The Influence of Culture on
Worship Practices
Worship never
occurs in a vacuum but in a resident culture. “Although God exists totally
outside of culture…God chooses the cultural milieu in which humans are immersed
as the arena for his interaction with people.”[1] While
similarities have emerged from the Biblical and historical patterns, worship forms
will change with each succeeding generation and from one place to another.
Worship should always reflect the culture of the ones who are worshipping. “Broadly
speaking, the style of worship reflects culture.”[2] If
worship does not identify with or relate to that culture, then the content will
not be meaningful and the experience will not be effective.[3]
To us today, this
is most commonly expressed in the preferred worship styles (traditional,
contemporary, blended, etc.) in the congregation. But culture influences much
more than just musical tastes. “The Old Testament reveals varying emphases in
worship in different periods in Israel’s
history, while the New Testament unveils varying approaches to worship based on
different locations and cultures.”[4] Initially
the early church bore the mark of Jewish influence because it grew out of that
culture. As the gospel spread to the Gentile world, aspects of worship as well
as church life were increasingly shaped by that newer influence.
The New Testament
does not dictate the outward forms of how or prescribe the places of where
God’s people should worship. Those criteria became less important as the church
moved outward. As the makeup of the church diversified, so did the manner in
which they expressed their allegiance to Christ in worship forms.[5]
Even the pattern of worship seen by some in Acts 2:42, which was followed and
advocated for centuries, eventually gave way to changes within the prevalent
culture.[6]
This is as it
should be. The indigenous cultures in which the church is planted and grows
should contribute to the content and manner of worship. The inhabitants of each
culture offer something uniquely their own in how they express themselves in
worship. “God can inspire and speak through every
culture, every language, and every music system, regardless of
whether persons outside of that culture have an aesthetic response to it. To
deny this is to deny the universality of God.”[7] Such
diversity is a reflection of a creative God. For this reason, the imposition of
European/western architecture, congregational structure, and worship styles
(including our hymns and choruses) displaces the uniqueness which each culture
contributes to the body of Christ.
As Douglas Hayward
comments:
“…the most ethnocentric practice in the
world has been the forced replication of Western church services. Western
worship patterns, translations of Western hymns and monologic preaching are the
standard fare in churches all around the globe. A contextualized Gospel on the
other hand requires that worship be performed in a manner that truly excites
and elicits adoration, praise, submission and obedience to Almighty God.
Contextualized worship, therefore, may have to move outside the confines of a
church building, spend more time in singing and dancing than in preaching,
incorporate new liturgies or rituals that speak to the needs of a people that
evoke prayer times and confessionals and would speak to the deepest needs of
the human spirit.”[8]
When this writer
visited the Philippines
and worshipped in Manila over 30 years ago, he was
amazed that the congregational songs, accompanied by a church organ, were all
imported from the USA!
Indigenous songs, instruments and other religious expressions identifying the
uniqueness of the Filipino culture were glaringly absent from the experience.
Fortunately, that pattern is changing. “The desire to track and connect with
one’s ethnic roots, including indigenous melodies, rhythms and instruments, has
grown enormously” in recent years.[9]
Corporate worship
varies with every culture, even within the same denomination. Interviews with
ministry leaders for this project confirmed the writer’s experiences through field
visits to each setting. The place of worship may be in a home or open courtyard
or under a shade tree in the absence of a separate building dedicated for
worship. Once completed, that special building may be constructed of brick or
concrete block or mud or bamboo and banana leaves. Worshipers in Haiti may sit
on narrow benches while their brethren in Brazil sit on white plastic chairs.
Worshipers in our churches in India
and Bangladesh—in
keeping with their custom—will most often sit on the floor. It is also a
characteristic of their Indian subcontinent culture for men and women to be
seated on separate sides of the room.
When a building
does exist, the décor of that facility will also vary. Most churches in India and Bangladesh will
have a simple cross on the wall and a table and chair up front. (The pastor
sits when he preaches.) Navajo facilities may be adorned with Native American
and Christian artwork. Brazilian churches will feature Christian drawings or
paintings. In contrast, crosses, statues or other symbols are absent from
Haitian church buildings to avoid the symbolism associated with the Roman
Catholic church and voodoo.
This writer has
always been impressed with how people of other cultures prepare for worship. It
is common for Hispanic, and often Brazilian, worshipers to kneel at their
pew/chair for prayer prior to being seated. Customs in India and Bangladesh
dictate that worshipers enter the church building barefoot with shoes left
outside (as when they enter their home, school, etc.). Being clean and dressing
in one’s best clothes also symbolizes preparation for worship in most of these
cultures. That contrasts with the growing trend in North American culture to
“dress down” and be more casual in appearance.
Vibrant worship is
the norm in both Haitian and Brazilian worship. Congregational songs are loud,
highly emotional, repititious and exuberantly sung. Hand clapping and raising
one’s hands in testimony are common during the singing. Haitians commonly sway
their bodies as they sing their praises. Brazilian churches often have female
interpretative dance teams which accompany some songs. While the people in
Indian and Bangladeshi culture enjoy singing, a celebrative spirit is not as
common. People there historically have been more reserved in worship as a sign
of their respect and reverence for the Lord. Navajo worship tends to provide a
balance between reverence and celebration. Spoken testimonies are also a
valuable part of their worship experience. This would also be true in Brazilian
churches.
