But the idea's been catching like wildfire, and friends have emailed me directly about such links. So here's my attempt to shine the light of biblical truth on the Liturgist group. Here's an attempt to poke holes in its foundation. Here's my contribution to uphold the banner of Truth above this chaotic worldview and reveal the cobwebs and loopholes in this new movement. If this post can increase discernment in my readers, if this post can promote God's truth, then my goal's been accomplished.
So before I go any farther, I recommend checking out and reading the Liturgist's website {http://www.theliturgists.com} You may be surprised to see the list of Christian bands and artists who are part of spreading Christian heresy.
Let's start by dissecting their values, found at: http://www.theliturgists.com/manifesto/
1. Beauty- "We believe that beauty is the heart and perhaps primary truth of the Gospel. If it's not beautiful, it's not worth speaking of or working on."
Where is this concept found in Scripture? How has the Gospel become so decentralized that it fails to focus on God's glory and goodness and love? God is the center of the Gospel. The Gospel glorifies God. It reveals His power over sin and death, His love towards such undeserving sinners, His righteousness and justice in fulfilling the payment of sin (death). The cross glorified God in bringing sinners to salvation, emphasizing man's utter depravity and God's grace. God is beautiful, of course, because He is perfectly good. But beauty was not Jesus' goal. He wasn't beaten and stripped and tortured and killed for beauty. He died for God's glory, that the Lord of all might be glorified in the victory over sin and death and the salvation of sinners.
Skipping over #2 to #3 in their manifesto...
3. Unity - "The Liturgists is made up of people with varying thoughts, philosophies and theologies, and we seek to integrate our diversity into a healthy unity. While we have no desire to cater or pander to worldviews that are destructive, we do seek the good in every perspective and believe that all human beings are connected to each other and the Cosmos at large, and that a deep sense of unity ought to trump any differences that we create with one another."
I'd like to first point out the concept of Pantheism that pervades this mentality. That all human beings are connected to each other and the Cosmos (note the capital C) is quite equivalent to saying God is in all of us and all of nature, or that we are all one with nature. In Romans 1, the Bible specifically warns against the danger of worshipping creation, rather than the Creator. Creation is not equivalent with the Creator, in the same way as a painting is vastly different from its painter. Scripture emphasizes this by describing God as the holy Creator of a fallen creation. Also, mankind is not equivalent with God. Simply listing God's attributes (omniscience, omnipotence, holiness, etc.) and comparing them to the limited, finite nature of man should suffice to disregard this argument. Lastly, man is not equal with nature. We were created in the image of God as stewards of creation to take care of nature.
I'd also like to emphasize the universalist and postmodernist mentality diluted and hidden within this third point. "Seeking the good in every perspective" essentially embraces the good in all religions, rejecting the absolutes of Christianity and believing truth can be found in every worldview. When in reality, there is an absolute Truth and all other religions and worldviews are distortions and lies of that perfect Truth. When all other beliefs are roads leading to a hell away from God and everything true and beautiful. The Liturgist movement digresses from the Truth found only in the Word of God and accepts all other beliefs in the name of tolerance.
4. Christian Theology - "Atlhough we value people of all beliefs, the Liturgists is decidedly Christian in practice. We see exceptional value in the life and teachings of Jesus, and while we may experiment with influences and ideas from multiple traditions, we find it useful to utilize specifically Christian language and sacrament for the purpose of creating good liturgical experiences."
The life and teachings of Jesus are not just valuable. He was not simply a "good person" who taught "good things." He was either the Son of God who deserves to be worshipped as Lord, or else a liar or a lunatic. And this just saddens me to no avail. That Christians, Christians in the church and music industry, glaze over the main root of Jesus' teachings. Christ emphasized our depravity and need of salvation, which only comes through belief, repentance, and surrender. And Jesus' words were fighting words, not simply "good words" or words with moral value, but words that still demand and invoke a response.
The last part of the statement irritates me. "Good liturgical experiences?" Like emotional heartpulls or Pentecostal babblings? These Liturgists are employing the Truth found in Christianity and manipulating it for their own "experiences". And that makes me mad. Indignant that they should be so presumptuous to play with the Truth and extort it into something they find "more beautiful" than knowing God Himself through the Holy Scriptures. When Christ is enough to satisfy us completely.
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If you've read this far, visit this link: http://www.theliturgists.com/god-our-mother/ and listen to tracks 3-5.
In response to track 3, "God Our Mother," God teaches us to address Him as "our Father" in Scripture. Believers are taught to pray to Him as our Father in heaven. Referring to Jesus as our Father brings to mind the protection, care, provision, control, leadership, discipline, authority, and love of God. Though the Bible does use feminine forms to address wisdom or Jesus, when He longed to gather Jerusalem and His people together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, God wants us to address Him as our Father. And we do so, out of respect and obedience to God Himself.
Meditation, as found in Eastern religions, filled with emptied minds and inner peace, is not a viable activity for Christians. God commands us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. We are not to worship in any way we feel like, but to worship correctly according to what we know of God through Scripture. In this way, we do not misinterpret Scripture or create our own "truths," but we worship God in accordance with who He really is and what He wants from us.
Additionally, meditation results in emptied minds, while the Bible generates minds filled with Scriptural truth, thoughts that are excellent, noble, and pure. Christianity is a religion of discernment, preaching vigilance in our hearts and minds. We must take every thought captive, testing and measuring worldviews and ideas according to Scripture. Christianity demands us to think and to think well. And so Christians must be on guard against the corrupt teachings of this world and our own sinful minds. Emptying our minds only lowers our defenses to the blasphemies and lies of the world.
So, to conclude a rather long and hurriedly written post, the Liturgists have no place in Christianity. Their claims and manipulations of biblical truth should be a warning to us to increase our awareness and knowledge of Scripture, that we might obtain discernment and wisdom in dealing with the philosophies of the world. For we fight a battle not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil and wolves in sheep's clothing.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience."
{2 Corinthians 10:3-6}
