# Carl Trueman On Tragedy and Christian Worship



## Backwoods Presbyterian (May 14, 2013)

Another gem from keyboard of Carl Trueman. This time in _First Things_ on the lack of "tragedy" and "lament" in Christian worship.

Here are a few quotes:



> The problem with much Christian worship in the contemporary world, Catholic and Protestant alike, is not that it is too entertaining but that it is not entertaining enough. Worship characterized by upbeat rock music, stand-up comedy, beautiful people taking center stage, and a certain amount of Hallmark Channel sentimentality neglects one classic form of entertainment, the one that tells us, to quote the Book of Common Prayer, that “in the midst of life we are in death.”
> 
> It neglects tragedy. Tragedy as a form of art and of entertainment highlighted death, and death is central to true Christian worship. The most basic liturgical elements of the faith, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, speak of death, of burial, of a covenant made in blood, of a body broken. Even the cry “Jesus is Lord!” assumes an understanding of lordship very different than Caesar’s. Christ’s lordship is established by his sacrifice upon the cross, Caesar’s by power.





> "In my own tradition, the historic Scottish Presbyterian tradition, the somber tempos of the psalter, the haunting calls of lament, and the mortal frailty of the unaccompanied human voice helped to connect Sunday worship to the realities of life." "The psalms as the staple of Christian worship, with their elements of lament, confusion, and the intrusion of death into life, have been too often replaced not by songs that capture the same sensibilities—as the many great hymns of the past did so well—but by those that assert triumph over death while never really giving death its due. The tomb is certainly empty; but we are not sure why it would ever have been occupied in the first place."


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## Contra_Mundum (May 14, 2013)

I really, really love "A Cruel TR Man" (as he once cleverly self-glossed).

Thanks, Ben.


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## kodos (May 15, 2013)

I've found a lot of Carl Trueman's writings on worship to be quite on the mark - and his writings are always enjoyable to read, whether one agrees with everything he says, or not!


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