In recent months & days, I have conversed numerous times about the problem of emotionalism as a central theme in churches' musical worship, & in the realm of Christian "worship" music in general! To call a particular thing, such as music, "worship" is a problem in & of itself, but thats a bit different then what I want to address here.
This phenomenon is not new. JI Packer in Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God states (in reference to mass evangelism events), "...the tendency to indulge in long-drawn out wheedling for decisions & deliberate use of luscious music to stir sentiment, tends to produce 'conversions' which are simply psychological & emotional upheavals, & not the fruit of spiritual conviction & renewal at all." He wrote this book in 1961, so emotionalism as a means of "encountering" God has been used for at least 50 years, & I presume longer. Granted, in the context that Packer is referring to it was the big tent revival meetings, but the point remains.
What gets me, is the same problematic appeal to emotionalism is made in many highly respected churches today as well. My church during college was - in my opinion - notorious for long-winded "altar calls." A classic Baptist song would be played, at a begrudgingly slow tempo, at times lasting at least five minutes, maybe up to 10 (although I never timed it). Some of the songs were Have Thine on Way Lord, I Surrender All, & the like. Please do not get me wrong, I love these songs, in the right context!
My church now follows in an emotional channel of worship. The music is big, loud, up beat with melodies & rhythms that move the emotions of the congregation. I am not claiming the worship team sits around planning how to best pull emotional heart strings during the musical worship time, but the songs they choose are inherently that way. To clarify, I am beyond grateful for the talent & hearts of those who lead my current church in our musical worship. They do a fantastic job!
However, there remains a but attached to all this. It is simply not right, the emotional appeals that is. In my own experience, I find often I leave ready to conquer the world for Christ ... only then to experience the inevitable let down of an emotional high. Now, if after the preaching I am stoked & ready to conquer for Christ, I am far last weary of encountering an emotional high, because in the midst of challenging & convicting sermons, its quite a bit more difficult to illicit such emotional responses, although not impossible.
One reason I am opposed to emotionalism in worship is, as Packer mentioned, it can illicit a false repentance, a false turning from a life of sin to Jesus, a false conviction & conversion. False responses to the Gospel of Christ are the last thing any follower of Christ desires, so I believe. Also, let me clarify, NOT ALL emotional responses are "psychological & emotional upheavals." I presume often times many emotional responses are true responses, if those emotions are brought about by the pin-point convicting work of the Holy Spirit, who in light of Christ reveals to men and women their true estate before perfect righteousness! But if it is the music that spurs on the emotional response, then I am weary.
Lastly, if emotional appeals cause people to worship in such a way that is not entirely truthful, or honest ... then is it not against Scripture? John wrote "God is spirit, & those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24), so is there a conflict here? Maybe that is a bit of a stretch, but at the very least it is thought provoking.
What do you think? What is your experience with emotionalism in church and in worship?
Wow, young Sleeper, your post could be taken several ways. I think "overly emotional" worship is seen in many contexts and is inherently a bad thing (having been to a Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer event). Yet, I do think emotion is part, or can be part of worship, and I think there are examples in scripture. I think we have to be careful when it comes to worship in contexts outside of the US b/c worship there looks much differently in some countries and is often very emotional. I guess it is all between God and the person. If God is exalted and Glorified through their worship, that is the ultimate picture. Just like I have very close friends and family that seem to have completely emotionless worship. Deep down I know that that is their style and I pray that God is till exalted. Maybe all this is rambling and none of this makes sense.
ReplyDeleteadam- very cool post. i agree with you. matthew and i were just talking about this yesterday after church. we are attending a traditional methodist church which we love and one of the reasons i love it so much is because of this exact thing you are talking about- i don't experience it here. i grew up in a church like the one you mention in college, but even worse (in my opinion) they related salvation with a singular emotional experience in which you "get saved from hell" and then basically check that off your list. it is built up as this huge emotional thing, and no attention is paid to the follow-up of how to pursue Christ from that point forward- or even what salvation means aside from not going to hell.
ReplyDeleteanyway, glad you posted on fb, i am excited to read more of your blog. i have a feeling it will challenge me and be intense, and that's a good thing!
