Articles
Where Things May Lead
A young man called me recently to get my take on a Facebook controversy. I was not aware of the hubbub; I had not seen any of the viral posts that had him troubled. The issue involved the emotional raising of hands during worship which seems to have gained momentum in principle, if not in practice, based on the many favorable responses and reposting of the original FB message.
Here are a few thoughts on the subject:
1. It is not inherently sinful to raise one’s hands during a prayer or singing a song. As a matter of posture only, there is no particular worship posture mandated in scripture. Some in the previous generation thought it was disrespectful to pray without kneeling. For them, reverence was displayed by an arbitrarily chosen posture. I say “arbitrarily” because there are Biblical examples of people praying while standing before kings (Nehemiah), from the belly of a fish (Jonah), prostrate on the ground or even impaled on a cross (Jesus) or while being stoned (Stephen). In addition to these, some men and women in past ages were privileged to speak directly to God and did so in a variety of postures. It is the heart of man, not his posture – standing, sitting, kneeling, in bed, while driving, eyes open/closed, hands folded, etc. – that makes one’s prayers/worship acceptable. God has not specified what postures are reverent and which are not. This leads to the next observation …
2. Some worship practices are cultural/regional/generational. I am reminded of a story I heard about a church’s solemn ritual of covering the Lord’s supper table with a clean cloth until being served. When someone remarked on the reverence of the practice, a long-time member responded, “Oh, we just do that to keep the flies off of it.”
We now live in a more “casual” generation, reflected in part in our clothing. In times past men generally wore suits, ties and often hats to worship, and women wore their “Sunday best” outfits, also with hats. Regionally this may still be the norm, but in many places preachers preach sans coat (and sometimes tie); brethren attend worship in denim and golf tees; and sisters wear pants (not dresses or skirts), shirts (not blouses) and Sketchers (not high heels). Is this irrefutable evidence of disrespect to the Lord? The olders think so, and many of the dearly departed no doubt “spin in their graves” every Lord’s day.
It is important to separate the Scriptural from the fashionable, the casual from the crass and preference from mandate. I have known brethren for whom I have great respect as Bible students and spiritual thinkers who never wear a tie to worship, and it would be wrong for me to judge them unfavorably because of it (cf. Jn 7:24).
3. However, lines of impropriety can be crossed in dress or behavior. There is not a necessary connection between a piece of clothing and spirituality, or a certain action and worship … to a point. A teenager waiting on the table in a Budweiser T-shirt (true story) is not acceptable because of the obvious incongruence between advertising a brewery and the solemn remembrance of the Lord’s death. This is not merely a matter of fashion but a conflict of ideology. Just because wearing yoga pants and pajamas in public have been normalized in our culture doesn’t mean they are appropriate for worship. But in the absence of hard and fast rules in Scripture for worship attire, how can we keep such things in check? The first gatekeeper is the individual him-/herself, motivated by a godly attitude. We should examine ourselves, not merely react to trends, personal comfort or inconsideration for others. This should be supported by parental and/or spousal monitoring (“Honey, I feel that your clothing choice is crossing the line” – or some such). Failing that, a gentle, private aside to a fellow sister or brother might suffice in restoring a sense of fashion sensibility.
4. But what about the original question of raising hands in worship? First, we should consider where this relatively new practice is coming from. It is obvious that many Christian denominations have fallen into an emotion-based, “Spirit-filled,” carnal entertainment model of worship. No one denies that true worship to God involves or sparks legitimate emotion, but that is not the basis of this brand of emotionalism. It arises from the notion that the Holy Spirit is personally present, literally indwelling the believer and inciting an ecstatic state of mind. Such unbridled emotionalism is precarious and encourages the loss of self-control in full-blown charismatic euphoria. It is all about the “feeling,” and feeling can easily trump rationality. We should be wary of the trendiness of denominational worship, realizing that in large measure it is a corruption of Bible principles.
Second, we should not turn to the OT as a precedent for emotionalism in new covenant worship, for doing so proves far more than advocates would like. The same Scriptures that mention lifting the hands toward God’s sanctuary (Ps 28:2; cf. 134:2) also mention dancing (Ps 149:3; 150:4; 2 Sam 6:14) and David’s appointment of special singers and musical instruments in “raising the voice with resounding joy” (1 Chr 15:16).
Third, the phrase “lifting up holy hands” (1 Tim 2:8) is less about gesture and more about purity. As previously noted, one cannot sustain an approved prayer posture from Scripture, whether raising hands or kneeling or otherwise. This admonition is about approaching God with a clean heart and pure motives. It doesn’t mandate lifting hands in prayer; neither does it prohibit it. But hands that are lifted in a quasi-ecstatic, emotional excess are hardly holy; rather, they reflect the taint of the unholy surroundings of our culture. [I would include applause in worship in the same category.]
Finally – and I am generally wary of this reasoning because it is easily abused – consider where this seemingly benign emotionalism leads. Old guard stalwarts often protect their cultural turf by invoking “where it may lead” objections instead of asking “is it right or wrong.” But this consideration is sometimes valid. Radical, harmful departures from the conventional often begin with small steps that appear harmless – until unforeseen consequences manifest themselves. Wisdom anticipates future disaster amid present innocuousness. The heedless plow ahead into rising floodwaters; the wise “turn around and don’t drown.” Sometimes just good ol’ common sense, guided by both Scripture and experience, is the best course.
