pluralistic culture suspicious of exclusive truth and seeking meaning in
relationships, we are not surprised that he includes among the issues at stake an
emphasis on Christ's humanity rather than his deity; questions about the
exclusivity and uniqueness of Jesus and faith in him; and a subjectivizing of
Christian experience and one's relationship with Christ.
Corporate worship experiences need thoughtful attention in this regard. The
teaching power of corporate worship as the shared expression of what the
church believes, surely calls for our most gifted poets and musicians. But the
church must recognize the crucial teaching role its worship leaders play. We
cannot be satisfied that they are selected for their artistic talents alone. More
than ever they must be thoroughly grounded in theological truth.
In a very practical example, Erickson pointed to what he saw as a tendency to
"detheologize" Jesus in the music and worship of many evangelical churches. At
the popular level the perceptions of Christ were being shaped by the pervasive
music choruses sung, he said, citing a "marked preference for the use of 'Jesus'
as compared to 'Christ'" in those choruses. In one widely used music source the
ratio of the use of 'Jesus' to the use of 'Christ' is more than ten to one.
understood to refer to his humanity, while "Christ" refers to his deity, he
suggested that we might expect a continued singing of these songs over time to
underscore a dominant emphasis on the humanity of Jesus at the expense of his
deity. Gibbs observes this danger in terms of "worship that degenerates into a
casual overfamiliarity" and mere sentimentality, lacking transcendent perspective
and power.
relationships. The longing will only be fulfilled in a relationship with the God-Man
of Scripture.
regenerating and transforming power of his work on the cross will be muted. We
face the challenge of finding fresh and meaningful ways of preaching and
teaching the church the truth about Christ--a boundary truth central to evangelical
belief and ministry.
2. THE BIBLIOLOGICAL CONTOUR
"The Church must be reminded," wrote Michael Horton, "that, when the text of
Scripture is no longer regulating her doctrine, life, and worship, her authority and
power, which is grounded in the Gospel of Christ revealed in Scripture, will soon
be lost."