Scot,

Thanks for this post. My friends and mentors in doctoral work (which focused on worship & theology), Robert Webber and Leonard Sweet, would be proud of this post! As am I. You have put into words my own thoughts and feelings about worship. I appreciate you helping me clarify my thoughts even more. It's not about "you"...it's all about God.

Thanks.

Dyton

PS. I'm now following you on Twitter

Absolutely spot on. So much of the "worship experience" of today's evangelical/charismatic church is focused on this sense of being in love with loving God. There is an actual worship song I know of called "I Love Loving You."

Wow, Ben, I wish I had known of that song.

Going, going, going, GONE. A homerun.

I would have a different term for the extreme on the other side... "emotional asceticism" when Christians banish the emotional experience altogether. I think that it is as dangerous and in fact MORE dangerous than what you are describing.

It is like telling a married couple that enjoying sex is not loving your spouse! Now, it is obviously idolatry when something is loved MORE. I agree with that completely. However, the opposite is dangerous when we have a worship expression devoid of wonder, mystery and the transcendence of God because we fear like the fundamentalists the "emotional" side of our humanity in liturgy. When Paul says "to know you more" he is not simply doing so without a profound experience.

Thank you so much, Scot, for opening our eyes! Well, my eyes at least!! :) My praise team will be reading this.

Hmmm... Well I think I agree with you mostly. What I think you are saying is that we fall in love with the good songs, the great music, the light show, the experience of singing a song to Jesus, we are in danger of missing Jesus completely. I agree with that. I just want to say however that God wants us to enjoy loving Him. He commands our enjoyment of Him. The focus and the enjoyment however needs to be on Him and Him alone. Am I tracking with you?

I have a great deal of courtly love for this post. Thanks, Scot!

Scott, I hear you, and want to see correction. Your last paragraph boils it all down to a nice punch. But the same time, isn't there a place for eroticism? There is, and that is within the context of marriage, where it is both a reflection of the depth of relationship and an aid to it.

In the necessary pushback against focusing on "having a good worship experience," I am afraid that intimacy with God may become a casualty. Maybe my fears of over-correction are misplaced, because what I observe happening in worship is often not intimacy, but only the appearance of intimacy. I call this Worship Porn: a shallow copy of the original, with no underlying story of ongoing commitment, and only one type of emotion (and the point is to achieve that emotion).

But I see intimacy with God, and the expression and experience of that intimacy, as vital to worship. As the pendulum of correction swings back, I do not want that to be lost.

Jon,

Thanks for this question. Some of this is how we define terms. I'm not letting "intimacy" into my "eroticism" bag of meaning. Instead, I've used eroticism here as courtly love -- loving being in love. So, yes, intimacy is good -- in that it comes out of focusing on the Beloved instead of the goodness of intimacy.

Thanks, Scot. Author Leon Podles has a chapter on this same subject in his book "The Church Impotent."

Ever since we bit the apple, we have wanted to be our own little gods. The subject of "You are worthy, O God," is God. The subject of "I love you, God," is I. Self-idolatry. There is a lot to be said for the principles underlying organic, authentic, historic Christian worship. There is a reason the Body of Christ from the time of the apostles on did not originally develop a worship style similar to the one you are talking about.

That was very well written. It's too bad that we fall into the sinful trap of basing worship on us and our feelings instead of God. I fight that. Especially when I sit under song leaders and preachers who aren't anointed in that gifting.

I will pass this on to my Sunday school teacher and worship leader.

Thank you for your contribution with this article and for naming a growing trend in today's "country club" type churches.

Gracias!

I find it disturbing that we have used this wonderful article that focused on the subject of worship of the Most High God is a proper way as a basis to attack churches or doctrine.

Let us remember that the criteria for entering His presence is not your denominational affiliations but on the quality of your relationship with HIM.

Worship is one of the tools He has given us as part of our relationship with HIM. It is also a “weapon of our warfare” and it should not be “carnal”.

Thanks, Scott for a wonderful article.

I have recently read an op/ed piece in the New York Times, written by Charles Blow, published 5/1/09, that cites the Pew Forum's recent study "Faith in Flux." This study seems to indicate that people often return to the church as adults, or even initially come to the church as adults, because they like to be a part of the service - to quote from the article, "And the most-cited reason for settling on their current religion was that they simply enjoyed the services and style of worship." While courtly love may not have a place in the worship of a committed disciple, might it not have a place in evangelism? Might courtly love be a tool in disseminating God's Word, specifically to those who are unchurched or de-churched? Just a thought.

Great article Scott. I am Women's Ministry Director for our church. I will be leading a Bible Study in the fall entitled "No Other gods" by Kelly Minter published by LifeWay Resources. Your article will be helpful as I study to lead.

A solid contribution to the discussion, Ben.
Would that more pastors paid heed to the soft and sappy songs that've replaced the theological salt licks that used to prepare us to worship. The aura of a performance mindset that permeates and issues from the "stage" is unsettling and leaves me feeling I've contributed to that person's glory than that of my Lord.
Let's leave out the clapping, too - or is that why we use the term "praise band"?

