Redefining "Blended Worship"

I’m afraid the idea of “blended worship” is often watered down. Blending a few old and new songs in the same service does not necessarily constitute God-honoring and unifying worship among Christ’s body. I discovered this article while perusing New Creation Ministries’ website this morning. I strongly concur…
Blended Worship by Robert Webber – January 2003
Throw your blender away! Yes. That’s what I said, throw your blender away.
“But why?” You ask. “Haven’t you advocated blended worship and even written about it?” Indeed I have. But blended worship has come to mean something other than what I intended.
For many it means blend a hymn and a chorus. Put them together back to back, or make sure you do a hymn here or there and a chorus or two as well. That’s not the blended worship I am talking about. If that’s what you think blended worship is, please, please throw that blender as far away as you can. True blended worship as I have always understood it is an ancient-future worship.
Ancient-future worship blends the traditions. It draws from the insights of all the great worshiping traditions of the church.
Ancient-future worship draws from the ancient affirmation that worship remembers Gods saving deeds in Jesus Christ, his life, death, resurrection;
it connects with his present eternal intercession before the Father and on our behalf; it anticipates his sure coming again and eternal rule over all creation.
This worship gathers the people in God’s presence toproclaim, teach, and apply this great story to our lives; it enacts, and gives thanks for this story as it feasts at God’s table; it sends people forth to love, serve and worship God in all of life. Ancient-future worship furthermore calls on the church to use all of its music, all of its arts, all of its symbols in an engaging participatory worship that calls all people into a life transforming encounter with the God who acts.
So. Throw your blender away and join me in the pursuit of a God focused, highly participatory, eclectic worship in which God engages us, heart, mind, soul, body and senses.
Robert Webber