What about Monocultural Worship?

I often catch myself talking out both sides of my mouth when I am mentally forming opposing arguments on an issue I am pondering. In the past couple years I have asked myself many times, “What is the Global Church and what should it look like in terms of diversity and worship?” When we talk about diversity; when we push for diversity, are we thinking that our openness to diversity and practice of diversity pleases God? Is God more pleased when we worship as economically, socially or ethnically diverse groups or if we worship together within groups of like-minded individuals with similar experiences? Or is the issue more our openness and invitational spirit toward “others.”

I think we catch ourselves between conflicting visions. The reality is that we worship monoculturally. The human default setting is to worship in the language and culture where we were born, were raised or are living. BUT yet I hear the call to worshipping multiculturally or as a diverse group of people. I struggle to know which is better and which is more realistic. My husband always points out that Sunday mornings are one of the most racist hours of the American week. That makes me feel guilty.

One argument for monocultural worship is that of language. I feel that worship is a way we express ourselves to God and reveals our concepts of God. We come to God from the cultural and linguist vantage point He has placed us at. I have pondered the idea that human beings function and think best in their mother tongue and in relation to their own culture. Is this not true? Our most intimate expressions of worship are most fluent and heart-felt when we express them in our mother tongue. True???

Another argument centers around potential power-pulls. I have seen people strive for multicultural settings where diverse views, languages, traditions and styles are espoused and revered. Though I think the revered part is essential, I have had a hard time believing that the espousal part is really possible or maybe even best. I think a push for diversity can shroud the heart of each culture or diminish the worship experience to a tug-of-war in which the stronger or host culture will ultimately dominate. I think it takes a lot of humility to transcend those obstacles and truly benefit from and celebrate the blending of backgrounds. Power issues are inevitable.

Even in the international church I attended for several years, we had to choose one language, deciding to use English, and we tried to use varied, but chose basically mainline, Western, Protestant practices within worship. The congregation was made up of people from all over the world, yet we decided that we would set our cultures and worship traditions aside to join together in one worship service. It was a blessing to find that unity, but is that an ideal to expect in most places? And what happened to celebrating the cultures represented? I wonder how I would have felt had they chosen Chinese for the language of worship?

Deciding to open up to various groups of people with varied needs, experiences, backgrounds, etc. is a brave but tremendously difficult endeavor. And some, I suppose, would say, that is the point – that we be stretched beyond our comfort zone to a point where we are identifying with and becoming the Church, more global looking. I guess what I fear is that I would hate to see the striving toward global-ness or diversity be the center of our worship, for then we are vulnerable to pride. The focus is on us and what we can do and not on the God of the Church who deserves our attention and adoration.

So I can’t help but wonder, do we want diverse congregations because of a hidden guilt . . . a desired accomplishment . . . or is it really because we think that is what is on the heart of God for His people? Is it wrong to worship in our culturally segregated congregations Sunday morning?