Relevant Christian Rock Rituals

How have Christian churches responded to the pervasive ritualistic culture of rock concerts?


Rituals provide places of safety in which individuals can access and play with the sacred. Although normally associated with baptisms, Bot Mitzvas, and funerals, rituals can also take the form of concerts and raves. In many ways, concerts have served more ritualistic purposes than church services of late, by providing "the possibility for fulfillment and transcendence individually and with others" that many churches have lacked (Laderman, 39).


The few churches, like Hillsong, that have adapted their ritualistic processes to meet the current culture have been critiqued as having thin theological practices and being opaque in their beliefs. Hillsong itself provides a Christian rock concert vibe, and “In sensory stimulation, Hillsong’s productions rival any other contemporary form of entertainment" (Paulson). It is this ritual change that has not only drawn tens of thousands of people to its churches around the world, but has enabled Hillsong to share other Christian rituals with thousands of people who have never heard of God. In this way, Hillsong’s ritualistic concert services have become a “prosperity movement for the millennials” that have converted rock fans, hipsters, and celebrities, like Justin Bieber, alike into Hillsong groupies and have brought relevance back to Christian rituals (Paulsong). This freedom and love that Hillsong provides in its concerts has opened the world of Christianity back up to people seeking the "sacred source of religious life" in music that has been devoid of so many Christian churches of late (Laderman, 24).





Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/us/hillsong-megachurch-with-a-beat-lures-a-young-flock.html?_r=0