Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
While there may GENERALLY be ethnic and racial differences in the style of worship, the point is the heart, not the skin of the worshipers. Also, keep in mind that many white congregations today worship in a charismatic/Pentecostal style, and some Black congregations are liturgical or traditional in worship style. Moreover, more and more congregations, are multiethnic.
I have been an Episcopalian most of my life and also a proud liberal. The Episcopal Church represents the best of theological and liturgical practice of any denomination. We are a diverse
group of Christians that are committed to social justice and encouraging divergent points of view!
You will find "high church" as well as "low church" parishes throughout the Episcopal Church. The
primary reason for the architectural splendor of so many of our parishes is that Episcopalians, have by and large, been more wealthy and philanthropic than other denominations! We may be for the most part, politically progressive, but majority of Episcopalians love our prayer book and the rituals and traditions that separate us from the rest of Christianity! If you find spiritual consolation with the praise bands, speaking in tongues, singing and clapping, then the Episcopal Church is not going to fulfill your spiritual needs. I love the processions with the acolytes, choir and the priests wearing the beautiful vestments and celebrating the Holy Eucharist! There is nothing more sacred and beautiful then attending an Episcopal mass!
The IFB denomination is the only conservative church I've been to that's still completely traditional. There are a lot of middle of the road conservative churches that combine contemporary praise worship with traditional hymns, but the OP is right, for the most part the most traditional worship services happen in liberal churches.
Do you believe this make the liberal churches right because they have traditional type worship? In other words, are liberal churches more Biblically correct?
Historically, Evangelical and Conservative churches have tended to attract people from the lower classes. A good example is the Methodist Church, which broke away from The Church of England. Originally, the Methodist Church was a holiness church (the United Methodist Church of today is completely different,and a mainline Church) but much preaching was directed at factory worker and coal miners who were quite familiar with pub and drinking songs, the melody of which was kept, and the lyrics changed to Christian lyrics.
Today I think that fundamentalist churches are repeating this approach and are using contemporary music and worship to draw in people with a shorter attention span.
The trendy music also serves to divert attention away from some very harsh and socially conservative messages.
Do you believe this make the liberal churches right because they have traditional type worship? In other words, are liberal churches more Biblically correct?
What does the Bible say about "traditional type worship"?
I think it's because conservative churches tend to evangelize more, and therefore feel that they need to shed tradition to appeal to those who aren't familiar with church traditions.
Personally, I'm pretty conservative, but I prefer liturgical worship. I love the creeds, the vestments and the church calendar. However the Episcopal church is a little too liberal for me, and I disagree with some Catholic teachings. So I just stick with the contemporary churches. It's okay though. Whatever glorifies Jesus is good in my book.
Interesting subject! I was raised in a very fundamentalist Baptist church where free-form worship, spontaneous expression and modern music was the norm. It was extremely conservative when it came to the Bible and social norms. When I married into the Lutheran church, I found the worship very catholic, formal and traditional but the views on the Bible and church teachings to be more liberal. Our bishops speak out against any war, defend strongly the poor and also have a very compassionate outlook on gays. I know there are Lutherans who are very conservative in their politics but also worship very traditional. So there are exceptions. Also the Roman Catholic church is fairly conservative but also very liturgical. I think the most liberal Christians tend to come from very traditional worship backgrounds which seems almost a contradiction.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