Michael, the clapping issue is a total rabbit trail. People express themselves in a variety of ways and God delights in our mutual relationship, however expressed.

Scot, this is a very good article. It is very worrying to see people using the very medium of adoration as a 'worship avoidance technique'. However, I'm not as convinced with the 'courtly-love' argument as I am by the points about narcissism made by some of your correspondents.
The feudal system was a social construct to manipulate those of lesser status. We see that quality of manipulation in coersive leaders, and they are (like the Barons) building their own popularity and security - but I see them using this "kingdom of worship" to massage the congregants egos and build a sense of self-oriented personal excitement.
A lovely and timely conversation, though. thanks again!

Caught, I see myself in this insight. Thank you.

Your point is well made and corrective to a lot of what goes on in "contemporary" worship. It can become a worship of the worship experience.

But let us not forget the language of the Psalms, which in so many instances is very emotional and demonstrative. I read some of the posts above and thought, "They would not have been comfortable around King David's worship." And I would add, "They would not be comfortable around most of the worship in the developing world, where emotion is much more freely demonstrated."

Better be careful in judging somebody else's worship as 'courtly love'. Better to look inside your own heart and let God deal with the motives of others.

A Romantic Chat

He said: “Still.”
I said: “Rabboni!”

He said: “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

I said: “Make me gorgeous.”
He said: “Look at the lilies of the field.”

I said: “Make me rich.”
He said: “Blessed are the poor.”

I said: “Give me peace.”
He said: “Love your enemy.”

I said: Put me at the top of the world.”
He said: “The world hates you.”

I said: “Let me be the first in your heart.”
He said: “The first will be last.”

Finally,

I said: “Then, I’ll depart. We’re two worlds apart.”
He said: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”

“Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.” (Romeo and Juliet)

Ah, romantic love!

"You are worthy of my praise " is the ultimate hubris, and assumes a Baalistic sense-impressionism. "I love praising God" is the refrain of the courtesan, who recognizes Whose court he is in. Thanks for hitting this nail on its narcissistic head!

I'm wondering exactly what part of the phrase "You are worthy of my praise?" does Charles see as narcissistic.
It certainly can't be the part where we declare that God is worthy. Rev 4:11 and 5:9 both use that phrase: "You are worthy...". Is it the phrase, "my praise" that is self-centered? But how is that more self-centered than "I love praising..." which Charles seems to prefer.
And in response to Fr. Sean's post, Read Psalm 101 (as only one example): "I will sing of steadfast love and justice;/to you, O LORD, I will make music./I will ponder the way that is blameless...I will walk with integrity of heart, etc." In all those sentences, the subject is I. Is Psalm 101 promoting self-idolatry?
I guess my point is that we need to be very careful not to nit-pick on semantics when it comes to judging someone's motive for worship. Yes, words are important; and yes, we need to become more thoughtful about how we use language in our worship. BUT, we are also imperfect humans, and Paul reminds us that "we do not know what to pray for as we ought". But he encourages us that "the Spirit helps us in our weakness," and he "intercedes for us with groanings to deep for words." Our worship is tainted with sin, but God knows our hearts and accepts us nonetheless.
The temptation of courtly love is not about worship styles or syntax or hymns v. praise songs or clapping v. not clapping...The issue is ultimately the heart. I think Scott's post is excellent, and I think the appropriate response is to allow God to search our own hearts as to whether we are guitly of spiritual eroticism. Most of the posts have been constructive, but a couple or so seem a little too judgemental. Forgive me if I perhaps misread them, but I just felt a burden to share that warning.

This reminds me of a conversation that I had as a church intern about 12 or 15 years ago. My pastor (male) was expressing discomfort at several of the songs that the worship leader (female) had written. He thought they bordered on the erotic, she thought that it was appropriate to express love in an emotional way. Now these were not "I, Me, Myself" types of songs, but they were filled with psalms (and songs of solomon) inspired poetry. I agree with a few others, there is room for some eroticism in our worship. I do understand some of Scot's hesitation, but I still think there is some room

I've watched this in Churches and out already. It is a romantic love. It is the promise but not sexual fulfillment. I really doubt it was invented in the Middle Ages. Though it was allowed to simmer on the sides there. The long history of mistresses and concubines in cultures with no Christian influences at all make this stuff well know all though human experiences. Allowing seduction from the pulpits is a dangerous thing. Promoting romance as a cure to any relationship is dangerous. The truth is lots of marriages are not based on romance. Romance is allowed in marriages. And to some degree in honorable courtships. But our relationship with God is not a sexual one. It is an intimate one, yes. Pastors set themselves up for infatuated sheep when they do this to their flocks. And God will call them to account for the consequences. It is not just the women they "seduce" "for God" who are at fault. And most Marriage Seminar's are just as much at fault. Marriage is a commitment. A commitment that allows romance, seduction, and sex. We need to keep all of that out of what we do TO God's people. Or it's not just the victims faults.