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January 2002, Page 8 (bottom).
Index of articles.
Questions:
index,
Harry Potter,
God after 11.9,
Healing,
Special needs,
Choruses,
Common cup.
In this issue:
(January 2002)
Vicar's Letter,
On the web,
Jelleys,
Electoral Roll,
Question,
Question.
In our "Questions to the clergy" slot, John will try to answer any query you throw at him, without hesitation, deviation or repetition...
Repetitious choruses
Q. Why do we have to have these modern choruses which repeat the same thing over and over again? We’re not children!
A. I think there are three reasons why we have to have them:
1. Some of us like them, and the church has to be about providing worship for a wide range of tastes.
2. They often teach simple truths, and as such are particularly suitable for children and younger Christians - and we need to be sure that newcomers can latch on to at least some parts of the service.
3. They are about emotions, and our worship has to engage with emotions as well as reason.
Interestingly, many Christians find the repetitiveness of traditional services, in which we do the same things in the same order every week, just as puzzling and childish as you find choruses. We need both hymns and choruses in worship, and to learn to appreciate the ways other Christians tick.
John Hartley