In the Telegraph (UK), Jonathan Petre reports that Church backs raves to bring in young people:
The Church of England gave its official blessing to alternative forms of youth worship such as "raves in the nave" yesterday as part of its efforts to attract young people into church.How about a keg party?
Against a backdrop of declining churchgoing among children and teenagers, the General Synod supported a new "national youth strategy" and a new fund designed to encourage greater participation by the under-30s.
During the debate speakers commended the types of services that would have aroused the wrath of many liturgical traditionalists.
Youth services range from those organised by Soul Survivor, which feature rock bands or Christian disc jockeys, to those that favour "post-modern symbolism", from surreal video images with ambient music to offerings of salt or sunflower seeds.
The most notorious of recent times was the "nine o'clock service" in Sheffield, which was closed down after allegations of improper relations between the clergyman and female members of the congregation.
