Are Displays of Emotion in Worship Wrong?
Seems like a silly question. Of course they aren't wrong! You see all kinds of emotions displayed in the Psalms, which is a book to guide worship. You see tears and chants of victory, sorrow and dancing, grief and hands raised in joyful celebration. God made us as emotional beings. That is part of being made in the image of God. Emotions in corporate worship have been a part of the the human experience for a long time. However, in some faith traditions, there has been a cautious avoidance of emotional expressions in corporate worship. There are many reasons why that has been the case. For some, certain emotional responses are seen as irreverent... a distraction to worship. Others are very cautious because of the fickle nature of emotions and how they can easily manipulate the human heart. For others, they are just not used to it, so it seems out of place. All that said, emotional responses are not a bad thing. In fact, I would say they it is actually a good thing. We