An investigation of contrasting approaches to worship within Australian Baptist churches to explore the role Apollonian and Dionysian concepts of art play in understanding the differences: a case study approach.

This thesis explores the ongoing and deeply felt tensions between churches that use contemporary music-styles for worship, complete with charismatic influence (hand-clapping, hand-raising, tongues speaking, overt emotional displays, etc.), and those that reject contemporary music and remain rooted in traditional music forms such as hymn singing with restrained physical expression. This study seeks to identify what role the under-considered issue of Apollonian and Dionysian concepts of art has on the stylistic choices of the various churches. It will then consider, with reference to the work of Bourdieu, whether the collective, “quasi-subconscious” adherence to one of these concepts acts as an automatic filtering process for new attendees at a church, thereby working as a self-validating, self-selecting and self-replicating system. Forming the core of this thesis is a Case Study involving four Australian Baptist churches. Two of these churches are intentionally contemporary in their service style, including their use of music and two are deliberately conservative or traditional in their style. The Case Study involves three parts including a Questionnaire, a Service Observation and an Interview. Analysis of the subject groups and of the Case Study data reveals that the subject churches share very similar histories, statements of faith, make virtually identical truth claims, all hold the Bible to be the ‘actual’ word of God and all desire to live ‘appropriate’ Christian lives. The Questionnaire analysis further reveals that the individuals from the churches view themselves in a very similar way and hold to virtually identical theology on key matters. Statistical analysis also removes gender, age and education level as explaining variables. This research reveals that the most significant factor separating the churches, and the one that most consistently and clearly explains the differences between their worship approaches, is their underlying philosophical disposition towards Apollonian and Dionysian concepts of art.