Selling Worship

Book excerpt: The evangelical church has undergone a significant change in culture and theology over the last thirty-five years. Selling Worship argues that this has been achieved through the adoption of a particular style of worship. In effect the songs, or rather the practice of singing and listening to the songs, carry the culture and practice of the church. This has come about through the contextualization of worship in the production, selling, and consumption of associated popular music. Selling Worship tells the recent history of evangelicalism through the lives, actions, and economic processes of festival organizers, record companies, magazines, and worship leaders. It presents a comprehensive account of how these changes have come about and offers a multilayered pattern of interpretation to show how what we sing has changed the church. The book concludes with a critical appreciation of worship and offers practical guidelines for the future.