On New Year’s Day in 2013, within the vast expanse of the Georgia Dome, I joined over 65,000 young evangelical Christians, all eager participants in the annual Passion Conference held in Atlanta each January. This four-day event is a deep dive into worship, featuring hours of singing led by popular evangelical artists from Passion’s sixstepsrecords label, interspersed with sermons and Bible studies. On the second night, Chris Tomlin, a Grammy-winning worship leader, introduced his new single, “God’s Great Dance Floor,” available exclusively for pre-sale at the conference. As the song progressed, an intriguing scene unfolded as Tomlin addressed the audience.
This moment, captured and shared, reveals gestures reminiscent of electronic dance music (EDM). The song itself is built upon a four-on-the-floor electronic beat, a catchy synthesizer hook, and a funk-infused guitar riff. At one point, Tomlin directs the band to “build it boys,” clearly signaling “the drop,” a signature element in EDM’s structure. The stage design, lighting, and video aesthetics promoting the 2013 Passion live record, which featured “God’s Great Dance Floor,” further echo the visual language of dance music.
The fusion of Christian worship with EDM might initially seem unexpected, particularly given the conservative stance of denominations like the Southern Baptists, who traditionally viewed dancing with suspicion. However, considering Christian music’s history of borrowing and adapting from mainstream pop culture, this synthesis is perhaps less surprising. For decades, evangelical Christian artists have operated by co-opting, adapting, and reinterpreting popular music trends. A simplified view of this process might be:
- A popular music subculture emerges with a distinct style.
- Christian artists strip away “secular” elements deemed offensive.
- They replace these elements with explicitly Christian themes.
- Massive record sales follow.
This caricature suggests that “Christian Punk” or “Christian Metal” differs from its secular counterpart only in lyrical content—Jesus instead of typical punk or metal themes. Religious historian Randall Balmer, in his study of American evangelical subculture, noted this trend:
With few exceptions, [evangelical music of the 1970s and 1980s] was derivative and predictable, reflecting a kind of “me, too” approach to secular music. Countless evangelical groups aspired to mimic the folk music of Peter, Paul, & Mary or the popular ballads of Simon and Garfunkel. Amy Grant and Sandi Patty were the Belinda Carlisle and Barbra Streisand of evangelical music, and as long as heavy metal remained part of the secular music vernacular several evangelical bands, like Petra, Stryper, Guardian, and Whiteheart, sought to baptize that, too (Balmer 2006:299-300).
Balmer views Christian popular music as a parallel, faith-based alternative to the mainstream entertainment industry, mirroring its trends but distinguished by overtly religious lyrics.
While this narrative of co-option holds some truth, it doesn’t fully explain “God’s Great Dance Floor.” If viewed as an EDM imitation, it falls short sonically. However, this isn’t due to lack of skill, but rather a different intention. Even EDM-inspired moments, like the build-climax-drop, resonate more with arena rock acts like U2 or Bruce Springsteen than true rave culture. The EDM influence is conveyed through performance—worship leaders’ movements, audience prompts to “dance,” the “build it boys” cue, laser lights, and video editing—despite a loose sonic connection to EDM itself. The subcultural meaning of the “dance floor” is more crucial than strict adherence to EDM’s sound.
Indeed, the “dance floor” context is central to the spiritual meaning of “God’s Great Dance Floor.” Tomlin’s performance physically transforms the Georgia Dome from a stadium into a “massive dance floor,” and the areas near the stage become “praise pits.” Martin Smith, the song’s writer, emphasizes the “dance floor” as key to its impact on the Christian community:
We’ve realized that when a community gathers together, it has to have that sense of freedom and expression. That is at the heart of gospel. So “God’s Great Dance Floor” is common to everybody, it doesn’t matter where you come from. Now’s the time, let’s get back on the dance floor. And this is not about professionalism. This is about getting down…“God’s Great Dance Floor” is about grace. It’s about everybody’s welcome. Everybody. And that’s the great thing about “Dance Floor,” is it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are, you can always give it a go. And I think that’s God’s heart. I think the dance floor is the threshing floor, where God does a lot of healing in us (MacIntosh 2013).
