In attempt to create a circular blog link loop with John over at Ancient Hebrew Poetry, I will note that he’s made a refreshing post on Why Bible Blogging is Fun, including a cool note about this blog’s joyful new masthead (which Esteban had also previously commented on). (Aside: Suzanne – that’s another use of “head”!)
I’m still finding my niche here in blogdom. My Drafts folder is filled with scraps of posts started, posts almost completed, things that someday I’d like to write about and things that I’ve thought better of. Theological topics fascinate me, but writing about them is frustrating. Efforts to find clarity in the face of Arminian’ism, Baptist’ism, Calvin’ism, Dispensational’ism, Egalitarian’ism, Free will’ism, Gender’ism, etc. etc., is like being lost in a personal wilderness of words. Perhaps it’s time to return to discussing more practical issues, like why I don’t raise my hands during worship…
I haven’t spent much time talking about the numbers behind the scenes here, but until my recent update on my search for a new Bible translation, two posts had consistently led the click stats:
Lots of people are still looking for ESV info. Not so much the TNIV, at least not here. Though the latter continues to generate significant passions. And I think that if I posted exclusively on the topic of “eagles’ wings” in the Bible for the next month, my hit count would quadruple! Hmm….
This is a comment on raising your hands in worship. To be honest, I’ve often felt out of place just singing in churches. Do people in the congregation sing anymore? Or do they let the band up front do all the work?
This is just my experience–it is not comprehensive.
Do people in the congregation sing anymore?
Interesting that you say that, James. On one of the first Sundays that we were attending our new church, I was startled during the worship part of the service to actually hear the sound of an entire church singing. Either this is a congregation unafraid to sing, the acoustics in the worship center are *really* good or they’ve really dialed down the output levels of the band. Or some combination thereof.
I’m playing trombone with the praise band for the first time this coming weekend, so I’ll get a better sense for things from the stage after that. But it’s been marvelous to hear the full sound of a congregation “choir”.
More comments on worship style–
Too many churches have replaced worship with entertainment. If I’m being entertained, I don’t need to participate. On the other hand, real worship is participatory. In real worship, I may listen to others sing and pray and preach (and play trombones), but if I only watch and listen, I have not worshiped.
As for raising hands, I grew up in churches where that wasn’t done. However, it was a wonderful thing when I learned that I could worship the Lord with my body in addition to worshiping with my mind and my mouth and my spirit. Physical worship isn’t the cure-all, either for individuals or for churches, but it is distinctly Biblical. I suspect that for many of us, though, there is an internal struggle: I want to raise my hands to the Lord and bow down to him and dance before him, but I also don’t want to do any such things just for show, and don’t want to distract others who can’t comprehend such worship. As a result, I’m usually left with a compromise. I am only slightly physical in worship, thankful that our church doesn’t forbid such things, even though it doesn’t understand them.