Worship and Justice (w/ Paul Ramey)

The Art of Worship

In this episode Nikki and Craig chat with guest Paul Ramey of Compassion International about Worship & Justice and why we should care.
Paul Ramey shares his story of being a Worship Leader and Worship Pastor for two decades and then transitioning into working for Compassion International.
Paul talks about his years as a worship pastor and the abstraction between vertical worship and horizontal worship. After a trip to El Salvador he went through a process of repentance and learning that the horizontal (our justice towards each other) is not seperate from our vertical worship.
Nikki asks whether caring about Justice should be central to every one of us, especially worship leaders and if so, where do we start?
Paul talks about our worship being completely incomplete if we don't truly care for justice, and he takes us through scriptures (Isaiah 1:10-20, Matthew 5, Micah 6:8) that say so.
Paul talks through the difference between support and solidarity. That the church should be political but not partisan and how protests change policy but conversations change community.
Craig asks what it looks like to put theology into action in the western church constructs and how that might inform our gatherings and services.
First things first we need to pray - Paul talks about repentance & praying for our churches. We need to ask the question what is political and what is partisan and look at the ministry of Jesus, seeing all our issues through the lens of the gospel and stepping into uneasy and uncomfortable places and conversations to expand church vision into diversity.
Link to Imago Dei talk on Racial injustice and The Church here.
You kind find Paul Ramey here.

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If you would like to study worship in more depth check out Missional Pathways, a training school led by Craig for Worship Leaders looking for practical training with formal qualifications.