CHARISMATIC VS MELODRAMATIC

To understand Worship, one must be familiar with the meaning and type of
Worship. The Concise Oxford Dictionary – Tenth Edition has got this to say. The
word “charismatic” means

• adj.

1 having charisma.

2 of or relating to the charismatic movement. > (of a power or talent) divinely

conferred.

• n. an adherent of the charismatic movement. > a person who claims divine

inspiration.

– DERIVATIVES charismatically adv.

The word divine is associated with charismatic. Charismatic worship need a

spiritually matured person to lead the team. Normally the person got to have the
character and the talent of a professional speaker or vocalist. Charismatic worship
leaders need to accompanied by well trained, experienced and qualified
musicians. The musicians should be spiritual person and be able to see the
theology of music while playing and able to play and enrich the session
spontaneously. Charismatic worship leaders and musicians have the fear of the
Divine and deep knowledge in the music. The set up for a charismatic worship has
to be of a ball room standard, hall or open space because the worship may
eventually lead people to participate by dancing, raising hands, clapping, moving
around so on.

The other kind of worship is known as the melodramatic worship. The Concise
Oxford Dictionary – Tenth Edition says “Melodrama” means

1 a sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and exciting events.

> language, behaviour, or events resembling such drama.

2 historical a play interspersed with songs and orchestral music accompanying

the action.

– DERIVATIVES melodramatist n. melodramatize (also melodramatise) v.

– ORIGIN C19: from Fr. mélodrame, from Gk melos ‘music’ + Fr. drame
‘drama’.

Since the word “melodrama” is related to “exaggerate” and “drama”, anybody

can lead the worship session of this kind. All you need is practice. As practice
makes perfect, the musicians and the worship leaders need not to be skillful.
Without serious practice, the outcome of melodramatic worship is disastrous. It is
a good training ground to groom new melodramatic worshipper and musicians.
The set up required is normally theatrical or church set up because participants
need to seat and watch events resembling prayers and worship presented by the
worshipper and his/her group.

Ironically, Charismatic Worship demands very high discipline and commitment.

You can feel the work of the divine. People will speak in tongue, shout and sing
out of joy, clapping, and dancing for hours. It’s like the day of Pentecost. In a
melodramatic worship people will find it difficult to stand for more then 15
minutes. After all, it is an “exaggerated drama”.

There are two problems. Firstly, a charismatic worship can turned into
exaggerated drama if the performers lost touch of the divine and get carried
away. Secondly, melodramatic worship can never turn into charismatic worship
because the worship team lacks the ability to lead, sing and play musical
instruments.

The problem today is, Churches that do melodramatic worship think that they are
Charismatic. As a result, the worship session in these churches are dull and
boring