Wresting Worship: How Demonstartive Praise Masquerades

Wresting Worship: How Demonstrative Praise Often Masquerades as True Congregational Worship

by
Deborah A. Dessaso

That obedience which isn't voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord looks at the heart, and if He sees that we worship Him from force, and not because we love Him, He will reject our offering.
Morning and Evening
by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

.....It was an interesting time in the history of ancient Israel. To the casual observer, it would seem that the temple on the Sabbath day was the place to be. The place was packed, standing room only. The singers sang and the musicians played beautifully. For all accounts and purposes, the scene was one of joyous praise to the God of Israel.

           Except for one thing--there was something wrong with the worship.

           While there may have been much singing, shouting, and dancing going on inside the temple, outside of its walls a prophet named Isaiah preached a message which included those famous words in the Bible made all the more vivid in The Message translation: "The ox knows who's boss, the mule knows the hand that feeds him, but not Israel. My people don't know up from down." (Isaiah 1:3) Drawing specific attention to Israel's worship services, the Lord minced no words telling them how He felt: "I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your worship celebrations have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them." (Isaiah 1:13-14, NIV)

           I am sure there were many worshipers who heard those words and wondered who in the world Isaiah was talking about. They were worshipping boisterously before God—or were they? Is active, demonstrative worship a sure sign that true worship is going on? After all, most pagan worship is full of active, even frenetic movement. Remember the prophets of Baal calling for their god to show himself against Elijah? Yet, in some churches, people are often judged to be truly worshipping only if they are doing it demonstrably. Many worship leaders and ministers firmly believe that if your worship is devoid of clapping, raising hands, shouting "Amen" or just plain shouting, you are less than excited about worshiping God. I call such spiritual intimidation, "wresting worship," and include in this category what I call “congregational directives.” You’ve heard them, I’m sure: “Turn to your neighbor and say…,” or “Say ‘Amen’ when you get there,” or “Stand on the word,” are just a few of these irritating little commands that, for some people, are downright distracting.

I am reminded of a story my internist told me about a congregation she visited where the minister was trying to wrest worship from the members. At one point, the deacons actually went over to those who weren't being "active" enough and stared at them. The tactic worked with some people; however, my doctor walked out and, as far as I know, never went back.

Of course, the problem of demonstrative worship has two heads. There are those congregations who frown on expressive forms of worship. Personally, I have been on both sides of the argument--either the members were being berated for acting too "worldly" if they clapped after worship music, or they were being criticized for being less than demonstrative. As I see it, both pastors and worship leaders need to be especially careful to avoid making members feel guilty because they don't worship the way church leaders think congregants should.

....Truth be told, worship isn't always directed towards God. For some, it's strictly a performance. For others, it's an out-and-out competition between individuals or choirs; hence, we should watch those who try to wrest worship out of a congregation. Only the Holy Spirit can spark the spirit of true worship in us, and how we end up worshipping should draw us, through the Spirit, to God for the praise of His glory—not the satisfaction of the ministry or our fellow congregants. True worship cannot be conjured up, even with the "best" music, and attempts to do so can—and often do--end up forcing members to practice what I call copycat worship. Members fear being the only ones not "worshipping" so they force themselves to mimic what everyone else is doing.

           Just as we must avoid a “works gospel” which juxtaposes the roles of law and grace in the Christian's life, so we also need to avoid “works worship” that substitutes external forms for inward, sincere worship. Perhaps what some pastors and music leaders need is a basic understanding of what constitutes worship.

           There are, of course, many definitions of worship, most of which focus mistakenly on “appropriate” musical forms (or the lack thereof) or “acceptable” gestures.   Worship, however, is more about description than definition, and the best description of worship I’ve seen yet is offered by Harold Best, one of the Christian community’s foremost worship scholars. In his book, Unceasing Worship, Best says, “Worship is at once about who we are, about who or what our god is and about how we choose to live.” To this skeletal description, he adds: We begin with this fundamental fact about worship: at this very moment, and for as long as this world endures, everybody inhabiting it is bowing down and serving something or someone—an artifact, a person, an institution, an idea, a spirit, or God through Christ. Everyone is being shaped thereby and is growing up toward some measure of fullness, whether of righteousness or of evil. No one is exempt and no one can wish to be. We are, every one of us, unceasing worshipers and will remain so forever, for eternity is an infinite extrapolation of one of two conditions: a surrender to the sinfulness of sin unto infinite loss or the commitment of personal righteousness unto infinite gain. [pp 17-18]            .....Given that worshiping is a continual process, it would behoove those who lead worship services to be careful how they direct the congregations. The mind directs the body, and people arrive at church worshipping within a particular mindset. Therefore, ministers should familiarize themselves with the various worship mindsets and be cognizant that any number of these may be represented in the congregation. What are some of the mindsets?

