The real reason churches pump fake smoke into the air

More and more churches are spewing artificial smoke (officially called “haze”) into their auditoriums.

Why?

There’s the official reason. And the underlying reason.

The official reason: young people

With the rise of computer-controlled projection systems, many churches have transitioned to dark, windowless auditoriums, to make their video screens more visible.

Dark spaces need spotlights. Pump some smoke into the air and you’ve got instant shafts of light that appear to dance to the music.

It’s the same look you’d find at a rave, a nightclub or a rock concert. Ergo, the young will dig it.

But I don’t think the smoke is for the kids. It’s for their parents.

The real reason: the Doobie Brothers

I attended many rock concerts as a teen in the 1970s. Elton John. Electric Light Orchestra. The Doobie Brothers. Heart. Bad Company. Fleetwood Mac.

The stage always looked the same. Massive speakers. Silvery lighting trusses. Spotlights. A rock band featuring guitar, bass, keys, and drums.

And of course, the smoke. Lots of smoke. But not from a machine.

The moment the lights went down the reefers came out. In 5 minutes, the concert hall was choking with marijuana fumes. (Full disclosure: I was a smeller, not a smoker)

There was no need to generate artificial smoke. The concertgoers provided all the happy haze you could want. Simply breathing the air made the concert more fun. The music, the lights, and the air worked together to produce a euphoric feeling.

Which is exactly what worship leaders are paid to produce on Sunday.

smoke-filled arena: A Boomers’ happy place

Rock concerts were pinnacle experiences in the lives of many Boomers. So, the worship-as-rock-concert vibe helps Baby Boomer churchgoers shed their inhibitions. They experience a “worship high” not unlike the ones they felt in the smoke-filled arenas of their youth.

And here’s a little secret: Baby Boomers are keeping the church afloat with their tithes and volunteer hours. If we lose them the church goes down the tubes. So, to make sure the Boomers Don’t Stop Believin’ we’ve turned the worship of God into a Journey concert. The smoky, rock concert motif helps Boomers hold onto that feelin’ of being young and carefree.

All this takes place on a deep, subconscious level. Ask a Boomer about haze in the sanctuary and he’ll probably be indifferent or hostile toward it. I’m a Boomer and I hate it. To me, the church’s modern emphasis on stagecraft and production values feels dishonest and manipulative.

I’m not alone in this. Our supposed target audience – the young adults – don’t seem that impressed with our smoke machines and special effects either. Tom Lawson writes in Church Leaders magazine:

There is strong anecdotal evidence that points to an increasing number of young adults who have grown up in evangelical churches being drawn toward trends in worship experiences that are more intimate, less polished and often more liturgical than the worship of their home churches.

We hear a lot about the “religious nones” – a growing cadre of young people who were raised in church but have abandoned the faith. Ask them why they left, and they’ll often mention a lack of authenticity. Hypocrisy. Fakery.

Tell me: does artificial smoke say authenticity to you?

Boomers built it. We can help fix it.

Boomers created contemporary worship because hymns didn’t connect with our hearts. We birthed a new kind of Christian music that felt real. A form of worship that made us feel young, euphoric and high.

But Boomers never do anything halfway. We’ve taken worship-as-rock-concert to the point of excess. We’ve focused too much on style and presentation, and not enough on the soul. The implosion of Hillsong exposed the rot at the heart of what we’ve created.