Smith connects the EDM dance floor ethos—freedom, self-expression, and acceptance—to the song’s Christian message. The “dance floor” becomes origin myth, ethical guide, and eschatological vision. What’s adopted isn’t just music or lyrics, but a whole system of performance and participation from EDM culture. The song requires an understanding of dance music participation for spiritual engagement.
Artists like Smith and Tomlin work within “praise and worship” music, a Christian genre focused on creating pop and rock music for congregational worship. Unlike other Christian genres, its explicit aim is to facilitate worship experiences. Worship leaders, like EDM DJs, curate experiences for a community. Their success lies in creating meaningful encounters, not just technical musical proficiency. This curatorial focus means that “praise and worship” often borrows embodied and cultural experiences from mainstream music, not just styles. In “God’s Great Dance Floor,” EDM’s exhilaration and Christian devotion become intertwined and mutually reinforcing.
This perspective challenges both evangelical claims of neutrality and scholarly narratives of simple appropriation. Worship musicians aren’t just using styles as tools; they are creating new evangelical musical forms, blending cultural meaning systems to convey religious messages. Popular music isn’t just a container for religious content; it shapes religious experience itself. It’s an “acoustemology,” as Steven Feld describes, where music shapes how believers understand their faith.
While evangelicals may accept “syncretism” in conversation, it’s a loaded term. In religious studies, it’s often negative. Fundamentalists see it as compromising “pure” belief, while post-colonial theorists view it as resistance to oppressive religions. “Syncretism” often describes religions seen as “half-breed,” studied in marginalized contexts.
However, Rosalind Shaw and Charles Stewart suggest syncretism acknowledges that “all religions have composite origins.” Examining evangelical worship music through this lens reveals its syncretic relationship with popular music, without implying insincerity. Music becomes a theological discourse, shaping and challenging religious boundaries. Understanding popular music’s influence on religious communities reveals new insights into embodied religious experience and community formation through music.
References
Balmer, Randall Herbert. Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey Into the Evangelical Subculture in America. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Feld, Steven. 1996. “An Acoustemology of Place Resounding in Bosavi, Papua New Guinea,” in Senses of Place, eds. Steven Feld and Keith H. Basso. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press.
MacIntosh, Dan. “Songwriter Interview with Martin Smith of Delirous?,” songfacts.com. www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/martin_smith_of_delirous.
Shaw, Rosalind and Charles Stewart. 2003. “Introduction: Problematizing Syncretism.” In Syncretism/Anti-Syncretism: The Politics of Religious Synthesis. New York: Routledge.
Wheeler, Michael. 2013. “Martin Heidegger.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2013 Edition), ed. Edward N. Zalta. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2013/entries/heidegger.
Joshua Kalin Busman is a Ph.D. candidate in musicology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Now, I will rewrite this article in English, focusing on “Dance Dance Floor” and SEO optimization, following all the instructions.
First, let’s analyze the original article based on the instructions.
I. Phân tích bài viết gốc
1. Phân tích cơ bản
- Thể loại và đối tượng độc giả: Academic essay/article. Target audience is likely academics, religious scholars, people interested in musicology, religious music, and possibly evangelical Christians interested in music and culture.
- Mục đích và thông điệp chính: To analyze the phenomenon of “God’s Great Dance Floor” by Chris Tomlin as an example of syncretism between evangelical Christian worship music and EDM culture. The article argues that Christian worship music co-opts not just musical styles but also the embodied experiences and cultural meanings associated with popular music genres like EDM, shaping religious experience itself.
- Cấu trúc và luận điểm chính:
- Introduction with example of Passion Conference and “God’s Great Dance Floor.”
- Analysis of EDM elements in the song and performance.
- Discussion of Christian music’s history of co-opting popular music styles.
- Critique of the “simple appropriation” narrative.
- Emphasis on the “dance floor” as a subcultural context and its spiritual meaning.
