Theological Reflection on the Soul Survivor, 2006 In Spirit and In Truth

Transcription

1 Theological Reflection on the Soul Survivor, 2006 In Spirit and In Truth Soul Survivor is an international Christian organisation. They are well known for many things, including contemporary worship music, but the main part of the organisation s life is the summer conference that it runs each year. In 2006, approximately 25,000 1 delegates came as the conference was run over three 5-day weeks. The majority demographic for the conference is teenagers, whilst students and twenty-somethings have one of the weeks set aside for a smaller scale conference called Momentum. The combined event is the subject of this reflection. With this focus on younger people, there is a real sense of energy, fun and enthusiasm around the site. The majority of delegates are evidently Christians, and from a similar theological perspective. Soul Survivor falls into the charismatic evangelical wing of the church, and traces its roots through charismatic renewal in the Church of England, specifically the New Wine movement and the visit of John Wimber from the Vineyard churches to the UK. 2 As an organisation, they identify their priority as relationship: with God; with one another; with the world God loves. 3 In terms of relationship with God, their focus on the primary place of worship in the Christian life and the charismatic experience of the Holy Spirit are made quite clear. Three main things stand when out reflecting on the experience of worshipping at the conference. Firstly, the extent to which inculturation is achieved by the embodiment of worship in the lives of the delegates. 1 Soul Survivor, In Spirit and In Truth, Dir.: Marcus Flack, Survivor, 2006, DVD 2 Ward, P., Selling Worship, pp accessed 7/5/05-1 -

2 Secondly, the distinct theology underlying the corporate charismatic worship during the main meetings. Finally, flowing from this, the interesting threefold description of the Christian calling: Worship, Evangelism and Justice. Inculturation In his essay, The Architectural Setting of the Liturgy, Peter Cobb makes the following historical observation: The Reformers were well aware that the medieval church buildings they inherited embodied an understanding of the Christian community and its worship which they rejected The logic of their thought demanded a one-roomed assembly place buildings of a size to enable all present both to hear and see everything clearly. 4 The main meeting venue at Soul Survivor fits this description particularly well, and it would seem to be for the same reasons. Worship at Soul Survivor, is not a spectator sport. That s not to say that interested (or even uninterested) observers are told to participate against their will, nor even frowned upon. They are, in fact, welcomed. However, the ethos is one of complete participation, and the delegates embrace this wholeheartedly. Looking around the big-top during the worship songs you can see people with their eyes closed, hands in the air, singing at the tops of their voices, in apparent abandonment before their Maker. During the talk there would be more casual postures adopted than in most churches, needless to say, but the engagement with the speaker is very strong, and speaking to people afterwards they would be able to tell you what it was about. During the prayer ministry, up to several hundred people would be receiving at any 4 Cobb, P.G., The Architectural Setting of the Liturgy, in Jones, C. et. al. (eds.), The Study of Liturgy, p

3 one time, with two or three people praying with them. At this part of the meeting, the engagement is less obvious to the eye, as some of those who are not directly involved with the prayer ministry seem to be just looking around them, not joining in. But it is engagement nonetheless. Again, in conversation afterwards you get the sense that they had been very aware of God s presence, and were responding to Him at a deep level. But it is not just in the main meetings that delegates are engaging in worship. Soul Survivor speak often of living lives of worship, echoing Paul in Romans 12:1-2. As delegates learn in the seminars, socialise in the cafés, hone their skills and abilities in the skate-park and sports arena, stock up on Christian resources in the Toolshed and view the artwork of other Christians in the Artshed they are offering themselves. Colossians 3:17 and Titus 3:14 sum this attitude up well. Even in the way delegates conduct themselves around the campsite (there is far less anti-social behaviour than you would expect of the age group represented) worship is an all-pervading activity. In their own description of the conference, Soul Survivor see it as a space for young Christians to join in song to praise our Creator, learn more about Him and be equipped to be disciples of Jesus in our everyday lives. 5 This is all part of what appears to be an inculturated expression of Christianity. The delegates are very much part of the post-modern generation, and there is a sense in which that is simply accepted. Often, in evangelical circles the call to be in the world, but not of it is heard. Spinks refers to this attitude by quoting: 5 accessed 8/5/07-3 -

