Buzzword
New member
The older and/or more informed I become, the more trouble I have with the idea of the "sermon".
I understand and embrace the "worship" portion of church services, because it brings the congregation together in a communal experience of emotion and music.
But then instead of sending us on our way at the peak of that communal experience, we're jarred out of it to be lectured at as individuals for the remainder of the service (in some cases taking up half or 3/4 of the total service time).
This would be fine on its own, if structured like a college class, which focused only on the individual intellect, at a separate time and/or place from communal worship.
But jarring us out of our communal emotional experience just to be talked at, and then sending us out after THAT, makes the joys of the communal experience seem wasted and trod under.
Especially since a sermon, unlike a college lecture, doesn't even allow anyone being lectured to to raise a hand and ask questions.
A sermon is the antithesis of a conversation, and too many pastors use the captivity of their audiences to spew some truly awful drivel.
What confuses me is that most churches HAVE a separate activity to invoke the individual intellect.
It usually happens pre-service in Sunday School classes, or throughout the week in small-group Bible studies or discussion groups.
Why can't that be enough?
Why do we still need the authority figure from on high passing supposedly-irrefutable wisdom down to us lowly sheep?
Especially in our current age of unlimited information.
We understand more about the universe and the human body and mind than ever before.
We should be having the best conversations about God and spirituality in the history of humanity!
Not sitting quietly and pretending to listen to someone else talk at us while drawing or playing on our phones.
I understand and embrace the "worship" portion of church services, because it brings the congregation together in a communal experience of emotion and music.
But then instead of sending us on our way at the peak of that communal experience, we're jarred out of it to be lectured at as individuals for the remainder of the service (in some cases taking up half or 3/4 of the total service time).
This would be fine on its own, if structured like a college class, which focused only on the individual intellect, at a separate time and/or place from communal worship.
But jarring us out of our communal emotional experience just to be talked at, and then sending us out after THAT, makes the joys of the communal experience seem wasted and trod under.
Especially since a sermon, unlike a college lecture, doesn't even allow anyone being lectured to to raise a hand and ask questions.
A sermon is the antithesis of a conversation, and too many pastors use the captivity of their audiences to spew some truly awful drivel.
What confuses me is that most churches HAVE a separate activity to invoke the individual intellect.
It usually happens pre-service in Sunday School classes, or throughout the week in small-group Bible studies or discussion groups.
Why can't that be enough?
Why do we still need the authority figure from on high passing supposedly-irrefutable wisdom down to us lowly sheep?
Especially in our current age of unlimited information.
We understand more about the universe and the human body and mind than ever before.
We should be having the best conversations about God and spirituality in the history of humanity!
Not sitting quietly and pretending to listen to someone else talk at us while drawing or playing on our phones.