From my work on a campus with tens of thousands of 18 through 30 year olds, from lots of conversations with young people who care about religion and spirituality, I have a sobering report to offer my fellow progressive Christian pastors and lay church leaders. Over and over, I hear the same sort of thing from students who are church shopping: "I go to evangelical churches and hear cool music and experience lively, engaging worship, but the punch-line of the message is old-fashioned, right-wing, literalist theology. I go to progressive churches and listen to dull music with old-fashioned lyrics in boring worship with a lot of old people, but the preaching is up-to-date, pluralistic, open-minded, and creative. Where can I find lively worship with progressive content?" There is a big and growing population of young people who are attracted to Christianity but can't find churches that meet their needs. Will progressive churches rise to the challenge and change their worship habits, in order to serve this emerging demographic group?
For some time, I have been re-writing old hymns with new lyrics that keep the faith but drop the dogma, words that re-energize and re-interpret the Christian tradition. (You'll see several in my latest book, BIRDLIKE AND BARNLESS, which you can order from the "store" at www.tcpc.org .) Putting fresh words to the old tunes that are familiar to older folks in our churches is a step in the right direction, but to reach younger people who have no sentimental attachments to those tunes, we need an ever-fresh body of new, singable music in our worship.
Here are my latest lyrical contributions to the cause: three progressive Christian "chant songs". Spread them freely - all I ask is attribution... I hope that some musically talented members of my readership will offer tunes for them!
Re-member, re-member, re-member me with you
With this bread, with this cup, re-member me with you
Re-member, re-member, re-member me with you
With this love, with this care, re-member me with you
Re-member, re-member, re-member me with you
On this day, in this hour, re-member me with you
JUST A PINCH by Jim Burklo
A pinch of yeast within the flour
A treasure hidden in the ground
We know not the day nor hour
When the pearl is finally found
Secrets held in mustard seeds
Salty grains give food its worth
All our small but loving deeds
Show your presence in the earth
YOURS THE PRAISE by Jim Burklo
Fire who burns inside the mountain
Earth who feeds the trees
Sea who sprays up like a fountain
Wind who sighs the leaves
You, the source of inspiration
You the beauty bring
Yours, the power in creation
Yours, the praise we sing
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PS to California friends:
I voted (absentee) on the May 19 election as follows: Yes on 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, and no on 1F. I think all of these propositions are seriously flawed - however, the first five of them are essential in order to avoid a budget catastrophe that would hurt the poorest people in the state. The last one, which would prevent pay increases for lawmakers in times of budget shortfalls, is meaningless in terms of its effect on the budget - it's just for show, and on grounds of principle I am against meaningless propositions. I believe that our state needs comprehensive fiscal reform, starting with a constitutional change that would roll back Proposition 13's requirement of a 2/3 majority to pass a budget or increase taxes in the legislature. We need a return to real democracy, with simple majority rule in the legislature. The second reform would be to make it much harder to put a proposition on the ballot, so that our legislature can do its job of crafting laws and passing budgets. California now has proven that minority rule and Athenian democracy by ballot initiative don't work in running a huge and complex state government. We need to empower our legislature fully to do its job on our behalf and then hold them fully accountable for the consequences. It won't be perfect but it will beat the mess we're in now.