4 Our faith and worship are not part of the modern secular world in which we live, not part of its socially shared and confirmed reality. As believers and worshippers we step outside the dominant secular culture as social deviants. 6 Yet at Soul Survivor this is only part of the story. There is the call to be prophetic voices in a culture that denies meta-narratives and demands the acceptance of pluralism, but also an acceptance that post-modernism is what makes the delegates what they are. Spinks continues: The individual comes to be a person only in and through the action of the social environment around upon him [sic]. From infancy onwards by socialization he internalizes the social reality that surrounds him. That social reality is drawn into his consciousness and is built into him as the structure of his inner life. His thought and imagination, his emotions and activity are ordered into a pattern given by the culture in which he has been formed. 7 In this sense, Soul Survivor has understood the concept of inculturation in line with Anscar Chapungco. Chapungco noticed the difference between acculturation and inculturation; acculturation is taking the liturgy (form of worship in his example, the Roman rite) and adapting it to the cultural context, whereas inculturation takes pre-christian rites and makes them Christian. 8 It could be said that for much Christian inculturation the approach is to start with the liturgy, and adapt it to fit the cultural nuances of the day. For Soul Survivor, it appears to be the other way around; the culture (by which I mean lifestyle, not worldview) in which the delegates live day by day is received and utilised for worship. Speaking specifically of the main meetings, Pete Ward identifies this approach: 6 Davis, C., Ghetto or Desert: Liturgy in a Cultural Dilemma, p. 17 cited in Spinks, B., Liturgy and Culture: Is Modern Western Liturgical Revision a Case of Not Seeing the Wood for the Trees, in Bradshaw, P. & Spinks, B. (eds.), Liturgy in Dialogue 7 Davis, C., Ghetto ibid., pp Chapungco, A.J., Cultural Adaptation of the Liturgy - 4 -

5 This is not simply an attempt to attract young people through the use of contemporary forms of music. Neither is it driven by a feeling that church should be trendy in some way. Soul Survivor believed [sic] that when people sing songs together they meet God. This was a theology of encounter with God through the work of the Holy Spirit in the times of worship. The songs mediate this encounter. 9 This explains the sheer normalness of the presentational style. Everything is packaged and presented in a way that doesn t scream of relevance because it doesn t need to it is relevant, because it is an approach to Christian worship, and discipleship, which pervades every part of life as a young person in the UK in the 21 st century. Corporate Charismatic Worship As I have already mentioned, the Soul Survivor conferences are in the stable of charismatic evangelicalism. As with the majority of such expressions of Church there is no authorised liturgy as it were, yet the liturgical nature of the main meetings is evident. The meetings as individual wholes have a distinct rise, fall and rise about them, though Soul Survivor would deny that this amounts to the hype that is often levelled at the charismatic movement: 10 In our meetings we stay away from hype, performance or manipulation as much as we are able (and we recognise the outworking of some of these will vary according to culture). 11 The worship set is crafted, but not restrictive, and often Trinitarian in the manner in which it speaks of and to God. This may not be necessarily apparent from the lyrics of many of the songs, where there is a heavy 9 Ward, P., Selling Worship: How What We Sing has Changed the Church, pp ibid., pp accessed 7/5/05-5 -

6 emphasis on Jesus whilst Father and Holy Spirit appear less frequently, 12 but this is to misrepresent the charismatic understanding of God held by the delegates. The DVD 13 produced as an attempt to encapsulate the conference illustrates this well as delegates describe their interaction with God through the different persons of the Trinity, the names are used interchangeably, though not incorrectly. The main meetings are a good example of what Aidan Kavanagh describes as primary theology. He refers to Urban Holmes observation that [L]iturgy leads regularly to the edge of chaos, and that from this regular flirt with doom comes a theology different from any other. 14 The concept of chaos is an interesting one, in that it is not an image which comes to mind naturally when considering the majority of liturgical worship in the Church. That it might make more sense in a charismatic worship environment such as Soul Survivor is to miss the point for it is in the encounter with God that this chaos occurs, not necessarily in the manner in which the act of worship itself is perceived. The manner in which delegates describe this encounter is often in terms of intense emotion, but there is also an understanding that the encounter has changed their life in some way. Kavanagh goes on to explain this: what results in the first instance from such an experience is deep change in the very lives of those who participate in the liturgical act. And deep change will affect their next liturgical act, however slightly. To detect that changer in the subsequent liturgical act will be to discover where theology has passed see the appendix to the description of the act of worship provided with this reflection 13 Soul Survivor, In Spirit and In Truth, op. cit. 14 Kavanagh, A., On Liturgical Theology, p ibid., p

