More on applause in worship
July 28th, 2005Over at Monday Morning Insight there’s been a lot of discussion about my post about applause in worship. What gets me is the number of people who are saying there are more important matters to discuss.
Right there, folks, in a nutshell, is one of the biggest problems with the church today. The topic at hand is how to worship God appropriately, and Christians are saying there are more important matters to discuss. No wonder it’s so hard to find a decent worship service these days.
And by the way, if a matter isn’t important enough to discuss, then why bother posting a response to it on a blog? Wouldn’t it be better simply to ignore it?
I think a long-running problem in the church is that we tend not to think about the broader meaning of the things we do. This is an example of that.
As a worship leader, I really don’t care IF people applaud during a service. I do care about WHY they applaud. If someone is especially blessed by a piece of music or a reading or whatever else and wants to express that, I say go for it. But you shouldn’t applaud just because you found something entertaining.
I don’t think the solution is to institute widespread clapping bans, but instead to do a better job of teaching people a sound theology of worship, and to take greater pains to keep God as the focus of our worship. If we do that, I think inappropriate applause will take care of itself.
Also, I must say that overactive clapping isn’t much of a problem up here in Norse country, where any form of outward expression is a clear indication that you’re from the South. Or from Wisconsin.
I think this is an important topic and Peter makes some good points. The “whys” are really more important than the “whats.” When we stop talking about worship style and start talking about who we are worshiping and why, many of the worship wars will disperse. One thing I would add though, a worship service is not all about us and our needs. We need to be sensetive to others and their preferences. Some people are uplifted by clapping, others (like myself) enjoy reflective silence. Worship needs to accomodate both types of worshipers. As a worship leader, the challenge is to provide an environment where real worship can take place. Just because someone is singing doesn’t mean they are worshiping.
BTW, Jesus did say that there was something more importnt than worship. “If you have something against your brother…” Toward that end, I hope I have not offended anyone!