577: How Church Became Theater & the Evangelical Imagination with Karen Swallow Prior

A new survey of worship leaders finds that four megachurches have cornered the worship music market. Should we care who is writing the songs we sing in church, and what gets lost when market forces influence local ministries? A sermon clip has gone viral showing a megachurch pastor scolding people who arrive late or leave early because they are treating the “church like it’s a religious show instead of a welcoming family.” But are people acting like church is a show because that’s the model church leaders have created? We explore the history of how churches came to copy theaters and its impact on the church’s mission and power. Then, Phil talks to Karen Swallow Prior about her new book, “The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis.” She explains how the current crisis in evangelicalism finds its roots in trying to preserve Victorian values rather than biblical ones. Also this week: a celebrity bear is above the law.

Patreon Bonus: 

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0:00 - Intro

1:49 - Show Starts

4:10 - Theme Song

4:27 - Sponsor - Hiya Health

5:36 - Animal News

14:05 - How we choose worship music in church

34:55 - JD Greear’s recent viral clip

56:03 - Sponsor - AG1

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 57:32 - Sponsor - Blueland

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58:38 - Interview Intro

Karen Swallow Prior

1:03:36 - How Victorian literature influenced Evangelicalism 

1:12:20 - Evangelicialism and Empire

1:24:43 - Broadening our imagination

1:36:43 - End Credits

Links mentioned in news segment:

Hank the Tank: Fugitive burglar bear captured in California

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66429736

Few worship leaders avoid Hillsong, Bethel songs — despite controversies and scandal

https://religionnews.com/2023/07/11/few-worship-leaders-avoid-hillsong-bethel-songs-despite-controversies-and-scandal/

JD Greear’s sermon clip - https://twitter.com/laurchas22/status/1687426921586622464

Other resources:

The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis by Karen Swallow Prior

https://amzn.to/3qm5F9N

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