Evangelical Performance Anxiety with Dr. Joshua Busman

In this Worship/Theology Podcast episode, Dr. Jeremy Perigo interviews Dr. Joshua Busman about his article titled “A Fun and Funky Disco Pastiche: David Crowder Confronts Evangelical Performance Anxiety.” They discuss the concept of performance anxiety in evangelical worship and how it affects both worship leaders and congregants. They explore the tension between authenticity and performance in worship, the role of control and authority in worship spaces, and how worship leaders navigate the divide between performance and worship. In the article and podcast, Busman highlights David Crowder as an example of a worship leader who “deftly negotiates this divide by embracing moments of performance within his worship sets.” Busman and Perigo explore these tensions and also give practical solutions for engaging as church musicians and worship leaders