The Theatre of Church

I’m sorry, God but I don’t believe you’re turning up to churches at all.  Churches such as Hillsong and C3 have been growing at a fast rate and I believe it’s their theatrical worship that’s causing the growth.  Churches like to claim it’s God or his anointed teachers causing the growth but I don’t believe that for one minute. It’s the psychology of music that’s creating the fervour of worship, not God.

I read an open letter recently from a minister of a Brisbane church who was taken over by Hillsong. He described the training in “how to create the atmosphere” of a Hillsong church. Apparently God is more inclined to bless church with his presence when the lights are dimmed, the music’s loud and the pastor runs up to the stage rather than walks. Who’d have known that? It really makes you wonder what Moses got up to in the desert when God appeared as a burning bush. Moses must have really belted out some desert ditties that day.

I attended one of these theatrical churches last year and I was annoyed to hear music played throughout the service. After I got over the initial shock of witnessing one hundred people joining together to sing a song with lyrics I am nothing, I am nothing, I am nothing, without God I am nothing [repeat endlessly until your mind is completely numbed], I had to endure the keyboard playing through the whole sermon. (Unfortunately, it wasn’t loud enough to drown out the superficial plea for funding for God’s buildings.)  The guy on the keyboard just played a variety of chords to create a choral, mystical theatrical concept. I eventually began to wonder if the pianist had actually learned musicianship beyond a semibreve.  The whole effect appeared to be aimed at making the pastor’s words to be blessed or anointed, which is particularly vital if you’re asking for cold, hard cash from your church members.

Do churches think they have scored a massive win by building their churches around musical theatrics? I guess I can’t deny its capabilities. After all, Hillsong is a massive global empire based fundamentally on its music. Ironically, Hillsong’s music is so loud in church, members buy Hillsong ear muffs at the door for the little kiddies to avoid hearing damage. It’s still financially positive for Hillsong, isn’t it? Every baby born is an instant twenty bucks in their coffers.

There are many studies on the effect of music for humans, animals and plants. For the Western world, think about the music playing in all movies. The musical score is designed to make us feel the emotions portrayed in the plot and supported by the dialogue. Hear the violins played in a certain way when a couple kiss onscreen, hear a lone oboe or clarinet when an onscreen figure is experiencing an awakening and hear the full orchestral accompaniment when an onscreen character is triumphant. The music is integral to fully engaging the watcher in the emotional experience. Academy Awards are handed out to those composers capable of achieving excellence in this area.

Now, look at marketing techniques. An annoying jingle is designed to create a long term association with people in order to create sales. The theme song to a TV show tells you of the commencement of your favourite program so you sit down to watch. Don’t think the longstanding soundtrack for The Simpsons was created by a backroom music bandit. This was composed by Academy Award nominee composer, Danny Elfman, to ensure lounge rooms the world over recognise the theme song for twenty-odd years.

What does modern therapy do with music? There’s cognition therapies that utilise Mozart as an integral part of their program. According to the American Music Therapy Association, “Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.”  My own children have utilised music in their occupational therapy to address working memory and focused attention. I previously attended a conference on neurocognition which explored the importance of musical therapy for children with autism.

If you’re relaxed and you hear a song, do you almost involuntarily start tapping your foot or hand in time to the music or eventually start humming along? I know I do and I love watching it happen to others. Music really seems to have an effect on our bodies. We sing and whistle when we’re happy. I would hope church goers had the capability to recognise when they’re being manipulated by music.  Church attendees need to understand that it’s highly likely their “Holy Spirit presence” during Sunday worship is also present at the night club on the Saturday night where all the attendees there find the same rhythm too.

If these theatrical churches are truly the “house of God”, I challenge them to obtain the conviction of their audience through words alone or better yet, silence. Why do so many church services start and end with a song? At the start, it’s to put you in the mood for whatever’s going to happen next. At the end, it’s to reinforce the emotion of the sermon and send you on your way with an emotional experience. I challenge these so-called God-anointed leaders to allow their attendees to feel the truth of their church attendance without hijacking the psychology of music to sell their concept. After all, if the pastor’s message can’t stand alone without music, these churches aren’t offering anything of substance.