A variety of
musical instruments accompany church singing in these cultures. Brazilian and
Navajo churches utilize guitars, keyboard, and drums. When electricity is
available, Haitian churches use a keyboard, along with drums, accordion and
brass instruments. This writer has visited mountain churches in Haiti where the
only instrument was a piece of iron suspended from a rafter that was struck
with a metal rod in time with the beat of the song. Typical instruments in
Indian and Bangladeshi churches include such native instruments as the
harmonium (a portable reed organ) and drums.
The majority of
Haitian Christians own their own hymnal. The Chants D’Esperance is used by most evangelical Haitians throughout
their homeland and in the United
States. It includes French and Creole
sections of songs. Bengali and tribal worshipers in India and Bangladesh use
a Bengali hymnal (when available). Many of the songs are Bengali translations
of English-speaking hymns, but Bangla and native language songs are also
commonplace. In Brazil,
few of our believers can afford the Cantor
Christao, so projected transparencies have replaced hymnals in most of our
churches. Choruses are learned through repetition and mixed with hymns sung in
Brazilian Portuguese. Navajo churches may also sing from projected words—some
in English while others in traditional Navajo language.
Different cultures
tend to focus on different members of the Trinity in their worship service.
Haitians focus more on Christ and the Spirit. Navajo and Brazilian seem to
emphasize the Holy Spirit more, whereas God the Father and His Son Jesus are
the central focus in Indian and Bangladeshi churches. This is not to suggest
that the other person(s) of the Trinity are ignored but just not emphasized as
much.
More formal
western European forms of worship continue to influence the Indian and Bangladeshi
church context. The service usually includes the following: songs, various kinds of prayers, scripture
readings (from both the Old and New Testament), a Psalm read responsively, the
offering, a message, and benediction. Unlike worship in the other cultures
surveyed, the Lord’s Prayer is prayed every Sunday in Indian and Bangladeshi
churches. Churches in a Brazilian and Navajo cultures tend to be less formal
and more revivalistic with altar calls given at the conclusion of the worship.
Haitian worship is also less complex with the majority of the time given to
singing, prayer and the message. In Navajo, Brazilian and Haitian worship,
believers may be encouraged to pray aloud as a group.
In regard to time,
churches in other cultures are less bound by the clock than our own North
American culture. The length of worship services in India and Bangladesh is
brief compared to others. There the service typically lasts 75-90 minutes. In
Navajo, Brazilian, and Haitian culture, worship often continues for two to
three hours or more. The pastor can usually preach as long as he wishes.
The Lord’s Supper
is practiced in these churches with varying degrees of frequency. Among Navajo
churches, it is not often practiced. In India and Haiti, it is
done once a month. In Bangladesh
and Brazil,
it is every three months. Communion is only for baptized members in these four cultures.
It is a very solemn occasion whenever offered.
Despite
differences in worship among these cultures, each of them agrees that worship
is primarily for the gathered Christians. Evangelistic opportunities may exist
at the conclusion of the service in Haitian, Brazilian, or Navajo churches, but
the primary focus is for the person already a professing believer. The worship
strengthens them and deepens their faith through the word, prayers, and praise.
The fellowship with other believers also offers a much anticipated
encouragement to them.
Wherever
Christians exist, we also form a culture with its own language. One vital question
is: how does our church culture relate to other cultures? At least four
responses are appropriate and necessary. (1)The church must have elements that
are trans-cultural or valid wherever the church exists. This includes
certain elements of worship (such as gathering, prayer, proclaiming the word)
as well as crucial beliefs (Jesus is Lord, God is alive and active, believers
are people of God, etc.) (2) The church must also be contextual. It is
incarnational wherever it is located. (3) The church must be counter-cultural
in that it challenges cultural trends from Scripture. (4)The church must be cross-cultural,
united to and accepting of other Christians regardless of their location or
ethnic origin or generation.[10]
(to be continued....)
[1] Charles
Kraft, “Ancient and Modern: Church Music and the Culture Gap,” by Martin Wroe, The Third Way (August 1985), 22
[2] Robert
Webber, “Blended Worship,” Exploring the
Worship Spectrum—6 Views, 182.
[3]
Rognlien, 168.
[4] Basden,
15.
[5] Piper,
222.
[6] Webber, Exploring the Worship Spectrum, 182.
[7] Frank
Fortunato with Paul Neeley and Carol Brinneman, All the World is Singing:
Glorifying God through the Worship Music of the Nations (Tyrone, GA: Authentic Publishing, 2006), 56.
[8] Douglas
Hayward, “Measuring Contextualization in Church and Missions,” International Journal of Frontier Missions,
Vol. 12:3 July-September, 1995, p. 135.
[9]Frank Fortunato, xiii.
[10]
Kreider, 27 March 2007.