7 Matt Redman, one of the worship leaders at the first Soul Survivor conferences, and a major influence in modern charismatic evangelicalism in the UK and USA gives a small example of this identification in his book The Unquenchable Worshipper. He describes leading worship at a conference and being overcome with a sense of unworthiness, linking it with Isaiah experience of God in Isaiah 6. He describes the experience as being undone. He is then able to identify a change in his understanding of God and himself: When I got up to lead the next session He didn t want me thinking I could achieve something, or that I had something special to give. He desired a broken and dependent heart. 16 This is very much a part of the Soul Survivor experience and is expressed by delegates in terms like meeting with God, being changed by Him and knowing more of Him. A second point of interest from the main meetings is the manner in which prayer ministry operates. This means something specific in the context of charismatic evangelicalism; an encounter with God as Holy Spirit through prayer on behalf of the recipient and those gathered with them. Worshippers pray for a specific intervention of God, be that through manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit or something pertaining to life outside of the meeting. What is particularly apparent when observing these times, which occur towards the end of nearly every main meeting and many of the seminars, is that a large number of these encounters involve the pain, hurt, emotional traumas etc. 16 Redman, M., The Unquenchable Worshipper, pp

8 that delegates have experienced in their lives. 17 People cry, scream and shout as they are prayed for and with. For the non-christians who are there, this can often be a frightening experience, and many ask questions about this phenomenon to the friends and youth leaders that they may have come with. An explanation is often offered from the stage, without any sense of authoritative interpretation of what is occurring. The suggestion is that when people who have been hurt and broken emotionally encounter the God who heals, repressed emotions are often released in physical ways. The fact that this happens in the context of worship is one that has been noted elsewhere: The God who is worshipped is the Shepherd of his people, and it is as Shepherd that he deals with his people in worship, enabling them to exercise mutual pastoral care and outreach to all mankind. 18 This understanding makes no mention of God actively participating directly in the life of the worshipper, rather the support and pastoral ministry offered by worshippers to those around them. There is something distinct about the model of prayer ministry that Soul Survivor encourages which speaks well into this. The typical model found in charismatic churches is that of a ministry team to whom those who wish to be prayed with go, often towards the front of the venue. This is the model that Soul Survivor used for a number of years, but more recently they have moved towards having an enabling team. This group of people effectively supervise the way in which delegates exercise prayer ministry during the main meetings. The intention was that ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit should not be limited to the anointed few, but that every member of the Body of Christ should be enabled and encouraged 17 accessed 7/5/07 18 Forrester, D., McDonald, I. & Tellini, G., Encounter with God, p

9 to exercise this ability to share in God s work. To this end, delegates are given a set of guidelines 19 to help and encourage them to get involved. Visitors to Soul Survivor s website are directed towards a book on the subject by Bishop David Pytches (formerly leader of the New Wine Network and strongly linked with Soul Survivor), Come Holy Spirit. 20 Here, Pytches outlines the mandate Christians are given to exercise the gifts of the Spirit using Scriptural references such as Luke 10:18-19; Acts 1:8; John 1:12; Matthew 8:8-9 and John 15:5. 21 Worship, Evangelism, Justice The combination of inculturation, embodiment of worship in lifestyle, primary theology and the pastoral nature of worship combine to leave an underlying theological impression: the immanence of God juxtaposed with the transcendence of God. The approachability of this God who is Other requires a response of worship that goes beyond the meeting venue. Forrester et. al., looking at several Old Testament texts about worship, comments: The worship advocated by these texts is not one of withdrawal from the world. On the contrary, it is seen essentially in the faithful discharge of one s duties of brotherhood and solidarity towards one s fellow Israelites. It consists of obedience to the voice of the Lord and of faithfulness to his covenant. It means caring for the hungry, the thirsty, the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the destitute and the oppressed, for the sake of the Lord. 22 Soul Survivor have recognised this for themselves, and incorporate it into the message that is given to delegates that the Christian life involves worship, pdf accessed 7/5/07 20 Pytches, D., Come Holy Spirit: Learning How to Minister in Power 21 ibid., pp Forrester, D., McDonald, I. & Tellini, G., op. cit., pp

