Outer Rim Territories

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Disco, disco Mass!

Disco, disco Mass! » GetReligion
The Sunday after General Convention I returned to my home parish for Gay Pride Sunday and participated in a Disco Mass for which gays and lesbians turned out in force. The opening hymn was a beautiful jazz rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” Musical offerings came from gay men in sequined tank tops and from the Director of Music who was ushered into the service singing a disco number complete with Go-Go girls. The queen of St. Mark’s appeared in full drag to deliver the homily and the closing hymn was, Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.” As I stood singing among straight men and women, young parents with their children, gays and lesbians, teenagers in hip hop clothing, Asians, whites, African Americans and Spanish speaking people I realized I was part of the realm of God and I was glad to be there — in a place where God’s creation of a new thing was being lived out.
Now you are saying to yourself: “This has to be satire.”
No this is not a satire. This is an event that really happened. A disco ball in the sanctuary is one thing. This is a totally different thing... Its no wonder LC-MS Lutherans can't be in fellowship with the Episcopalians with this sort of hedonism happening, guised as worship. Unbelievable!

Posted February 23, 2007 by Christopher Gillespie 
Feb 27, 2007
Jason Evans Groth said...
This doesn't strike me as anything different than our Pastor changing "Gloria," about sex with a teenage girl, to "Lutherans," and playing it right before communion at basketball tournament Sunday. That's a story I tell frequently. What's described above certainly seems less ironic and much more soulful. It has always boggled my mind that he didn't just change the lyrics to the verses since the title was already in place. Ah, memories.
Feb 27, 2007
Christopher Gillespie said...
Ah yes, the scars from that one still itch. I think you're right... I'd rather have some sincerity than a bad parity. That's the thrust of the subtext of my liturgical posts. Most often there is a lack of critical thought. This happens on so many levels including musical, textual, associations, and practical. Not many have any objective musical sensibility which makes assessing use of foreign genres and new music challenging at best. Not many have the reading comprehension ability to think critically about what they are saying or singing. Hardly anyone contemplates the implications of a musical genre or textual style when appropriating it. In then end, "new" styles or texts are put into practice without consideration of the quality of musical performance or readability of the text.

I think the disco mass fails on a couple of those counts (and succeeds on the same counts in the original context.) They and I are trying to communicate totally different themes.

Feb 27, 2007
Jason Evans Groth said...
I agree. Disco mass seems counterproductive if you think about context (disco implies self-indulgence from an opulent decade) but, as you say, a lot of people do not read any further than the surface for these things. These gray areas are impossible to avoid and if Christians or whomever are trying to be completely pure they will fail (obviously). But, yeah, he could have just changed the words in the verses.