Learning

I have been reading John Drane’s the McDonaldization of the Church. While discussing the impact of drama in worship, he quotes Albert Mehrabian’s research on where the impact comes from in a message. 7% comes from the words, 38% from vocal symbols (tone of voice, pace, pause, pitch, tune etc…) and 55% from non verbal signals – body language. He likens this to the ancient Chinese proverb of “I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I understand.” I think this has some profoundly important things to say about the role music plays in developing peoples theology in much of what is offered in teaching and worship today. In the current sing and listen worship style done by Pentecostals, and offered to young people “because that is what they want”, the assumption is that the preached word is where they learn. I think this is way off the mark. Most people’s theology is being formed by the music sung, especially since it is usually the same songs sung week after week, event after event. Is the music we are singing up to this kind of task? The answer I think is no.