Protholic? Catestant? How Worship is blurring the lines between Catholicism and Protestantism and unifying the body of Christ.
I have had the priviledge of growing up in a denominationally diverse household, where my father came from a Plymouth Bretheren background (not to different then Quaker) and my mother from a Roman Catholic one, while they raised me in a Charismatic Church. Even though I was raised in a Charismatic Church, I was able to hear and see for myself the spiritual heritage of my parents. As I grew older, and experienced more, I quickly realized that outside my house there was a giant chasm between Catholics and Protestants. It was hard for me to understand why two groups who claimed to follow the one true God and his son Jesus the Christ could see each other as complete aliens. I truly believe that diversity is essential to the universal appeal of the body of Christ, but I also believe that isolation and ignorance between members in that body only hurts God.
Its been my assertion on this blog, and anywhere I talk about Worship, that Worship music is a unifying force in the world wide body of Christ. Worship music breaks down walls and focuses our attention on the fact that God is worthy of our Praise and off the incidentals of Church tradition. The best example of this is in the current Worship trends in the Catholic Church and the Emerging Church of Protestantism.
While there will alway be fundamental style differences in Church services, we are beginning to see the influences of these 'brides of Christ' on each other in Worship. Some Catholic Churches have been using Modern Worship songs, complete with Guitars and amplifiers, in thier services while some Emerging Church services are focusing on Liturgical worship. At the forefront of these blurring lines is the Taize movement in the countryside of France, where Christian (both Protestant and Catholic) young people from around the world are coming together to Worship and seek God.
While we have a long way to go, and some of the older generations might no be able to make the transition, we are moving in a direction of unity between Catholics and Protestants, and when all is said and done Worship music will have had no small part.
New Catholic trends in Worship look very similar to Protestant styles
New Protestant trends in Worship look very similar to Catholic styles
More about Taize
