INTRODUCTION TO EMOTIONS IN FAITH AND WORSHIP
I turn now to a controversial topic that divides Christians and that can become quickly explosive. The topic is large enough that it will take numerous blogs and multifaceted enough that I can only address one side (or one point) at a time. Depending on which side of the issue you find yourself, you’re going to be angry with me one week and happy the next. I request your patience and ask that you hear me out, whether you agree or disagree.
The topic is the role and place of emotions in the Christian faith, and particularly in our expressions of worship.
Emotions are a crucial part of our humanity, a part of our being created in the image of God –a gift from God. We have emotions and so does God Himself.
Human emotions are usually divided into six classes: happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise. God, as best as I can tell, does not experience the last two, though when Jesus walked on the earth as the God-man, He most likely experienced even fear and surprise at points.
Though we all experience these emotions, we don’t all experience them for the same reasons or to the same degree, nor do we all express our emotions in the same way, to the same extent, or for the same reasons. Some people are quickly expressive, others more restrained.
These emotional differences between people can be the result of upbringing or societal expectations or environmental conditioning. Some differences are the result of differing deeply held beliefs. And some are just the result of the mystery of personality. We just are the way that we are.
When we worship God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we can still worship differently. Some people freely and vigorously express emotions; others do not.
Because we each see the world through the lens of our own soul and our own understanding of things, we don’t always understand those different from ourselves, and human nature seems to have a knee-jerk reactive tendency to judge that which is different as, at best, inferior, and at worst, downright evil.
People who freely express emotion can see the more restrained as having too much pride; people who are more restrained can see those who freely express themselves as lacking self-control and having too much vanity.
Differences can be so pronounced that we are uncomfortable worshipping together. We cluster with those whose emotional expression in worship is similar to our own, and even build denominations around our comfort in expression. Some people see this as evil; I see it as a form of love necessary until we finally come to know as we are known.
The topic is the role and place of emotions in the Christian faith, and particularly in our expressions of worship.
Emotions are a crucial part of our humanity, a part of our being created in the image of God –a gift from God. We have emotions and so does God Himself.
Human emotions are usually divided into six classes: happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise. God, as best as I can tell, does not experience the last two, though when Jesus walked on the earth as the God-man, He most likely experienced even fear and surprise at points.
Though we all experience these emotions, we don’t all experience them for the same reasons or to the same degree, nor do we all express our emotions in the same way, to the same extent, or for the same reasons. Some people are quickly expressive, others more restrained.
These emotional differences between people can be the result of upbringing or societal expectations or environmental conditioning. Some differences are the result of differing deeply held beliefs. And some are just the result of the mystery of personality. We just are the way that we are.
When we worship God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we can still worship differently. Some people freely and vigorously express emotions; others do not.
Because we each see the world through the lens of our own soul and our own understanding of things, we don’t always understand those different from ourselves, and human nature seems to have a knee-jerk reactive tendency to judge that which is different as, at best, inferior, and at worst, downright evil.
People who freely express emotion can see the more restrained as having too much pride; people who are more restrained can see those who freely express themselves as lacking self-control and having too much vanity.
Differences can be so pronounced that we are uncomfortable worshipping together. We cluster with those whose emotional expression in worship is similar to our own, and even build denominations around our comfort in expression. Some people see this as evil; I see it as a form of love necessary until we finally come to know as we are known.