The latest National Congregations study, Congregations in 21st Century America,  was released yesterday. Posting survey results since 1998, this study “...contains a wealth of information about multiple aspects of congregational life, including worship, leadership and staffing, ethnic diversity, technology, civic engagement, and much more. On all of these subjects, the report documents what is changing, what is staying the same, and the differences that exist among religious groups.” 

    

You can find the study with this link.

I’ve valued the research over the years and have used it in my workshops and courses, as well as in my books, Silver Screen, Sacred Story: Using Multimedia in Worship (2002), and Feeding Imaginations: Worship That Engages (2015).

   

Since I've advocated using screens and projectors over many years, I'm encouraged by the latest information that 46% of churches are now using them, and that in addition to song lyrics (42%) and sermon outlines, some have used video (18%).

   

In the future it would be interesting to see how many churches also use art, photography, and other imagery on screen, and Mark Chaves, director of the study, has indicated to me that they will consider this.

  

Using visuals (more than just words) on screen is still the next level for many churches, but, I fear, most clergy are vaguely suspicious of using visuals (iconoclastic theologies) or just haven't been trained in how to understand, and preach, with visual language.  

  

It's been my view that younger generations who know visual language just don't find it in church, partly explaining why worship has little interest for them.  As Mark Chaves wrote in his report on the 1998 study, "...producing worship in the United States means getting people together to sing and listen to somebody talk."  Has this changed much? The above chart from the NCS shows congregations are adding a bit more than that to worship these days, with projection equipment the biggest change.

  

Zoom worship has opened up new possibilities for sharing imagery and video clips, and it'll be interesting to see post-Covid surveys on use of screens as well as what kinds of visual content, if any, were added.

On Epiphany and Insurrection

Today is the day of Epiphany, an early date for the birth of Jesus, which later was observed as the day the magi arrived to visit the infant. It's also the 12th Day of Christmas, a time of celebration in many Latin American, Caribbean, and European countries. In the United States, while noted in churches on the First Sunday of Epiphany on or after January 6th, the date is now associated with the fresh memory of the insurrection of January 6, 2021, when supporters of a defeated president tried to interfere with and stop the U.S. Congress from ratifying the results of the Electoral College. 

Rather than a grand celebration of the angels' Christmas message, "Peace on earth, good will to humans..." the date now reminds us of anything but peace and good will.  At least for a while, January 6 will stand as a reminder of divisions within families, communities, states, and the nation as a whole. 

Just as George Lakoff asked, "Whose Freedom?" in his 2006 book about contrasting American viewpoints on the meaning of freedom, we might ask, "Whose January 6th?" 

In a recent Christian Century article (January 6, 2022) "Christian Nationalism Vandalizes The Imagination" professor Lanta Davis noted the many Christian symbols and slogans mixed with placards, signs, red hats, banners, and American flags. 

"Christian nationalism offers a powerful imaginative framework. Its mythic origin story depicts America as uniquely blessed by God. But that relationship is under threat and must be defended by strong, protective heroes. Christian nationalism has slogans (God Bless America, MAGA, Take America Back for God); songs (“God Bless the U.S.A.,” etc.); and an assortment of images that often include Jesus’ name, the Bible, or the cross combined with American flags, eagles, and even guns. It is persuasive because its imaginative framework provides a cohesive sense of identity and purpose: I am part of this special place blessed by God and have been tasked to protect that relationship."

The problem, she says, is that this comes at a time when American churches continue to overlook the power of symbol and imagery, the origin of which is in the iconoclastic periods throughout history but notably during the Reformation. 

Lanta asks, "When we whitewashed our church walls, did we unintentionally leave our imaginations open to other markings, markings that left impressions on our souls?"

Movements such as Christian Nationalism have successfully created group identities with imagery that supports their ideology and distorted Christian theology. 

Epiphany is counter-story in the midst of empire. Originally a term for the divine blessing of a ruling emperor, it came to be associated with the birth narrative of Ixthus, Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. 

This blog has long advocated using screens and projectors to stimulate and feed imaginations with photographs, art, film clips, icons, and symbols.  Screens enhance the visual arts of fabric, stained class, and architecture to tell and retell the stories that build congregations of people empowered to bring peace, love, and joy into a broken world. 

Icon and symbol point to, and encapsulate, stories and narratives. As theologian Paul Tillich wrote, "The language of faith is the language of symbols."  

Whose January 6th? Whose Epiphany? Whose imagery and symbols?  

The Season of Epiphany is a good time to reclaim symbols and imagery with teaching and preaching. The alternative is to cede this language to the marketers, propagandists and ideologues, who have already found effective ways to shape culture, politics, and theology. 

[The Christian Century article is accessed at: https://www.christiancentury.org/article/critical-essay/christian-nationalism-vandalizes-imagination]