10 evangelism and justice. What is particularly interesting is the way that evangelism and justice are subsumed into an understanding of worship. For the Soul Survivor generation worship has become the main event. Perhaps in contrast to other charismatic groups, Soul Survivor through their regular teaching emphasise that mission and social justice are part of the call of God. 23 In terms of issues of justice, this is a relatively recent development in the Soul Survivor venture, and is beginning to become apparent through some of the song lyrics written by one of their worship leaders, Tim Hughes: and God of justice, Saviour to all, came to rescue the weak and the poor. 24 We must go, live to feed the hungry, stand beside the broken. This understanding of worship is behind the development of SoulAction, a charity set up in conjunction with Tearfund. 25 One of the conference venues is the SoulAction Café which is used to highlight issues of justice around the UK and the world, seeking to engage delegates with ways that they can get involved and demonstrating how that is an opportunity to worship. This is just one of the things that Soul Survivor have set up along these lines. In conclusion, there are a number of interesting aspects of worshipping at a Soul Survivor conference, some of which are in common with the branch of Christianity from which it comes, other which are distinctive in some way. The way it embraces the culture of the post-modern generation in the UK creates a new opportunity to understand worship in the context of life outside 23 Ward, P., Selling Worship: How What We Sing has Changed the Church, p Hughes, T., God of Justice, Holding Nothing Back, Survivor, 2007, CD 25 accessed 7/5/

11 of church. For many, this doesn t come without critical questions, particularly about a potentially unhealthy link with post-modernity in the form of consumerism. This element of contemporary charismatic worship is well noted by Ward, 26 and presented as a challenge. Soul Survivor s response has not convinced everyone. There even appears to be an element of celebrity status accorded to worship leaders in particular, which no amount of selfdeprecating humour seems able to counteract. Yet there is good reason behind some of the practices that appear to perpetuate this, focussed on their approach to the embodiment of worship: Soul Survivor learned from Wimber that worship was the main priority. This emphasis on worship [has] been reflected in the kinds of activities and products represented by them, promoting the events or selling CDs is seen as a means to encourage young people in what they term lifestyles of worship. 27 But there is far more to Soul Survivor that inculturation. There is something of immense value in the way they conduct their main meetings, both for the Christian and the observer. They appear to be pioneering a way for charismatic evangelicalism to redefine its agenda in a way that fills a gap that has been missing for so long: issues of justice. Soul Survivor is famous for its worship songs, and there is no denying their significance. Yet there is something more to it: By its very nature, congregational singing is a communal activity in which the congregation participates actively and concertedly in worship. Both these features are significant. 28 Activity and participation in worship is being drawn wider than corporate singing, and Soul Survivor is playing a significant part in that process. 26 Ward, P., op. cit. 27 Ward, P., Selling Worship: How What We Sing has Changed the Church, p Ellis, C.J., Gathering: A Theology and Spirituality of Worship in Free Church Tradition, p

12 Bibliography Chapungco, A.J., Cultural Adaptation of the Liturgy, Paulist Press, New York, Cobb, P.G., The Architectural Setting of the Liturgy, in Jones, C. et. al. (eds.), The Study of Liturgy, SPCK, London, Davis, C., Ghetto or Desert: Liturgy in a Cultural Dilemma, p. 17 cited in Spinks, B., Liturgy and Culture: Is Modern Western Liturgical Revision a Case of Not Seeing the Wood for the Trees, in Bradshaw, P. & Spinks, B. (eds.), Liturgy in Dialogue, SPCK, London, Ellis, C.J., Gathering: A Theology and Spirituality of Worship in Free Church Tradition, SCM Press, London, Forrester, D., McDonald, I. & Tellini, G., Encounter with God, T&T Clark, Edinburgh, Kavanagh, A., On Liturgical Theology, Minnesota, Pueblo (Liturgical Press), Pytches, D., Come Holy Spirit: Learning How to Minister in Power, Hodder & Stoughton, London, The Church of England s Mission and Public Affairs Council, Mission-Shaped Church: Church Planting and Fresh Expressions of Church in a Changing Context, Church House Publishing, London, Ward, P., Selling Worship: How What We Sing has Changed the Church, Paternoster, Milton Keynes, Zahl, P. et. al., Exploring the Worship Spectrum: 6 Views, Zondervan, Michigan,

13 Other Sources Hughes, T., God of Justice, Holding Nothing Back, Survivor, 2007, CD Soul Survivor, In Spirit and In Truth, Dir.: Marcus Flack, Survivor, 2006, DVD. Websites SoulAction Soul Survivor