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IMMERSIVE WORSHIP EXPERIENCES AND CHURCH TECHNOLOGY — A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE | Jeff Hawley
As we know from Ecclesiastes 1:9 , “ What has been is what will be , and what has been done is what will be done , and there is nothing new under the sun .” While the larger theological implications of this sentiment certainly expand well beyond the scope of the areas we all work with from a technology standpoint in the contemporary worship landscape , the core point remains . What we highlight as being the latest and greatest innovative breakthrough in immersive audio technology may seem new and exciting , yet I ’ d argue that the reasons for putting these new immersive technologies into practice are as old as the idea of worship itself . This bold claim warrants a quick historical review into just that question — what is the point of seeking to develop and design more engaging environments in which to perform acts of worship ? And perhaps even more importantly , has this effort to enhance worship environments fundamentally changed over time ?
As the lyrics to the traditional nineteenth century gospel hymn state , one of the goals of many religious practices is to experience ‘ a closer walk with Thee ,’ coming into the presence of the holy in both figurative and literal terms . One of the many ways to improve this likelihood of achieving the deep and immersive presence of the holy — described by the scholar of comparative religion Rudolf Otto as the “ gentle tide , [ the ] pervading [ of ] the mind with a tranquil mood ” numinous experience — is through the careful use of various sonic elements . To this point , an exploration of physical worship spaces themselves , a review of the means of creating sounds within worship , and a study of the related uses of sonic technology during worship rituals can help to elucidate just how these sonic elements compare in their utilization between ancient and more contemporary religious applications . It is my contention that the overall goal of creating an immersive environment for worship and ritual practice has remained a constant from Ancient Greek and Roman times through to the present , while the technology available to achieve this goal ( both in the creation of an immersive physical space and in the use of engaging and relatable musical instruments and instrumental styles ) has continually progressed . Put another way , the methods in which we might best utilize various sonic elements to achieve the most numinous experience — the ‘ how ’— have certainly changed over time , but the underlying ‘ why ’ and the core goal of using sound to increase this sense of a presence with the holy has remained largely unchanged .
I came across an interesting research article from Algargoosh et al . ( 2022 ) entitled ‘ The Impact of the Acoustic Environment on Human Emotion and Experience : A Case Study of Worship Spaces ’ that presents some interesting data around this point . The authors note , “ worship spaces require acoustic environments that support spiritual needs and enhance faith … [ and ] such spaces offer an example in which the human experience is dependent on the acoustic environment ” ( pg . 86 ). Their research presents the following three questions , concluding with an affirmative ‘ yes ’ in response to each question after completing extensive scientific research : 1 . Does the acoustic environment enhance the emotional impact considering the match between acoustic and visual