ow this may offend some of you Praise-n-Worship brothers, but think about it before you write it off as an old crank who dislikes contemporary worship styles. This illustration was not totally my idea. I have to tip my hat to the crew over at The Whitehorse Inn—from the August 10th episode—for providing the seed for this. That particular podcast had so many priceless gems scattered throughout it you will be doing yourself a favor by finding it and listening to it. Well, here goes.
The Praise-n-Worship philosophy of worship is “Don’t just sit there. Do something.” Where can we find an example of this in Scriptures?
The orthodox philosophy of worship is “Don’t just do something. Sit there…and worship.” And where might you find an object lesson for this position?
What do you think? I know this wouldn’t pass for solid argumentation, but maybe the parody value will make you stop and ask yourself some serious questions. The problem I have is that I can’t seem to get that scene out of my head where Charlton Heston plays Moses and the children of Israel are all tom-cattin’ around that golden calf, and the fact that God is not a God of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33), and that he says “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Like I said, before you write it all off, think about what you do in a “worship” service, and ask your self why you do what you do, the way you do it. Is it because that is what you like, or is it because you believe it best honors God?
