Week 7--Barker Chapter 13: Youth, Style and Resistance

I think some of the discomfort many Christians have in worship settings (public participation in praise music) comes from struggling with the idea of authenticity. If postmodernism is both an atmosphere for questioning and doubting authenticity, then all expressions of genuine love and hope is suspect. The worshipper him/herself brings this very attitude into the Christian public setting, and it creates a tension in the worship experience. I think today’s youth (those who are seeking authenticity but severely doubt it) are more comfortable in an environment of cynicism and irony than one of pure, unquestioning faith and exultant praise.