America's worship wars / Terry W. York.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

York, Terry W.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public worship--History--20th century.

Public worship.

History.

United States--Church history--20th century.

United States.

Church history.

Physical Description:

xviii, 138 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Peabody, Mass. : Hendrickson Publishers, [2003]

Summary:

Many churches are battling through the issues of what sort of worship is most appropriate for today. Should churches continue to sing the traditional hymns that they grew up with or should they embrace the contemporary worship choruses? Should they play organs or electric guitars? York looks at issues such as the connection between a person's worship style and his or her philosophy, politics, and affluence; the phenomenon of mega churches and television churches; the influences that denominations and publishers of hymnals bring to the debate; and the pressures put on worship leaders by church shoppers. York also examines the issue of church growth, since selecting a worship style is, in many ways, choosing a target audience for future members. Whether a church realizes it or not, when it chooses a worship style it is also determining the affluence, age, size, and ethnicity of its future congregation. York provides a sympathetic and insightful guide to what has been happening in America's worship yesterday and today, and with it, provides the reader with the information necessary to create a vision for America's worship tomorrow.

Contents:

The 1960's : a time of change

Denominational boundaries breaking down

Para-church youth movement

The politicization of worship

Christian popular music

The fastest growing churches

and similar reports

Television church

The language of worship

Champions of peace

How do we train worship leaders?

Cold war or new order?

Epilogue: Worship from the margin.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [129]-134) and index.

ISBN:

156563490X

OCLC:

52341863