Oasis Chorale dancing

[joshuabgood]

Fundamentally, I’m not a fan of the touring Christian singing group phenomenon in the first place. I don’t think is really squares well with the concept of worship. And I guess the further out there into performance land it gets, the less I think it is appropriate.

What if it wasn't cast as a worship service but an artistic expression. Would that make a difference? I don't care for casting them as church meetings. I'd rather just acknowledge it is a celebration of art primarily, some songs are sacred, some.may not be. The inspiration toward the divine flows from the art.

Or is your objection deeper than that?

[Judas Maccabeus]

Is this what JohnH is referring to?

Although I find the movements a bit weird, I wouldn't say it is dancing.

Some of you all call this "dancing?" Well, you have never seen dancing.

[barnhart]

Fundamentally, I’m not a fan of the touring Christian singing group phenomenon in the first place. I don’t think is really squares well with the concept of worship. And I guess the further out there into performance land it gets, the less I think it is appropriate.

What if it wasn't cast as a worship service but an artistic expression. Would that make a difference? I don't care for casting them as church meetings. I'd rather just acknowledge it is a celebration of art primarily, some songs are sacred, some.may not be. The inspiration toward the divine flows from the art.

Or is your objection deeper than that?

We try to have Sunday evening song service with sister churches once per quarter. It is a well attended event, people will come who otherwise never attend any church. On occasion Muslims and Jews will attend, I suspect partly because the joy is contagious and partly because the art of music breaks down barriers making it less intimidating than regular church.

[R7ehr]

Fundamentally, I’m not a fan of the touring Christian singing group phenomenon in the first place. I don’t think is really squares well with the concept of worship. And I guess the further out there into performance land it gets, the less I think it is appropriate.

What if it wasn't cast as a worship service but an artistic expression. Would that make a difference? I don't care for casting them as church meetings. I'd rather just acknowledge it is a celebration of art primarily, some songs are sacred, some.may not be. The inspiration toward the divine flows from the art.

Or is your objection deeper than that?

I am not 100% against all performance and all entertainment. I did get up and sing a silly little song (non-worship, non-Christian) with my 10 year old daughter at a family reunion this month, because she wanted me to. So I would see a technical difference between performative worship, and simple performance. However, I am not wholly without concern/objection to embracing performance as a culture. I leave a little more space for children, and I tend to view it as something that "when I became a man, I put away childish things". Another aspect that I don't like is the "come sit there while I show off to you" taste of performance. I don't know that there is any problem with people sitting in the grass, watching the church people play a game of softball. But I think we do much better when we eschew things that feed love for attention. Why should we play the jester?

At the same time, I certainly have no interest, in chasing down this rabbit trail to the nth degree, and get to the place where my 6 year old isn't permitted to pretend he is a bear, or discourage my 4 year old from saying "Dad, watch me!" as he jumps off of something. That doesn't seem like a very healthy place to arrive at either, and I don't think that Jesus would crack down on children doing these things.

And yet, like I said, I did it at the reunion. And plenty of people that I go to church with would have a much more positive view on these things. In fact I recognize a few people in the Oasis video who I know. And I'm certain that some in my own family have sung on Oasis in the past. So I have to sort of assume that maybe there is some aspect that I'm not weighing completely, and I have to submit to it.

[JohnH]

A good side effect of this might be that plainer groups will stop letting Oasis come around.

Why is it a good thing if Oasis stops coming around?

Because at this point they are a medium of liberal-progressive influence.

[JohnH]

Is this what JohnH is referring to?

Although I find the movements a bit weird, I wouldn't say it is dancing.

No, it’s not like that. Unfortunately, the livestream from last night seems to have failed and was not uploaded. (This is a new program and I can’t find any videos of it online.)

It caused enough of a stir that people at that church I don’t think of as really all that conservative were a bit concerned about it.

I don’t expect the least conservative aligned people to be bothered at all. I expect the more conservative groups to question about inviting Oasis next time. The groups on the edge (moderate conservatives in my opinion) will be uncomfortable with it but will invite them back.

[Grace]

Another aspect that I don't like is the "come sit there while I show off to you" taste of performance.

Profound words R7ehr. I agree. And I might add the singing of classical songs no one heard of appears so show offy. It seems that various groups attempt to outdo each other with so many unknown songs. We have many hymnbooks filled with wonderful songs and hymns, but what are these groups singing? Sometimes, strange and weird songs, by unknown composers.

There was a very conservative church group that sang at the retirement facility one of my parents was at, and they stood up front and sang many hymns and instead of doing the "show off" thing they asked everyone to sing with them. Everyone loved it.

[Ernie]

There was a very conservative church group that sang at the retirement facility one of my parents was at, and they stood up front and sang many hymns and instead of doing the "show off" thing they asked everyone to sing with them. Everyone loved it.

This is how most conservatives used to do it and still do it.

[R7ehr]

Another aspect that I don't like is the "come sit there while I show off to you" taste of performance.

Profound words R7ehr. I agree. And I might add the singing of classical songs no one heard of appears so show offy. It seems that various groups attempt to outdo each other with so many unknown songs. We have many hymnbooks filled with wonderful songs and hymns, but what are these groups singing? Sometimes, strange and weird songs, by unknown composers.

There was a very conservative church group that sang at the retirement facility one of my parents was at, and they stood up front and sang many hymns and instead of doing the "show off" thing they asked everyone to sing with them. Everyone loved it.

We sang at a retirement facility yesterday afternoon, although I'm not sure that we are a "very" conservative church group.
I think that I could support a singing tour group who invited the audience to sing along in worship with every song.

[barnhart]

How convinced are we that God needs people to stand very still when they sing.