- Explanation of “praise and worship” music genre and curatorial role of worship leaders.
- Argument for syncretism and its implications for understanding religious experience.
- Conclusion about music as theological discourse and shaping religious identity.
- Số từ bài viết gốc: Approximately 1900 words (counted). Target new article length should be around 1710-2090 words.
2. Phân tích SEO
-
Từ khóa chính (primary keyword): “dance dance floor” (as instructed). While “God’s Great Dance Floor” is prominent in the original text, the instruction is to focus on “dance dance floor” as the primary keyword.
-
Ý định tìm kiếm (search intent):
- Informational: People searching for “dance dance floor” might be looking for information about dance floors in general, the history of dance floors, types of dance floors, or the metaphorical use of “dance floor.” In the context of this article, they might be interested in the concept of a “spiritual dance floor” or the idea of worship as a dance floor.
- Commercial: Less likely for this specific keyword in this context. Unless someone is searching for dance floor rentals or services related to dance floors in a very broad sense.
- Navigational/Transactional: Not directly applicable.
-
Từ khóa phụ và từ khóa LSI liên quan:
- dance floor (shorter version)
- God’s great dance floor (song title)
- Christian dance floor
- worship dance floor
- EDM dance floor
- spiritual dance floor
- Passion Conference
- Chris Tomlin
- praise and worship music
- EDM (electronic dance music)
- syncretism
- religious experience
- worship music culture
- evangelical Christian music
- church dance floor (if context allows, though less relevant to original article)
- dance and worship
- dance in church
-
Đánh giá cơ hội tối ưu EEAT và Helpful Content:
- Expertise: The original author, Joshua Kalin Busman, is a PhD candidate in musicology, indicating expertise. As the rewriter, I need to demonstrate expertise by accurately summarizing and expanding on the original article’s points in a clear and knowledgeable way.
- Experience: The article discusses the experience of worship and dance. The rewritten article can emphasize and elaborate on these experiential aspects.
- Authoritativeness: The original article cites academic sources and is published in a context suggesting academic rigor. The rewritten article should maintain this tone and refer to the original source material implicitly.
- Trustworthiness: By maintaining objectivity, accurately representing information, and avoiding subjective opinions (as instructed), the rewritten article can be trustworthy.
- Helpful Content: The article can be helpful by explaining the concept of syncretism in religious music, exploring the intersection of Christian worship and EDM, and providing insights into contemporary worship music culture. It can be helpful for people interested in religious music, cultural studies, or the evangelical Christian movement. Making the language more accessible and SEO-friendly will enhance helpfulness for a broader online audience.
II. Nguyên tắc cơ bản
- Về nội dung: Adhere to all points listed: maintain information, accuracy, objectivity, original tone, and data.
- Về SEO: Adhere to all points listed: natural optimization, user experience priority, EEAT, Helpful Content Update.
III. Yêu cầu về định dạng bài viết
-
Độ dài: ~1900 words (±10%). Aim for 1700-2100 words.
- Mở đầu (10-15%): 170-315 words
- Nội dung chính (70-75%): 1190-1575 words
- Kết luận (10-15%): 170-315 words
- Tài liệu tham khảo (5-10%): 85-210 words (References are already provided and will be reused).
-
Cấu trúc bài viết:
- Tiêu đề: H1, max 65 chars, engaging, concise, keyword-rich.
- Mở đầu: Engaging, lead into the topic, keyword in the first paragraph, no subheadings.
- Nội dung chính: Subheadings (H2/H3), logical flow, key points, LSI keywords, examples, and evidence.
- Kết luận: Summarize, clear conclusion, call-to-action (though not explicitly required in instruction, can be considered for better engagement if natural).
- Tài liệu tham khảo: Provided in original article.
IV. Quy trình thực hiện
- Follow the outlined steps: Research & Analysis (done above), Planning, Writing, and Review.
V. Lưu ý quan trọng:
- Adhere to all listed points: appropriate style, clear sections, consistent formatting, SEO/quality balance, original spirit, reader value, length requirements, image handling, format constraints (no intro/extra info, no hashtags/emojis, no comments on process, no reading guides).
