Dr Asangba Tzudir
It would not be wrong to say that in recent years worship has increasingly taken on the character of fashion. What was once an inward act of submission, reverence, humility, and spiritual discipline is now often displayed as an outward performance shaped by trends, modern aesthetics, and how social norms and society have come to approve often ‘blaming’ on the ways of the world. While worship is a deeply personal encounter with God or the divine, many a time it is carefully curated and designed for visibility and validation.
The rise of social media platforms has significantly influenced this transformation. The very text of worship changes the moment it is to be shown live through social media platforms. Worship gatherings are ‘filtered’, photographed, and uploaded for live viewing. It is then that the focus in very subtle ways shifts from the very act of worship to the ‘presentation’ of worship. And to fit the presentation, attires becomes stylish or uniformed, lighting becomes more dramatic, music and songs have to be professionally composed with scores, and then choreographed gestures which create an atmosphere that feels more like a concert than a sacred gathering. It also creates a threshold where it can even be said that it is the becoming of refined worship. The external forms are thus given more emphasis and become more important than the internal disposition. So, when worship becomes outwardly ‘fashionable,’ the very essence and meaning of worship risks being overshadowed by spectacle.
Taking the case of choir singing, traditionally, choirs existed to lead congregations in collective devotional singing. The purpose was to connect with the meaning of the song even as harmony was churned out in spiritual unity. However, in many contexts today, choir singing can unintentionally become a platform for displaying vocal talent, stage presence, uniform designs, which may overshadow the central purpose of glorifying the divine especially when worship services are ‘presented’ live.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with presentation and excellence in music, the case of organized praise and worship is such that when worship leaders are treated like celebrities and the congregation becomes an audience rather than participants, there is subtle shift in the focus. The lighting may dramatise the stage, the instruments may give the effect, and which will really generate emotions but it is not always equal to spiritual depth. It surely creates excitement but there is a danger of mistaking it with spiritual transformation. The challenge therefore is to preserve the real intention of worship when expressions of worship become elaborate and directed towards enhancing the act of singing that makes it a presentation.
The shift is also greatly influenced by the deepening consumer culture. Churches and religious groups sometimes feel pressured to ‘upgrade’ their worship style to remain relevant or to fit into the template of the changing times. From high-quality sound systems to varied musical instruments, from fashionable clothing to trending songs, and where performances that goes viral become markers of spiritual vitality and public validation. Worship then loses its essence when it is evaluated not by its capacity to create deeper relationship with God or the divine where one submits the ‘self’ in humility and spiritual discipline, but by its performance quality and popularity.
Music has always played a powerful role in spiritual life. It not only unites voices but touches and connects hearts. When choir singing, and praise and worship sessions invoke participation rather than performance, worship regains its real essence. Beauty and aesthetics are not necessarily enemies. One essential question remains: Is singing intended to be seen or singing to surrender? When worship becomes primarily about fashion and presentation emphasizing on the outlook, or social validation, it risks losing its core sacredness. True worship does not lie in the applause but in its connectedness with the divine that remains long after the music stops.
Archbishop William Temple defined worship as, “the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of the conscience by his holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose—all this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.” Times changes, so do perception and understanding and the way we look at things, but if worship is practiced with such integrity as elucidated by Archbishop William in the community of God’s people, then, worship will be the most powerful tool of evangelism in today’s culture.
(Dr. Asangba Tzudir contributes a weekly guest editorial for The Morung Express. Comments can be emailed to asangtz@gmail.com).
