In many evangelical churches people raise (or wave) one or both hands during singing.  Why?The Bible mentions the raising of the hands, but not during singing.  Raising one hand was done, not in worship, but when swearing an oath (e.g Genesis 14.22; Deuteronomy 32.40).  Witnesses sworn in at court still raise their right hand.Both hands were raised when pronouncing a blessing (Leviticus 9.22; Luke...  Read More

In most traditional hymns instrumentation serves as accompaniment – period.  Instruments play to guide the singing.  Contemporary music often has instrumental “fills” – a few bars where there is no singing, only the playing of the instruments or an instrument playing a solo – and I’ve sometimes had traditionalists complain that this is another aspect of “making a show” rather than truly worshippin...  Read More

A criticism I receive from traditionalists about contemporary worship is that the musicians are just “putting on a show”.  When I’ve probed to learn what people perceive as “a show” (or “a performance”) the most common complaint is that musicians move with their instruments to the music.I’m not talking about dancing around wildly, but about drummers and bass players making unusual faces as they pl...  Read More

I was in a quartet that represented our college in churches, youth rallies, and summer camps.  We stood stiff and still, our hands at our sides.  No moving, no swaying.  You never held a microphone in your hand.  Our listeners nodded approval as we sang.  If they enjoyed a song, they’d say “Amen”.  If they enjoyed it immensely, their “Amen’s” were much louder.  No one clapped in church -- ever.  H...  Read More

Knowledge of how the world works leads to technology that makes life more comfortable, and prospects of a more comfortable life here has led to a shift in focus to the here and now.  That shift makes a transcendent God irrelevant and a religion of transcendence useless.  Theologians called it “the death of God”.This shift accelerated exponentially through the 19th and 20th centuries, and evangelic...  Read More

Worship (in both Greek and Hebrew “bowing low” to express humility and submission) was traditionally connected to a recognition of God’s transcendence (His highness above us and distance from us) and was best expressed by the quiet reverence of emotional reserve.But momentous scientific advances over the past five centuries have pushed transcendence out of view.  Focus shifted to this life and rel...  Read More

Worship (bowing low) is related primarily to God’s transcendence (His existence high above us).  But developments in the world have slowly shifted Christian spirituality away from God’s transcendence toward God’s immanence – His coming down and being present among us.As science has unveiled nature’s mysteries – weather cycles, the circulation of blood, the function of sperm and egg, and the role o...  Read More

For though the LORD is high, He regards the lowly,but the haughty He knows from afar.                                                                    -- Psalm 138.6Your Majesty.  Your royal Highness.  We speak of human greatness of status in terms of height or elevation.  The Scriptures portray the LORD the same way – the Most High, high and lifted up, high above all the nations of the earth.  ...  Read More

One of the criticisms I hear about self-restraint is this:  “You’ll go nuts cheering for your favorite team at the game but you can’t cheer for Jesus in church!”Years ago I was given two tickets to a Philadelphia Flyers game.  I invited a friend in ministry who was a Flyers fan.  It is often said that in the middle of a fistfight a hockey game might break out, and that was true in this particular ...  Read More

We live in an age that values expressing oneself without restraint.  We consider this genuineness and honesty.  Inability (or failure) to express oneself, is indicative, we say, of emotional troubles and inhibitions, or ‘hang-ups’ (to use a term from the Sixties).But these are recent developments.  For most of history, self-control – weighed words and restrained emotions/desires – was the cornerst...  Read More

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 y...  Read More

Being unfamiliar creates discomfort.  Knowing what to expect in a new setting (and therefore what is expected of us) helps us to feel more comfortable.So when you are greeting someone who is new to our church, what are some things that you can do to help them feel “familiar”?The first thing I like to know whenever I enter a new setting is where the bathrooms are.  But it can be slightly awkward go...  Read More