Now, let’s plan the article structure and write the content.
Plan/Outline:
Title (H1): Turn Up the Gospel: Exploring the “Dance Dance Floor” in Christian Worship Music
Introduction (approx. 250 words)
- Start with the Passion Conference example and Chris Tomlin’s “God’s Great Dance Floor.”
- Introduce the concept of “dance dance floor” in a spiritual context.
- Briefly mention the blend of Christian worship and EDM.
- State the article’s purpose: to explore this phenomenon and the meaning behind the “dance dance floor” in contemporary Christian worship.
Main Body (approx. 1400 words)
-
H2: The Unexpected Beat: EDM Influences in Christian Music
- Explain the EDM elements in “God’s Great Dance Floor” (beat, synth, drop).
- Discuss the visual cues and stage design echoing EDM culture.
-
H2: More Than Just Music: The “Dance Floor” as a Concept
- Explain the significance of the “dance floor” metaphor in the song.
- Quote Martin Smith on the meaning of the “dance floor” – freedom, expression, grace, welcome.
- Discuss the transformation of the Georgia Dome into a “dance floor.”
- H3: A Space for Freedom and Expression – Elaborate on the “dance floor” as a space of liberation within worship.
- H3: Grace and Welcome on the Dance Floor – Connect the “dance floor” to Christian themes of grace and inclusivity.
-
H2: Christian Music’s History of Adaptation and the “Dance Floor”
- Discuss Christian music’s tradition of borrowing from popular genres.
- Mention Balmer’s critique and the “me-too” approach.
- Explain how “God’s Great Dance Floor” is more than just imitation – it’s about adopting the cultural meaning of the “dance floor.”
-
H2: Beyond Appropriation: Syncretism and the “Spiritual Dance Floor”
- Introduce the concept of syncretism and its relevance to understanding this music.
- Explain that it’s not just about borrowing style, but about blending meaning systems.
- Discuss how the “dance floor” experience shapes religious understanding.
- Address the complexities of syncretism as a term and its implications.
-
H2: Praise and Worship: Curating an Experience on the “Dance Floor”
- Explain the genre of “praise and worship” music.
- Compare worship leaders to DJs as curators of experience.
- Emphasize the experiential aspect of worship and how the “dance floor” contributes to it.
Conclusion (approx. 250 words)
- Summarize the main points: the syncretism of EDM and Christian worship, the importance of the “dance floor” concept, and the shaping of religious experience through music.
- Reiterate the idea that this music is more than just appropriation; it’s a meaningful fusion of cultures.
- Conclude with a statement about the evolving nature of religious expression and the role of music in it.
References (reuse from original article).
Image: I will use a still from the YouTube video linked in the original article as the main image. I need to find a suitable still and create alt text. Let’s assume I find a still of Chris Tomlin on stage with the lighting and audience visible.
Alt text for image: Chris Tomlin leads worship during “God’s Great Dance Floor” performance at Passion Conference, with stage lighting and audience creating a dance floor atmosphere, illustrating the fusion of EDM elements in contemporary Christian worship music.
Now, I will write the article following this outline and instructions.
(Writing the article content below)# Turn Up the Gospel: Exploring the “Dance Dance Floor” in Christian Worship Music
On a crisp New Year’s Day in 2013, the Georgia Dome pulsed with energy as I joined over 65,000 young evangelical Christians. We were gathered for the annual Passion Conference, a four-day immersion into contemporary worship held each January in Atlanta. Days at Passion are filled with hours of communal singing, led by popular artists from Passion’s own sixstepsrecords label, interspersed with powerful sermons and engaging Bible studies. On the second evening, Chris Tomlin, a celebrated, Grammy-winning worship artist, took the stage and launched into his latest single, “God’s Great Dance Floor,” announced as an exclusive pre-sale for conference attendees. As the performance unfolded, Tomlin turned to the massive crowd, and a fascinating moment began to reveal itself.
