Culture Clash Pt. 4

By Lance Lewis on December 18th, 2007 | Keywords:

I've decided to weigh into the clash with a response to the veep's first question. I'm particularly interested in addressing it since CLF is a church plant of Tenth Presbyterian Church. While the answer springs from the the question the response isn't necessarily directed at my brother Eric himself. The answer is more of a reflection on the place of culture in the church at this time. I hope it's somewhat helpful.

I want to know if my corporate worship needs to look like Tenth Presbyterian Church or if it can look like my PNBC (Primitive National Baptist Church) home church with more discernment in the music, Christ-centered preaching, and an absence of an altar call?

While I can’t speak directly for the leadership of Tenth Pres I can say that the issue of worship style never really came up when we decided to partner to plant a church in West Philly. In fact, I’d say that it was a given that Tenth’s leaders did not expect CLF’s worship to resemble theirs. Or did they? Let me think. . . On second thought I take that back. They tricked me! Tenth led me to believe our worship style could be significantly different but secretly expected that in time we would look like them. Like Tenth we begin with a call to worship from scripture. That’s followed by a couple of songs which usually include at least one hymn. True we might sing them a bit differently, (repeat a verse or two, sing the chorus a couple of times and clap our hands in praise once the song is over) but make no mistake; whether it’s Ah Holy Jesus, All Praise To Christ, Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder or Leaning On The Everlasting Arms the songs remain the same. We follow that with a couple of scripture readings, a pastoral prayer, offering and sermon. And we even do a hymn of the month before the message!

Would someone familiar with Tenth’s worship mistake us for them? Probably not. But as my cousin once told me (she of the grand old COGIC) “ya’ll not a black church�. Was I mortified to hear that statement? Should I have run down to the nearest corner and turned my ‘In West Philadelphia born and raised’ black card in? What about all those black people who love and cherish the rich heritage and tradition of the black church? Aren’t we turning our backs on them? I don’t think so. Having grown up not to far from the area where we now serve and worship I can tell you that there wasn’t then nor is there now a shortage of black churches of all stripes. And to top it all off the church we use for worship (an old PCUSA church) was so strapped for cash that after we’d been there about five years sharing the building with them they rented it out to two other black churches. And just so I’d be up close and personal with God’s sovereignty one of the them is your traditional, foot stomping, really nice clothes wearing, sing your lungs out, pastor must hoop each and every Sunday church. The other is the more standard health and wealth variety. There the pastor (since they have no musicians) plays recorded music loud enough to be heard in D.C., and quietly shovels his weekly dose of heresy to those willing to listen. Trust me the good folks of West Philly have plenty to choose from when it comes to traditional or neo-liberal heretical black churches. Furthermore it’s very unlikely that I’ll ever out hoop Rev. Jenkins.

I’ve highlighted these comedies of God’s gracious sovereignty to encourage us to begin moving past viewing ourselves as the forever BLACK church and moving toward being God’s people who first and foremost identify with Christ and His imperative to spread godliness throughout world by making disciples (that is, active followers of Jesus Christ) of people from all (yeah dawg that will include white people too) ethnicities. We must stop viewing the black church as the vehicle by which black people will finally attain the holy grail of social equality so that we can move far into the burbs, enslave ourselves in debt to live the ‘American Dream’ and then watch our kids descend into the debauchery that characterizes the burbs even though it’s not featured on the nightly news.

But what about white people and the white evangelical church? They have a culture and you can bet (in a hypothetical sort of way) your bottom dollar that neither the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church nor the historic Capital Hill Baptist Church has any intention of ever changing their church culture to accommodate black folk. So what? What about white people? Last time I checked (and I have a bible software program with 18 different translations) Jesus declared that He had all authority so that we’re directly accountable to Him and responsible to carry out His mandate, not that of our culture.

Finally, any ineffectiveness we detect within the black church to connect with and disciple black folks today has little or nothing to do with our style of worship. Does that mean we should try and look like somebody else just to be reformed? May it never be!
However neither does it mean that we’re necessarily duty bound to replicate every aspect of ’Down Home Church of God in Christ Baptist AME Zion Temple’.

For Christ, His Church and the Truth
Lance Lewis

Comments

Lionel Woods

December 18, 2007

Hello Pastor Lewis. I have stated that this issue is of constant tension. How do I embrace the richness of Reformed Theology and all it offers, without "selling out" so to say. Many times we (blacks) blieve that we have to run to these specific churches in order to be faithful to the Reformed Tradition. I don't think that is the case. So let me ask this question to the brethern: Should a person leave their traditional church (with all of its hangups) and flee to a Reformed Church (which most likely means White Church) or should they stay and buckle down and employ their gifts where they are? Which takes precedent? Reformed Theology or Cultural Awareness (this is only for those of us who have no Black and Reformed Churches in driveable distance)? 1

pastor lance

December 18, 2007

yo brother Lionel and my other black reformed diaspora. that's a great question. that might depend. for example can you employ your teaching gifts to teach scripture from a reformed (biblical) perspective? on the other hand what kind of reformed church would you go to? my time at Tenth and other reformed churches have taught me that I would not have felt welcomed nor would I had wanted to be apart of any number of reformed churches. in the end brother I can't give a definite answer on way or the other as each situation is different. but since you asked all other things being considered it may be wise to remain with the traditional church. but while waiting actively seek and pray for other reformed churches to begin near you. 2

Lionel Woods

December 19, 2007

I currently belong to a Bible Church (with an awesome pastoral team), but some of the doctrine (the dispensational stuff, and that I embrace all of the Doctrines of Grace)I don't agree with. I think that is where the tension begins for me. However, my other options are a Sovereign Grace Church or a Reformed Baptist Church (home church) both of which are predominately white; however, I think I probably can get the training necessary to do what I would love to do. I guess I will take you up on your recommendation. That is to pray. There are a couple of solid guys at Southwestern right now (I think they are in their first semesters) and hopefully they will decide to plant a reformed church upon graduation. God bless and thanks. 3

LouLove

December 20, 2007

Hey Brother-Man: Well said Pastor Lance, and by the way ease up on the well dressed part, some thangs you gotta have. "Finally, any ineffectiveness we detect within the black church to connect with and disciple black folks today has little or nothing to do with our style of worship." That comment is on point and you were being kind. The ineffectiveness of the Black Church has nothing to do with our style of worship, it has everything to do with bad theology and no gospel. (see Thabiti's "Decline") 4

Irwyn

January 05, 2008

Dbl L, I'm late on the draw in responding, but you've nailed it bro! Dbl I 5

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