The Eschatology of Karaoke

Orginally published on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 3:46 AM
by Todd Rhoades

There are few advancements in the history of mankind as priceless as Karaoke. With the exception of TiVo and eBay, few inventions rival both the popularity and significance of Karaoke. Perhaps my infatuation with the culture of Karaoke comes from my background as a worship leader. You see, every since I started in full time ministry my “close” friends have called me “Karaoke Boy”. They do so as a way to poke fun at the fact that the overwhelming majority of my career focuses on trying to get people to sing in public settings.

But rather than getting offended by this colloquialism it has spurred in me an infatuation with all things Karaoke. Now I can’t say that I’ve tried Karaoke nor have I been to a Karaoke bar, but as one who is interested in public displays of humiliation I’ve ascertained some information on the background of Karaoke.

For instance, I have learned that Karaoke originated in Kobe, Japan some 20 years ago. The word Karaoke comes from a combination of two words essentially meaning “empty orchestra”. It is fabled that when instrumentalists weren’t able to make it to gigs that bar owners would doctor up tapes that would allow others to sing along with an accompaniment. Since singing at parties was a long held Japanese tradition it was easy for Karaoke to gain in popularity and become a successful form of entertainment for the Japanese (the Japanese have a fondness for the humor that is inherent in poor singing). Soon this form of entertainment spread globally and so began the phenomena that we know of today. 

Now I say all of that to say this: I’m not ashamed to be known as Karaoke Boy. I may be a bit sensitive about being grouped along with the bad singers of this world, but otherwise, I think that Karaoke and corporate worship have a lot in common. Here are some reasons why:

-Where else in culture can you find an opportunity where people get together and stand around and sing?

-Like Karaoke, I think that worship should be fun!

-Karaoke was invented as a way for business men to relieve stress. Likewise, worship ought to be a place where we can come trade our stress for the peace of God.

-Quality of singing shouldn’t stop one from being passionate.

-Worship, like Karaoke, can help bridge generation gaps.

-Karaoke, since it is a popular family activity, is seen to be an important form of family communication. Worship is also an important form of family communication as we sing the stories of God’s grace and interaction in our lives.

-At the end of the day, whether it’s Karaoke or worship, I’m just trying to get people to sing from somewhere deep inside of them where they truly believe the words and meaning of the songs.

Now sure, there are many ways that Karaoke and corporate worship are different. Karaoke’s just entertainment. Worship is about surrendering to God. But all in all, I’ll wear the badge of Karaoke Boy with pride. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to work on getting that ball to bounce over the words for this week’s service.

Brice Basquez is the Pastor of Worship Arts at New Hope Community Church in Bryan, OH. His main responsibilities at New Hope are planning and coordinating worship services, music, and drama. Brice enjoys family, jazz, Kansas University basketball, golf, face-melting-and-ulcer-forming spicy food, and beating his Senior Pastor at "Name that Tune" Brice resides in Bryan, OH along with his wife and son.

 

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a chronic workaholic, love to connect leaders with other leaders, and would consider myself somewhat of a 'maven'. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you'll like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step.

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