Ship of Fools: The Branch, Peoria, Arizona, USA
The Mystery Worshipper
Shipmate
Ship of Fools: The Branch, Peoria, Arizona, USA
Low key evangelical worship, and a surprisingly good sermon on the importance of giving money to the church
Read the full Mystery Worshipper report here
Comments
Alas, though, I fear that young men being taught by their fathers to remove their hats when in a church—or for that matter when indoors at all, or when greeting or speaking to a woman—is not something that can be taken as given much anymore. I suspect those of us in my generation who did teach our sons that are a distinct minority.
I only just caught up with that report as well, and I thought the description of the service felt quite balanced. It’s interesting how something described as low key can still carry a strong underlying message, especially around giving. That emphasis always lands differently depending on how it’s framed, and it sounds like it was handled thoughtfully in this case.
On the etiquette point, I tend to agree that those small gestures like removing hats have become less common. Whether that’s a loss or just a cultural shift is probably up for debate, but it does change the feel of shared spaces like churches in subtle ways.