The movie Joyful Noise, starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, is due out any day now. While I have not yet seen the movie, as near as I call tell, the plot of the movie is this:
A small town in Georgia, has fallen on hard economic times (in no way due to the president's policies), but the gentry are counting on the Divinity Church Choir to lift their spirits and hopes by winning the National Joyful Noise Competition. The choir has always known how to sing, but the discord between its two leading ladies now threatens to tear them apart. Their newly appointed director played by Queen Latifiah, stubbornly wants to stick with their tried-and-true traditional style, while Parton thinks tried-and-true translates to tired-and-old.
There it is. Enough sappy sweetness to make Buddy the Elf sick.
Now, the plot is harmless enough and it seems like good, clean family entertainment. But if the plot sounds familiar, that's because it is. This plot line has been used hundreds of times in religious movies--pitting traditional worship and song against more the more contemporary worship.
We know that this is a discussion within the church that has caused some friction. Some in the pew believe that church worship and song should be traditional in all ways, while others have eschewed most traditional forms of worship, and favor non-traditional worship.
Who's right? Perhaps both sides are. Worship needs both traditional and non-traditional, contemporary elements to edify the Creator and connect with the pew. It's a serious discussion that should be ongoing and continuous...and serious.
I have not yet seen Joyful Noise, so I can't praise or criticize it. I appreciate the movie entertaining the very valid and serious discussion of traditional versus contemporary song and worship.
My hope is that the movie handles the discussion responsibly and thoughtfully.
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