Katie, thanks so much for your thoughts! What you mentioned is definitely an intensified version of what I wrote about. It grieves me to hear stories like this, b/c I know it happens more often than I like to think.
ReplyDeleteSteven, thanks for the challenging response. What you mentioned about worship in a foreign context is very true. Church services in Costa Rica can be very "emotional," so I do not want to come across as condemning emotion at all. And I completely agree, worship can be very emotional, I would know (being a fairly emotional person). But I have issue with songs that are set in such a way as to purposefully illicit an overly emotional response. Does that make sense?
By way of comparison, think of old hymns (There is a Fountain Filled w Blood, God Be Merciful to Me, It is Well w My Soul, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Great is Thy Faithfulness, etc) and then consider modern "worship" songs written by folks like Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, Passion, etc. Now I want to be careful hear. I think lyrically these folks have some rich rich songs that are Biblical, uplifting, and Christ exalting ... but compare the music! Its the music that is set to play on the emotions, and thats what I don't like.
I don't want to sound harsh, and this is only my opinion. BTW, worship is b/w God and the individual, no doubt, and I do not want to belittle any given means of praise if indeed Christ is exalted. But I also do not want to give even the smallest space to music that may illicit undue emotions. Maybe that helps to clarify.
Sleep daddy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you to a large extent and I don't think you sound too harsh. I think that some of the artists you named above, do shoot for a grandiose emotional experience. Then again, since we have a fraternity brother working for Tomlin, I feel like Tomlin's heart and music is inclined to exalting the father. I have seen some Hillsong experiences that in my opinion were totally emotional and out of control but who am I to judge. Let's flip the coin though. There are many many many traditional churches out there and I have visited quite a few that I felt like the worship was no different that taking a stroll through a library. It was mind numbing and merely words that were being read off the screen or hymnal. In those churches, worship seems like it may be more of a formality or even better said...a tradition. With all that being said, you and I attend the same church and I feel like there is much thought and prayer to make the worship at our church Christ exalting. Also, since RScott is now in the Christian music industry, and playing with a very popular Christian band, he and I talk about this often. Last week, we were backstage at Newsboys/Crowder in Bham. I would say the Newsboys rely completely on emotion and they are in it for the money. Which breaks my heart. But, then I realized that there are many folks that find a way to tune their soul into exalting God through their music. So even though I saw it all as a show or smoke screen, some folks I do believe were in tune to them specifically to exalt the Father. I think emotion can be a very good thing (which I know you agree with) if it is for the right purpose. Flipping the coin again, I have attended many a traditional church where I thought most of the congregation was there to judge outfits and focus on lunch. I do get your point with follow-up. That is why some of these 1 and done conferences are so bad. But like I said, I think the church family that you and belong to is extremely unique and I don't see that as a problem.
Hello Sleeper,
ReplyDeleteThank-you for posting this. I've been trying to "put my finger" upon why I dislike the worship and leadership team's agenda to make the congregation cry and breakdown to fulfill "the Holy Spirit's leading" as they call it. I have been an evangelical believer for almost 20 years, 7 of it in a "altar calling" Free Methodist Church. I feel that each time the worship team moves into the background piano/instrument playing with the Pastor praying or just reciting bible verses inviting others to "repent" or "come to the altar", I truly feel that this public display of emotion is just the leadership's agenda-based and "box-ticking" purpose for a service that gratifies their purpose for the day. Can't the Holy Spirit work without the music and the soft prayers? Can't He work in someone who is just quietly reading the Bible or listening to a sermon. Or someone who is not having a breakdown? As well, why does leadership want to publicly display all these emotions to the rest of the congregation. Is there a reason we all need to see people suffering or even meeting with God in a truly vulnerable and broken way that if it were I up there, I would be embarrassed of later on? I'm truly trying to understand why I feel so strongly against this. It seems like the same attention-seeking individuals always go up or have a break down as well. Would it not be more beneficial if people had a prayer room to go "do their business with God" that was manned by a male and female ministry prayer team? Why the public displays all the time? What is the importance of showing the entire Church that people are having emotional breakdowns and need God to intervene. I often feel like I'm intruding on people's private and most intimate times with our Lord. I have this intense need to just leave when this happens to give the person privacy. But the leadership seems to do is just promote it and advertise it all the more.