Long time readers will already know that I’m pretty conservative in my theology and traditional when it comes to my worship style preference. We attend a church with a pipe organ and a fairly formal (but not rigid) service. I love hymns and expository preaching. But I have to say that I found something this week that surprised even this raised-Baptist-ended-up-in-the-CRC-for-now gal.
Rachel Held Evans in her post “…your daughters will prophesy…” linked to post on challies.com entitled The Public Reading of Scripture. In this post, Tim Challies laid out in precise detail how his church handles the reading of Scripture in a service. It is considered a ministry for which one must be trained and he listed a whole slew of requirements that must be adhered to in order for men to read the Scriptures in the worship service. Yes, the first requirement above all else is that only men can read the Scriptures in a worship service. (So you can probably already guess how I feel about that one. Heh.)
Among the requirements:
- holding your Bible at a certain level and angle
- making eye contact with the congregation
- walking at a certain pace to and from the front of the church
- reading with just the right amount of feeling and emphasis (not too much and not too little).
There were many comments on Rachel’s post and this one especially stood out to me:
I went to Tim Challies’ website and was pretty shocked at the micro-managing rules for reading scripture!! So you have to be male, dress a certain way, prepare (not a bad idea, that one), and not hurry up to the pulpit, along with guidelines for how to read! When I was 12, and in a conservative church, mind you, I was asked to read a passage at Christmas. I was given no guidelines of what to wear and how to read. I was nervous and stumbled over my words. Yet despite (or because of) my imperfections, parishioners told me they were blessed by my reading. I was just a part of the body ministering to others, and doing it perfectly was not necessary for God to use me.
One of the things I absolutely love about our church is that the entire spectrum of the congregation participates in the service. It was interesting to find these two posts now because this past Sunday I sat in church with my heart literally overflowing with thankfulness for the great variety of people who participated.
An elderly man participated in the small group leading some of the singing along with a young mom, a middle-aged woman, and a high school aged young man.
- A middle-aged mom offered the congregational prayer.
- A middle school aged boy served as a seating usher before the service.
- A young single woman gave the children’s sermon.
- A family with two teenage girls read the Advent reading and it was the girls who did the reading. (Their reading greatly blessed me although I guess Tim would consider it an epic fail since they were teenage girls, put the Bible on the lectern, didn’t make regular eye contact, and maybe didn’t read with enough practiced emphasis of the correct words.)
I agree with Rachel. The world is going to hell in a handbasket while people are agonizing over how men should precisely read the Scriptures in the service. I’m all for doing things with excellence that honors God and literally despair at some of the ridiculous stuff going on in the name of Christianity, but let’s get a grip, people. I cannot see how God is more pleased and His word more honored by a man dressed just so reading the Scriptures a certain way than a young woman who loves the Lord and is eager to be an active part of the church reading the Bible with joy.
Every time I go to church and see the entire spectrum of the church participating, I THANK GOD that I am able to be in such a place and that Caroline can see this happening. I THANK GOD for a place where women are involved in the service without anyone acting like the end of the world is nigh. I THANK GOD that youth are encouraged to participate and they are comfortable doing it because no one has ever told them they don’t belong.
If Jesus walked into our worship service, would he really rebuke a young woman for reading the Advent reading? Really?
I quit reading Challies years ago when he said he wasn’t sure if miscarried babies have souls and they probably don’t go to heaven. At that point my “weirdo” radar went off and I haven’t been back since.
I’m like you – the world is falling to the wayside quicker than we can even comprehend – and we’re spending time teaching people the “correct” way to read scripture in church?
Sigh. The mind does boggle at some things in ultra-conservative circles.
I’ll just say “Amen” to your comments!
Best wishes,
Laura (mother of a 16-year-old daughter who will read Scripture in church this Sunday, as well as on Christmas Eve)
My church has some East African and Asian immigrants that I am very thankful for–their faith and sincere worship just glow. I don’t find their accents or slower English reading a problem when they do the Scripture reading.
My teen daughters and I read lit the advent candles and read week before last. I must admit I feel a uneasiness inside when I see women up front but it must be my Baptist /Catholic religious experiances at a young age. (I remain confused on many levels) LOL . I need a better way of describing to my daughters” strong women” as I point out to them feminism gone berserk ….my 15 year old said she thought I meant that women are supposed to be weak and silent. Wow, I was just trying to teach that truely strong women aren’t loud rude obnoxious men haters. I bet they have never questioned if they should read scripture aloud in church. Karen
I wan’t to say about 1o different things about this post, but Sallie, I am sure you thought of them all already! Goodness! Yet most disheartening.
Imajackson – Ten things? I’m sure I haven’t thought of all of them. Tell us what is on your mind!