Cairn is a nondenominational university, opening its doors to students from every branch of Christianity. This mixing of students gives many the opportunity to broaden  their horizons and challenges their beliefs in a way that will strengthen their faith. However, this challenging of faith occasionally leads to friction. The most recent debate to emerge has been over the way we worship in chapel.

Hand-raising, dancing, clapping, and shouting are all called into question. During chapel services, we see some students who are unafraid when it comes to shouting praises to the Lord, while others prefer to stand or sit still as they sing. Others still fall everywhere in between. Eventually we must ask, is one style of worship “right” or “better” than the others?

Let’s look at what the Bible says. In John 4, Jesus reveals exactly what God looks for in His worshipers, which may be the clearest standard for us to abide by: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” The Bible does not give us a strict ritualistic formula to follow in worship. The sheer number of psalms emphasizes the importance of singing, but not the volume, the body movement, or the physical posture. Instead, it addresses the heart posture. We are instructed to tremble before God. We must be aware of our position before the almighty God.

So why do people feel so strongly about the way other people worship? First, we like and want to defend that which is familiar to us. It is also likely that we believe we are standing up for God and the kind of worship He deserves. But I would like to call attention to the fact that God works in us individually and in ways we need. Sometimes He speaks in blunt conviction, and other times in gentle healing. The way He moves us to worship is similar; sometimes we will be moved to stand in quiet reverence of God; other times we will be moved to dance before the Lord. Individually, we are often drawn to one style of worship more frequently than another, but none are wrong.

As with anything, there are extremes to be avoided. If we are always sitting or standing still, we need to ensure that it is out of reverence, not spiritual coldness. Likewise, we need to be mindful of our worship, making sure that we are not becoming the center of attention, and therefore taking that position away from God. He must always be at the center of our worship, in whichever way we express that.

That being said, let’s be mindful of others and of the fact that we each have grown up in different churches and different denominations. No one is any less godly simply on the grounds that their worship looks different from our own. Let’s be careful that our denominations do not become divisions.