne.

For a price, of course.

General admission starts at just $15. A VIP spot in the Reserved Pit will set you back $129.75

Wait a minute? VIP seating at something that’s supposed to be worship?

Lord, have mercy on your church.

Music Isn’t Worship

Here’s one fan’s worshiper’s VIP pit vantage point of this experience known as “worship night.”

People of God, we are being royally screwed over.

If this event were not called “worship,” if they were honest and called it a “concert,” I wouldn’t be so concerned. This is music. Just music. Only music. Strums on a guitar. Slaps on a drum. Chords chopped onto an electrified piano. Glib, high-larynx wails into a hot mic. I’d advise against it, of course, but you can certainly choose to like it if you want. You are free to immerse yourself in the electronically-boosted experience.

Just don’t call it worship. It’s just music.

Music is not worship. Worship is a function of the church where the Word is preached and the sacraments are administered. It is a disciplined, structured reenactment of God’s story that we as God’s people participate in as if our lives depended on it. The church enters as God’s covenant people, shaped by redemption’s story. We participate in the proclamation of God’s Word. We give thanks at Table.

And then we go, strengthened, changed, renewed, refocused.

Not by the music.

But by the doing of God’s story and the sharing of God’s grace.

Worship Is Costly, But Admission Is Free

You’ve probably all heard the analogy that we’re all equal at the foot of the cross.

(Try telling that to the poor schmuck who shelled out over a hundo for the VIP seat.)

There’s room on that level ground, of course. Admission is free. But it demands much of us, certainly more than a few bucks and a constipated expression. When I hear people claim that they’ve gone to events like this, found momentary euphoria, and have worshiped as never before, I don’t just feel skeptical, I feel a sense of dread. The words of Bonhoeffer frequently echo in my mind.

“The word of cheap grace has been the ruin of more Christians than any commandment of works.”

This kind of worship goes part and parcel with cheap grace. They claim to bestow the gifts of God on whoever buys a ticket and shows up. The historic liturgy of the church has a different offer. “Come and participate in the life of the church, but be prepared to give of yourself.”

If you’ve been around the church for any length of time, you’ve probably heard stories of members demanding to get things their way because they’re the ones paying for it. As a career church musician, I’ve heard one too many times something to this effect:

“I give a lot, so you need to make worship convenient for me.”

It’s the same principle. Worship is not a product. It cannot be bought and sold. That’s the grace of it all. The grace available to God’s people in worship is not something that can be bought, but once it’s bestowed, it consumes all.

The Worship Industry Is Against You, Not For You

Friends, the worship industry is not there to edify the church. It is there to sell you a product; derivative, mass-produced schlock that is designed to make you feel something. The industry calls that vague experience “worship” to deepen its appeal to their audience. And the church has bought in. Literally. Millions upon millions of dollars are poured out in an attempt to capture these fleeting moments of orgasmic euphoria.

But this isn’t worship.

The industry has turned worship into a musical experience. Buying into this lie with eager hearts and wallets has compromised the integrity of the church’s worship, and likewise, weakened the church’s ability to fulfill its God-appointed mission in the world.

De-sacramentalize Music

I’ve said before that there’s a reason the contemporary megachurch holds such a low view of Holy Communion. It just doesn’t understand the point. Music is their substitute sacrament. Through commercial music, they allow themselves to be carried away on an emotional level into a perceived sensory connection with the divine. When you interpret worship through the lens of emotional stimulation, the bread and wine don’t make sense. It doesn’t compute. No overwhelming feeling equals no worship. But for the historic church, there was no worship without the Eucharist. It was the natural culmination of the liturgy. We take in the bread and wine, and we are poured out into a dry, thirsty creation as participants in the gospel story. Jesus invites us, saying, “Here are my body and blood.”

This saccharine substitution contains the ultimate compromise. God is willing to give us the real presence, but instead we’ve settled for something else. If Chris Tomlin’s success is any indication, we’re willing to throw away wads of cash for a pseudo-divine, over-romanticized, emotional experience. But God has told us where to find it, if we will only listen and believe.

Don’t Get Scammed

I don’t think Chris Tomlin or anyone else is doing any of this intentionally. In fact, I’d be willing to bet Chris was sold on the same fake worship experience before he ever made a dime off of his product. He presents himself as a kind, generous person of faith, as do many of the biggest earners in his genre.

The unwitting nature of the scam makes these folks even more dangerous. They are running this con with an earnest passion.

Don’t be fooled.

God’s grace can’t be sold for the price of admission.

In the kingdom of God there is no VIP seating. Don’t forget how Jesus responded to the mother’s request in Matthew 20.

“You will indeed drink from my cup.”

That cup is costly, but it can’t be bought.

contemporary worship vs. worship

worship night in america

Previous Post

May 5, 2018

Next Post

May 13, 2018 Mother's Day and the Church's Dilemma

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Church of St. YouTube congregational singing congregational song contemporary critiques corporate worship Hymn of the Week hymn singing hymnody and hymnology hymns masturbatory worship Uncategorized worship Worship Quotes

Select a Month February 2023 January 2023 October 2022 September 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 September 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the youngest friend who rebuked Job and the other friends?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Zophar Eliphaz Elihu Bildad