The gestures and atmosphere of this performance bore a striking resemblance to the vibrant subculture of electronic dance music, or EDM. The song itself is constructed around a driving four-on-the-floor electronic dance beat, anchored by a repetitive synthesizer hook and a funk-influenced guitar riff. Mid-performance, a key moment occurs as Tomlin directs his band to “build it boys,” a clear instruction that cues “the drop,” a defining structural element in many beat-driven musical forms. Adding to this EDM evocation, the stage design, the dynamic lighting, and even the video production promoting the 2013 Passion live album—where “God’s Great Dance Floor” was the title track—all borrowed heavily from the visual and gestural vocabulary of dance music.
Chris Tomlin performing "God's Great Dance Floor" at Passion Conference, with stage lighting and audience creating a dance floor atmosphere, illustrating the fusion of EDM elements in contemporary Christian worship music.
The Unexpected Beat: EDM Influences in Christian Music
For some, the Christian adoption of EDM might seem jarring. After all, denominations with conservative roots, like the Southern Baptist Convention, which many of these young evangelicals belong to, have historically viewed dancing with suspicion, associating it with worldly temptations. Yet, when considering the well-documented history of Christian music’s frequent borrowing and adaptation of mainstream popular culture, this blending of genres perhaps isn’t so surprising. Evangelical Christian recording artists have, for at least half a century, if not longer, consistently co-opted, adapted, and re-evaluated elements from the ever-evolving landscape of popular music. A simplified, almost caricatured, understanding of this process often looks something like this:
- A new musical style gains traction within a popular music subculture.
- Christian artists identify this style and strip it of its “secular” or potentially “offensive” lyrical content.
- They then infuse this musical framework with overtly “Jesus-y” or Christian-themed lyrics.
- The result? Millions of records sold to a dedicated Christian audience.
According to this somewhat cynical view, the primary distinction between “Christian Punk” or “Christian Metal” and their mainstream secular counterparts lies solely in the lyrical themes. While mainstream punk bands might sing about societal angst or rebellion, and metal bands about power or darkness, their Christian counterparts simply redirect these musical styles to sing about Jesus. As religious historian Randall Balmer astutely observed in his seminal study of American evangelical subculture:
With few exceptions, [evangelical music of the 1970s and 1980s] was derivative and predictable, reflecting a kind of “me, too” approach to secular music. Countless evangelical groups aspired to mimic the folk music of Peter, Paul, & Mary or the popular ballads of Simon and Garfunkel. Amy Grant and Sandi Patty were the Belinda Carlisle and Barbra Streisand of evangelical music, and as long as heavy metal remained part of the secular music vernacular several evangelical bands, like Petra, Stryper, Guardian, and Whiteheart, sought to baptize that, too (Balmer 2006:299-300).
Balmer’s perspective portrays Christian popular music as essentially a parallel industry, a religiously-aligned alternative to the mainstream “secular” entertainment complex. This industry mirrors the trends and styles of the mainstream, differentiated primarily by the explicit Christian faith expressed in its lyrical content and the biographies of its artists.
More Than Just Music: The “Dance Floor” as a Concept
While this narrative of Christian artists co-opting popular styles contains elements of truth, it doesn’t fully illuminate what’s happening in the case of “God’s Great Dance Floor.” If we try to understand this song as a straightforward imitation of EDM, it undeniably falls short in authentically replicating the sonic textures and nuances of the genre. However, this isn’t necessarily due to a lack of musical ability or understanding on the part of Chris Tomlin and his band. Instead, it suggests that they aren’t actually aiming for a precise EDM replication. Even the most intentionally EDM-inspired segments of the performance, such as the build-climax-drop structure, resonate more closely with the stadium rock anthems of bands like U2 or Bruce Springsteen than with the immersive soundscapes of rave culture.