           In his groundbreaking book, Streams of Living Water, Richard J. Foster identified six dimensions of faith and practice that have defined Christian tradition since its beginnings: Contemplative (the prayer-filled life), Holiness (the virtuous life), Charismatic (the Spirit-empowered life), Evangelical (the word-centered life), Social Justice (the compassionate life), and Incarnational (the sacramental life). (Streams of Living Water, dust jacket). These dimensions derived primarily from the spiritual and cultural experiences of an individual or individuals who combined their theological and doctrinal viewpoints to create denominations with distinctive worship forms.

           Not surprising, even when these dimensions converge with those from other denominations, that denomination’s worship services are often transformed. For example, American Pentecostals who establish border churches for immigrants arriving from Mexico and Central America often end up with worship services that blend the typically somber Catholic liturgy with boisterous Pentecostal worship. A Seventh-day Adventist congregation may appear to be a Holiness church because the congregation is made up primarily of people whose personalities reflect the Holiness dimension. A Catholic congregation comprised primarily of African-Americans chooses to blend traditional Catholic liturgy with features typically found in Charismatic worship services.

           One of the major challenges facing the church is how to stem the exodus of its more educated members who are seeking more reflective and, in some ways, more ritualistic—forms of worship typically characteristic of the sacramental dimension. Unfortunately, some are turning to eastern religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Ba’hai, and various New Age groups to fill the spiritual void. Ministers and worship leaders would do well to take note, and rather than using the latest congregational directives to wrest worship from the congregation, they should pinpoint the cultural dimensions that exist within their congregations and structure worship services in ways that respect these dimensions. In doing so, members can lift praises to God in the way that the Creator has wired them. []

That obedience which isn't voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord looks at the heart, and if He sees that we worship Him from force, and not because we love Him, He will reject our offering.
Morning and Evening
by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

.....It was an interesting time in the history of ancient Israel. To the casual observer, it would seem that the temple on the Sabbath day was the place to be. The place was packed, standing room only. The singers sang and the musicians played beautifully. For all accounts and purposes, the scene was one of joyous praise to the God of Israel.

While there may have been much singing, shouting, and dancing going on inside the temple, outside of its walls a prophet named Isaiah preached a message which included those famous words in the Bible made all the more vivid in The Message translation: "The ox knows who's boss, the mule knows the hand that feeds him, but not Israel. My people don't know up from down." (Isaiah 1:3) Drawing specific attention to Israel's worship services, the Lord minced no words telling them how He felt: "I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your worship celebrations have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them." (Isaiah 1:13-14, NIV)

I am sure there were many worshipers who heard those words and wondered who in the world Isaiah was talking about. They were worshipping boisterously before God—or were they? Is active, demonstrative worship a sure sign that true worship is going on? After all, most pagan worship is full of active, even frenetic movement. Remember the prophets of Baal calling for their god to show himself against Elijah? Yet, in some churches, people are often judged to be truly worshipping only if they are doing it demonstrably. Many worship leaders and ministers firmly believe that if your worship is devoid of clapping, raising hands, shouting "Amen" or just plain shouting, you are less than excited about worshiping God. I call such spiritual intimidation, "wresting worship," and include in this category what I call “congregational directives.” You’ve heard them, I’m sure: “Turn to your neighbor and say…,” or “Say ‘Amen’ when you get there,” or “Stand on the word,” are just a few of these irritating little commands that, for some people, are downright distracting.

I am reminded of a story my internist told me about a congregation she visited where the minister was trying to wrest worship from the members. At one point, the deacons actually went over to those who weren't being "active" enough and stared at them. The tactic worked with some people; however, my doctor walked out and, as far as I know, never went back.

