Mixing politics, worship risky

Agendas, even holy agendas, are not worthy of worship, Terry York is convinced.
   
And when something else — anything else — takes the place of God as the focus of the church’s worship, it violates God’s commandment against idolatry.
   
A secondary, but still tremendously hurtful, result of even well-intentioned idolatry, he said, is that believers can be split into warring camps in what should be a joining of hearts and minds to praise God thus violating Jesus’ prayer and commandment that Christians “be one.”
   
York, professor of Christian ministry and church music at both Baylor University and Truett Seminary, spoke at Baylor’s “Music and Worship in an Emerging Culture” symposium held recently at the Waco campus.
   
In the recent past, and still continuing today, Christians attacked one another “in a shark-feeding frenzy in the name of worship, relevance and evangelism” as they fought about the right style and emphasis and aim of the worship hour, he said.
   
Now, as York looks at an increasingly bitter and divided political America, he fears the day is rapidly approaching when voter preferences will divide not only congregation from congregation but will generate splits within churches.
   
Maybe the wrong bumper sticker on your car will shut you out from fellowship with other Christians with opposing bumper stickers.
   
York challenged worship leaders to focus their church’s services in accordance with the clear teaching of Scripture, both to honor God and to protect His bride, the church.
   
“I want to make the parameters very clear,” he noted before leading a session at the symposium titled “America’s Worship Wars: The Road Behind, the Road Ahead.”
   
“I am a U.S. Marine who took an oath to defend my country in 1967 that has not been revoked.
   
“The names of two close friends are on the wall of the Vietnam Memorial. We were recruited by my dad the same day. We went through boot camp together, and I carry their memory with me everywhere. My family reunions look like Marine Corps rallies, there are so many of us.
   
“That being said, we still need to admit that God meant what He said about not putting anything above Him in worship.
   
“We need to speak the prophetic word to our congregations before we cease being what we were called to be — a place that contrasts the politics of heaven with the politics of the world — and becomes just another arena where the politics of the Democrats and the politics of the Republicans do battle.” (ABP)