Several pastors I have worked with have remarked, with varying degrees of humor and exasperation, how rarely congregants seem to remember the content of their sermons. They have also named the felt struggle of inviting a community to the renewing of their minds in following Christ when this community is gathered for perhaps a few hours one day of the week, and the rest of the week is bombarded with constant messaging, advertising, and news stories apparently designed to fuel our demons, not summon our best selves: “How can a weekly church service compete with this environment inundated by greed, fear, anger, and injustice?”
These concerns are not limited to the age of the internet; they have been the challenge of ministry for a long, long time. It is worth recognizing that these forces are connected to economic models that seek to generate profit and power. The love of money is the root of each of these kinds of evil, and these voices clamor for our attention constantly. Directing our attention elsewhere and stepping outside the rushing current of the temptations Christ faced in the desert—toward consumption, influence, and possessions—is a central practice of discipleship and worship. This has remained true throughout the history of the church, but these age-old questions require fresh examination in our new media environment.
Just as previous communication technologies reshaped human relationships, institutions, and self-understanding, the internet has become a driving force in human society in recent decades. Our personal lives and our communities; the ways we communicate, share news, and do business; the challenges faced by institutions, governments, and nations; global economies and sociological changes affecting billions of people—all have been affected profoundly by the internet. To understand what churches are facing in regard to their music ministry online, it is crucial to begin with an understanding of some of these powerful currents and events.
I will begin this chapter by describing broader cultural impacts of the internet. I will continue by bringing philosophical and theological scholarship to bear on the significance of these changes. Once that groundwork is laid, I will focus more specifically on church music and the changes and challenges brought about in that sphere by the internet. Here I will share insights from personal interviews with scholars and ministry practitioners. Finally, I will synthesize and propose a way forward for church music, based on the content of this chapter.
Attention, Please!
Picture this scene: A dark room is lit by a slowly turning array of green stars. A blue spotlight illuminates a man wearing a white T-shirt and sunglasses, seated at a keyboard. He begins to play and sing:
Welcome to the Internet
Have a look around
Anything that brain of yours can think of can be found . . .
Could I interest you in everything?
All of the time?1
Bo Burnham’s 2021 Netflix comedy specialBo Burnham: Inside is a curious glimpse into the mind of a White, male, Millennial comedian who is hyperaware of and reflective on the oddities and perils of the internet.Inside was filmed by Burnham in his home, with no film crew or audience, over the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic
