Customer Reviews

Stones for Bread: A Critique of Contemporary Worship

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This book is both brilliant and maddening at the same time. As a criticism of contemporary worship practices, it is second to none. Frankforter articulates his faith concisely and his pointed comments regarding the selling out of the Gospel message by much contemporary worship for the feel-good self-idolatry of pop culture is on the mark. The writing style is virtuosic in its biting wit and skilful use of metaphor, particularly the recurring motif of the "stones for bread." Contrary to reviewer C. Dunlop's opinion, Frankforter has a healthy respect for scripture and offers evidence of his breadth of knowledge with several refreshing interpretations. One does not have to be a literalist to love the scriptures.

Unfortunately, the book is seriously marred by what reviewer Fred Holper politely calls "cultural insensitivity." I would go further by saying that anyone who does not share Frankforter's Euro-centric worldview and dark brand of Presbyterian theology is discounted as suspect, illegitimate and insincere. These include "feminist theologians," Catholics who find the Marian dogma essential to their faith, Eastern religions ("Such songs [praise choruses] are not hymns, but mantras. Their purpose is ... to induce stupefaction"), and worshippers who prefer high rituals or boisterous celebrations. The Pauline letters seem to suggest that the early church gatherings were boisterous affairs. And I would submit that African-american gospel choirs produce the most sincere, most joyful expressions of faith around. According to Frankforter, this type of worship merely distracts the worshipper and dulls the senses. In fairness, Frankforter does not cite Gospel music, but he might as well: he is highly critical of rhythmic music as unsuitable for worship. Frankforter contends that hymns that focus on a person's response to God rather than the character of God are also suspect. I guess "Amazing Grace" has to be thrown out.

A book on ecumenism this is not. Sadly, Frankforter's scythe cuts down more than bogus worship practices but also different and legitimate quests for God that also share his concerns.

For those who enjoy being beat up, Frankforter's work will be a thumping success. However, to some his blunt way of communicating the truth without love could be interpreted as an attack. In every destructive and constructive criticism he has about the church, Frankforter is looking how it will affect the integrity of the church in the years to come. I think he uses the heat controversy conjures in people to get them to reexamine their worship. If they hate him he cares not, only that they may better understand the impacts of their worship styles. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I did not entirely agree with Frankie's association between rock music in worship and sexual anthems, but it sure created a book with flavor. An intensely prophetic book. Whatever your worship preference is, you will benefit from reading this book.

This is an important book on a subject churches need to take seriously. The author goes beneath the surface to show the weaknesses inherent in popular culture and thus the potential dangers of it for the church. Yet he does not argue that the church should never change its methods-he just says it should not do so without first knowing what it wishes to accomplish and then looking at what methods do that best, rather than starting with the methods one wishes to use. He argues from theology, from history, and even from pragmatism (the "fill-the-church-whatever-you-have-to-do" principle is at best a short-term solution; faithfulness builds stronger, more effective churches).

The one weakness of the book-a rather large one-is the author's limited respect for Scripture; his view seems to fall somewhat below infallibility, literal truth, or sola scriptura. Thus, for example, he suggests that important symbols of the church (particularly the sacraments) were based on first-century pagan rituals and given meanings that were useful to their audience, but they may need new meanings today-is that not trading bread for stones?

As to his perspective on "rhythm"-he's pretty clear that he believes the secular, sexual rhythms of rock music can't readily be used to worship God, but that's a legitimate philosophical perspective rather than Eurocentrism.

A stronger book is Marva Dawn's Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, but this one is quite good.

A. Daniel Frankforter hits the liturgical nail on the head with this book. The chapters explain how vapid, vulgar, ahistorical, anti-intellectual, shallow and meaningless most "contemporary" worship services are. His writing demonstrates how American evangelical worship, which amazingly fancies itself a representation of how the first Christians worshipped, is really a nineteenth-century innovation that into the twenty-first century has developed into little more than a self-centered, entertaining and consumerist subculture all its own.

The book has its faults, including Frankforter's obvious view of do-gooding as religion. He advances the ridiculous notion that the ten commandments are "incomplete" because they don't include social justice ideals but sneers at churches whose social justice activities include opposition to abortion. Though I happen to share most of his views of liturgy and worship, he does indeed present a "my way or the highway" thesis and offers only a perfunctory address at inculturation in worship.

Despite these drawbacks, the book masterfully articulates what's wrong with the low-church culture of American religion and the importance of true faith as demonstrated through authentic worship.

Daniel Frankforter's "Stones for Bread" fills a needed gap in the discussion of contemporary worship, namely, the sense that something "other" than "feelings" or "relevancy" is at stake in the worship wars. His analysis of the issues at stake in Christian worship is a tour de force, and his writing is clear, crisp and cogent. As I was reading the book, I noticed that he occasionally strayed into territory that was culturally insensitive, but it was not until his discussion of music in the later chapers that I was finally able to put into words what the problem was. In dismissing rhythm as an important consideration in the development of Christian music for worship, he finally betrayed his eurocentric perspective. Too many of us in the so-called mainline Protestant worship traditions have that bias, a bias so firmly ingrained that we can't even see it. I certainly hope that others will read this book, but its promising start is almost undone by the unfortunate cultural bias of the later chapters.

the author is entirely focused on how he would like to worship that he forgets Whom he is there to worship. He also misses the point of the "seeker sensitive" service entirely.