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URI alums part of new religious movement embracing music, art
By Nat Binns
EAST GREENWICH,
R.I. -- The sanctuary at Christ Church Evangelical Covenant looked
more like the stage for a rock concert than a traditional church
altar on a recent Sunday night.
Church patrons,
ranging from groups of teen-agers to families, filed into the dim,
candlelit room and faced a stage carefully cluttered with guitars,
a keyboard and a drum set.
A buzz of conversation
consumed the room like a high school auditorium before an assembly,
and people were dressed like they were heading to the mall.
Television
screens -- which later would be used to present song lyrics, karaoke
style -- stood above prayer booths on both sides of the altar.
As the service
began, Andrew Mook explained the mission of Sanctuary, the service
he and fellow University of Rhode Island alumnus Chris Bannon started
on Sunday nights at Christ Church.
The rules were
simple: There are no rules.
Mook told the
crowd that if they wanted to sing, they should sing. If they wanted
to dance, they should dance. If they wanted to sit in silence or
pray quietly in the corner, that was fine.
Catering to
a computer-age generation raised on MTV and the internet, the service
seemed to address the concerns many young people have with organized
religion. The typical rigidity and forced action were absent from
Sanctuary, and technology was embraced without losing sight of scripture
or the church's message.
All the traditional
teachings of the church were present, but Mook and Bannon highlighted
certain themes, like the freedom of Christ.
Art and music
were central to the gathering, relying on sounds and visuals to
strengthen the experience. Bannon says Sanctuary uses art and music
to create a more emotionally and spiritually intense atmosphere,
embracing beauty as a product of God.
"The creator
is an artist," Bannon says." (Christians) can look at it through
that lens."
Bannon says
the movement is known as the "emergent" church in religious
circles. While this may seem like a renegade outfit to traditional
church-goers, Scott Axtmann of Renaissance Church in Providence
says services like this are gaining popularity across the country.
Axtmann, who
gave the sermon at Sanctuary that Sunday, says young people are
natural skeptics, and have difficulty accepting the absolute truths
the church traditionally promotes. Through art and music, young
people can appeal to the beauty and mystery of religion and the
truth can come later, Axtmann says.
"People are
cautious about truth," Axtmann says. "The church needs to present
a Christ that is not only true but beautiful."
Axtmann says
people are beginning to think differently about how to relate religion
to a younger generation, and these types of services are gaining
tremendous momentum.
Bannon says
the group set up a laid back, musically oriented service at Christ
Church to offer young adults a church experience that is not rigid
in structure.
As the service
progressed and the group of musicians led by Mook and Bannon got
further into their set, some people were belting out the words along
with Mook dancing in front of the stage, while others sat with their
heads facing down, their eyes closed.
This diversity
of actions deviates from typical church practice where the pastor,
priest, minister or rabbi generally leads the group and guides them
through the service. Sanctuary leaves it totally up to the congregation,
who exercise that freedom.
Part of this
freedom is also to ask questions. The group running Sanctuary stressed
during the service that they wanted anyone with doubts or questions
to stay after and discuss what issues they may have.
Axtmann says
this is an important aspect of an open service, because the church,
for so long, has provided young people with simple answers to complex
questions.
Axtmann, who
invites artists to display their work at his church after services,
says embracing creativity is important for the church. Twenty-year-old
men and women see Christians as uniform and want to break free and
be themselves, Axtmann says.
Bannon says
it also important to distinguish the Christian sub-culture from
Christians who make art. Many artists are influenced by their faith
and make art and music accordingly, Bannon says. But there also
exists a Christian culture that takes other people's art and conforms
it to Christian morals.
"A person's
faith, if it is real, is intimately tied to their world view," Bannon
says. That faith does not have to be in Christianity, but whatever
makes up that person's point of view.
The "new free
movement," as Axtmann describes it, relies on the individuality
of each member of a congregation. People at Sanctuary expressed
themselves in whatever way they felt compelled or comfortable.
"Whatever
your personality, that's how you're supposed to worship God," Axtmann
says.
Bannon says
that the churches' conflict with art is a modern phenomenon. Many
classic works of art were inspired by religion or were created for
religious buildings.
Axtmann says
the Age of Enlightenment's focus on intellect and reason was partly
to blame for the separation of art from religion.
Bannon says
the Reformation and Crusades caused a backlash after Protestants
divided from the church hierarchy. Protestants were leery of visual
imagery, Bannon says.
This contemporary
movement, or "emergent" church, has caught on, however, at Christ
Church on 1025 Main St., where Sanctuary started with about 20 people
gathering to play music on a regular basis. Now, more than 200 people
attend the service each Sunday.
Bannon says
it is gaining popularity because people realize that the world has
changed significantly, so people must change the way they communicate.
That includes community interaction in the church.
Mook acknowledged
the use of this new medium during Sanctuary. In praising God, Mook
said: "Words do not express our love for you only.
"Thank
you for letting us praise you through music."
Nat
Binns is a senior Journalism major from Orwigsburg, Pa. He was
the editor in chief of The Good Five Cent Cigar last year and
has interned with the Newport Daily News and the North Kingstown
Standard Times.