Of course, the problem of demonstrative worship has two heads. There are those congregations who frown on expressive forms of worship. Personally, I have been on both sides of the argument--either the members were being berated for acting too "worldly" if they clapped after worship music, or they were being criticized for being less than demonstrative. As I see it, both pastors and worship leaders need to be especially careful to avoid making members feel guilty because they don't worship the way church leaders think congregants should.

....Truth be told, worship isn't always directed towards God. For some, it's strictly a performance. For others, it's an out-and-out competition between individuals or choirs; hence, we should watch those who try to wrest worship out of a congregation. Only the Holy Spirit can spark the spirit of true worship in us, and how we end up worshipping should draw us, through the Spirit, to God for the praise of His glory—not the satisfaction of the ministry or our fellow congregants. True worship cannot be conjured up, even with the "best" music, and attempts to do so can—and often do--end up forcing members to practice what I call copycat worship. Members fear being the only ones not "worshipping" so they force themselves to mimic what everyone else is doing.

Just as we must avoid a “works gospel” which juxtaposes the roles of law and grace in the Christian's life, so we also need to avoid “works worship” that substitutes external forms for inward, sincere worship. Perhaps what some pastors and music leaders need is a basic understanding of what constitutes worship.

There are, of course, many definitions of worship, most of which focus mistakenly on “appropriate” musical forms (or the lack thereof) or “acceptable” gestures. Worship, however, is more about description than definition, and the best description of worship I’ve seen yet is offered by Harold Best, one of the Christian community’s foremost worship scholars. In his book, Unceasing Worship, Best says, “Worship is at once about who we are, about who or what our god is and about how we choose to live.” To this skeletal description, he adds: We begin with this fundamental fact about worship: at this very moment, and for as long as this world endures, everybody inhabiting it is bowing down and serving something or someone—an artifact, a person, an institution, an idea, a spirit, or God through Christ. Everyone is being shaped thereby and is growing up toward some measure of fullness, whether of righteousness or of evil. No one is exempt and no one can wish to be. We are, every one of us, unceasing worshipers and will remain so forever, for eternity is an infinite extrapolation of one of two conditions: a surrender to the sinfulness of sin unto infinite loss or the commitment of personal righteousness unto infinite gain. [pp 17-18] .....Given that worshiping is a continual process, it would behoove those who lead worship services to be careful how they direct the congregations. The mind directs the body, and people arrive at church worshipping within a particular mindset. Therefore, ministers should familiarize themselves with the various worship mindsets and be cognizant that any number of these may be represented in the congregation. What are some of the mindsets?

In his groundbreaking book, Streams of Living Water, Richard J. Foster identified six dimensions of faith and practice that have defined Christian tradition since its beginnings: Contemplative (the prayer-filled life), Holiness (the virtuous life), Charismatic (the Spirit-empowered life), Evangelical (the word-centered life), Social Justice (the compassionate life), and Incarnational (the sacramental life). (Streams of Living Water, dust jacket). These dimensions derived primarily from the spiritual and cultural experiences of an individual or individuals who combined their theological and doctrinal viewpoints to create denominations with distinctive worship forms.

Not surprising, even when these dimensions converge with those from other denominations, that denomination’s worship services are often transformed. For example, American Pentecostals who establish border churches for immigrants arriving from Mexico and Central America often end up with worship services that blend the typically somber Catholic liturgy with boisterous Pentecostal worship. A Seventh-day Adventist congregation may appear to be a Holiness church because the congregation is made up primarily of people whose personalities reflect the Holiness dimension. A Catholic congregation comprised primarily of African-Americans chooses to blend traditional Catholic liturgy with features typically found in Charismatic worship services.

One of the major challenges facing the church is how to stem the exodus of its more educated members who are seeking more reflective and, in some ways, more ritualistic—forms of worship typically characteristic of the sacramental dimension. Unfortunately, some are turning to eastern religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Ba’hai, and various New Age groups to fill the spiritual void. Ministers and worship leaders would do well to take note, and rather than using the latest congregational directives to wrest worship from the congregation, they should pinpoint the cultural dimensions that exist within their congregations and structure worship services in ways that respect these dimensions. In doing so, members can lift praises to God in the way that the Creator has wired them. []