This month in the Bay Area, two creative events are overlapping. Beside geography and timing, these gatherings share a bit more in common: Both are geared toward young Christian hipsters. Both have used internet-based social network sites almost exclusively in their promotion. Both charge a modest fee for an experience of style and substance. But that’s where the similarities end.
The first of these two events tells a common tale: Big-name worship leader/performer makes a stop in town for “a night of worship and rocking guitar”, hosted by a local church. The so-inclined can fork over 15 bucks to take part in this premium worship experience. But if you want a good seat, you can pay 100% up-charge for VIP tickets.
The event down the freeway, on the other hand, offers a very different experience. The Windrider Forum is a film festival put on by the Windrider Institute – a collaborative effort of a number of organizations, including Fuller Seminary. Their charter is to “intersect with a conversation already taking place in our culture” by engaging in dialogue of faith and spiritual themes through film and other media. A presence at Sundance since 2005, this month Windrider hosts its first Bay Area film festival. The festival presents a number of feature length and short films, as well as panel discussions with the filmmakers. These are not strictly “Christian” films, nor even necessarily films made by Christians, but rather stories containing what Windrider co-founder, Craig Detweiler, describes as “the hunger, the hurt, and the cries for justice, mercy and hope embedded within.”
Events like Windrider issue a challenge to the Church, raising the questions of, Where and how can we discover the voice of God? What do stories of sin and redemption look like? It is the challenge to recognize grace wherever we encounter it.
The questions raised by the Big Time Worship Concert are a little different: Why can’t my church have music as cool as this? What does it mean to be a Very Important Person at a worship event? Who are we worshipping anyway?
Worship as entertainment is a very dicey business. It’s not that concerts like this one can’t offer genuine experiences of the Holy. After all, even lavish buffets in Vegas will nourish you if you’re hungry. But at what cost? Apparently, 15 bucks a pop.
In an effort to drum up business the weeks before the concert, the host church’s website was pushing for ticket sales. In the end, their pitch might provide what turns out to be the most insightful comment on the issue of worshiptainment: “Hurry, we might sell out!”
Garrett Brown is a teaching pastor in Redwood City, California. His podcast, "Resonate," can be found on iTunes.