The crucial aspect here is how the essence of the EDM “drop” is evoked—through the dynamic dance movements of worship leaders on stage, the consistent encouragement of the crowd with phrases like “are you ready to dance?”, Tomlin’s “build it boys” directive just before the climax, and the strategic use of laser lighting and strobe effects. These performative elements, along with the editing of official audio and video recordings, are vital in creating the desired atmosphere, even if the song’s actual sound only tenuously connects to EDM as a distinct musical style. It appears that for Christian artists venturing into these musical territories, the subcultural system of meaning-making that EDM provides is more significant than rigidly adhering to the genre’s sonic conventions.
Indeed, in the context of “God’s Great Dance Floor,” the subculturally defined concept of the “dance floor” itself becomes a central element in the spiritual meanings that the song generates for both artists and their worshipping fans. This is evident in how Tomlin actively reshapes the physical space of the Georgia Dome during his performance. He explicitly tells the assembled crowd that the stadium is being transformed, undergoing a transvaluation from a mere “dome” into “one massive dance floor.” Similarly, the areas closest to the stage, typically viewed as simply crowded spaces of fans, are re-imagined and re-labeled as “the praise pits.” Martin Smith, the British songwriter and worship leader who penned “God’s Great Dance Floor,” has consistently emphasized the “dance floor” concept as essential to the song’s intended impact within the Christian community.
We’ve realized that when a community gathers together, it has to have that sense of freedom and expression. That is at the heart of gospel. So “God’s Great Dance Floor” is common to everybody, it doesn’t matter where you come from. Now’s the time, let’s get back on the dance floor. And this is not about professionalism. This is about getting down…“God’s Great Dance Floor” is about grace. It’s about everybody’s welcome. Everybody. And that’s the great thing about “Dance Floor,” is it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are, you can always give it a go. And I think that’s God’s heart. I think the dance floor is the threshing floor, where God does a lot of healing in us (MacIntosh 2013).
A Space for Freedom and Expression
Smith’s words reveal how deeply he connects the ethos of the EDM dance floor—the sense of letting loose and “being yourself” in an environment free from judgment and scrutiny—to the core message of his song within a Christian framework. Here, the “dance floor” transcends being just a physical space; it becomes a powerful symbol, functioning as part origin story, part ethical guideline, and part eschatological vision of the future. What is being adapted and reinterpreted is not merely a lyrical image, a particular musical style, or even a set of aesthetic preferences. Instead, it’s an entire ethical system of performance, participation, and reception that is intrinsically linked to EDM subculture. Dance music, in this context, is not only the musical template for the song, but also the very model for understanding the song’s spiritual purpose and impact. Smith and Tomlin seem to operate on the assumption, and perhaps even the requirement, that their audience already possesses an ingrained, embodied understanding of dance music participation to fully engage with the song’s spiritual meaning.
Grace and Welcome on the Dance Floor
Artists like Smith and Tomlin operate within the specific genre of “praise and worship” music, a significant segment of the Christian recording industry dedicated to producing pop and rock-infused music specifically for use in Christian congregational worship settings. “Praise and worship” music distinguishes itself from other forms of Christian popular music by its explicitly stated aim: to facilitate and enhance experiences of worship. This is music intentionally designed for Christian believers to actively engage and negotiate their relationship with God. In environments like the Passion Conference—and in the recorded music that emerges from them—worship leaders, much like EDM DJs, are entrusted with shaping the collective experience of a gathered community. While technical musical skill is undoubtedly valued, the ultimate measure of quality is more curatorial than purely performative. Similar to a DJ, worship leaders are judged by their capacity to create a meaningful and transformative encounter for the assembled community, rather than solely on their ability to flawlessly execute a pre-determined musical product. This curatorial emphasis within “praise and worship” music means that what is most often being appropriated from mainstream musical culture isn’t a specific style or genre in isolation, but rather a deeply felt and culturally situated set of embodied experiences. In “God’s Great Dance Floor,” the physical exhilaration and freedom associated with an EDM dance floor and the ecstatic devotion central to Christian worship are presented not just as compatible, but as deeply intertwined and mutually dependent.
Beyond Appropriation: Syncretism and the “Spiritual Dance Floor”
This observation challenges both the “neutrality” argument often put forth by evangelicals, who might claim they are simply using culturally relevant tools for outreach, and the narrative of straightforward appropriation frequently proposed by scholars and journalists. Evangelical worship musicians aren’t simply borrowing musical styles as readily available instruments for evangelism or as familiar cultural forms to connect with their fan-worshippers. Instead, artists like Tomlin are engaged in a process of syncretically developing entirely new pop/evangelical modes of musical engagement. They are drawing upon historically and socially shaped systems of meaning-making to effectively convey religious messages to their audiences. The musical and lyrical contours of popular music are not merely acting as appealing “forms” in which to package the “content” of religious orthodoxy. In fact, they constitute something akin to what Steven Feld has described as an “acoustemology” (Feld 1996:97). This suggests that the most profoundly meaningful gestures and moments within these “praise and worship” performances arise from a syncretic blending of beliefs and practices drawn from both mainstream popular music and evangelical Christianity. Popular music, in this sense, actively shapes the very ways in which believers come to understand and experience themselves as religious subjects within the act of worship.
While many evangelical Christians I’ve spoken with have been open to the idea of “syncretism” when discussed in fieldwork conversations, it’s important to recognize that within theological contexts, “syncretism” is often a highly charged term. Anthropologists Rosalind Shaw and Charles Stewart have noted that in the study of religion, “syncretism” too often carries negative connotations (2003:1-25). For religious fundamentalists, syncretic formations are seen as a compromise of “true” or “pure” belief, representing a kind of diluted faith, a dangerous accommodation of outside influences. For post-colonial theorists, including many ethnomusicologists, syncretism is often viewed as a coping mechanism employed by indigenous peoples to resist or subvert the universalizing tendencies of colonizing religions. In both these perspectives, labeling a religion as “syncretic” often implies that it was formed on the “wrong” side of historical power dynamics—whether those are colonial invasions or the pervasive reach of global capitalism. The concept of syncretism is frequently invoked to explain beliefs and practices that don’t neatly fit into the established “orthodoxies” of major world religions, yet also don’t represent a radical religious innovation significant enough to constitute an entirely new system of meaning. Perhaps due to this perceived “in-between” status, the concept of syncretism has historically been applied in Western scholarship to study the “marginal” religious expressions found in regions like Latin America, the Afro-Caribbean, and among indigenous populations of North America, among others.
However, Shaw and Stewart’s approach offers a more nuanced understanding, suggesting that we can use “syncretism” to acknowledge the reality that “all religions have composite origins and are continually reconstructed through ongoing processes of synthesis and erasure” (2003:7). By exploring evangelical Christian worship music in the United States through a syncretic lens, specifically examining its engagement with mainstream popular music, I am not suggesting any lack of sincerity or authenticity on the part of its devoted practitioners. Rather, by describing evangelical worship music as syncretic, I aim to highlight the crucial role of music as a primary theological discourse. It is through music that parishioners actively construct, challenge, reinforce, and sometimes transgress the boundaries of officially sanctioned “orthodoxy.” Understanding how contemporary religious communities of practice are invariably shaped by popular music opens up new avenues for comprehending embodied religious experience, as well as the formations of community and identity that congregational music-making provides to so many.
References
Balmer, Randall Herbert. Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey Into the Evangelical Subculture in America. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Feld, Steven. 1996. “An Acoustemology of Place Resounding in Bosavi, Papua New Guinea,” in Senses of Place, eds. Steven Feld and Keith H. Basso. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press.
MacIntosh, Dan. “Songwriter Interview with Martin Smith of Delirious?,” songfacts.com. www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/martin_smith_of_delirous.
Shaw, Rosalind and Charles Stewart. 2003. “Introduction: Problematizing Syncretism.” In Syncretism/Anti-Syncretism: The Politics of Religious Synthesis. New York: Routledge.
Wheeler, Michael. 2013. “Martin Heidegger.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2013 Edition), ed. Edward N. Zalta. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2013/entries/heidegger.
