A worship service can be a highly emotional time. The powerful music, crowds of people, the aura of God\u2019s majesty, and turning one\u2019s attention to him can create intense feelings of joy, anticipation, or even sorrow. Some people weep. Some people laugh. Some people are unmoved.<\/p>\n
And all that\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n
The problem comes when leaders of worship services make a concerted effort to change people\u2019s emotions in an attempt to coerce certain behavior. This is known as \u201cemotional manipulation\u201d and can be a harmful action that hijacks true worship.
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Why does emotional manipulation happen?<\/strong> \u2022 We want other people to experience the same emotion that we are experiencing. A worship service is a social event. The leaders of such services are trying to do just that \u2014 lead. Sometimes, however, this leadership tends toward leading others\u2019 emotions, rather than the true focus of worshipping God.<\/p>\n \u2022 We confuse emotion with true worship, and feel that it\u2019s our responsibility to cause such emotions in others. Because of the \u201chigh\u201d associated with emotion, it can sometimes seem as if the emotion itself is requisite for worship, or at worst, a substitution. Emotion, while not at all wrong, is simply a byproduct of worship. In some cases, it can even be disconnected. Even an unbeliever can go into a worship service and feel emotion. It\u2019s important for us to remember that worship does not require any certain type of emotions.<\/p>\n \u2022 We mistakenly assume that a state of high emotion is a state where heart change will more readily. I have attended worship services where emotional manipulation was used to induce dramatic responses to an invitation. One powerful speaker would use highly emotional language, scare tactics, and passionate speaking. Then, he would invite people to come down the aisle in response to his invitation. At this point, the instrumentalist would play a slow, reflective piece. The response was predictable \u2014 people poured down the aisles in droves. Many people were weeping. There are many instances where such outpouring of emotion and mass response is good and right. Truly God does work through emotions, and He uses powerful speakers to prompt change in hearts. However, in some cases, the skills of the speaker and the talents of the musicians combine to stir up strong feelings and cultivate an intentional atmosphere of high emotion. In such emotional situations, people are much more ready to make a \u201cdecision.\u201d However, in states of high emotion, such \u201cdecisions\u201d may become unmoored from careful thinking or soul searching. An \u201cemotional decision\u201d is not a true decision. Why? Because it is a decision predicated on one\u2019s emotion alone, exclusive of other critical decision-making faculties.<\/p>\n \u2022 We want to feel good about our own leadership abilities (musically or speaking) and feel reciprocated in our efforts when people become highly emotional. Any public speaker or musician loves to get a reaction out of people. There\u2019s something of a dopamine rush when a speaker can bust out a witty one-liner that causes the crowd to convulse with uncontrollable laughter. In a similar way, the worship leader who croons a convincing tear-jerked cadence can subtly coerce others to become teary as well. The worship leader feels as if he is successful, because he has caused others to feel emotional intensity. While there is nothing wrong with getting a laugh or creating a tear, there begins to be a serious problem when this becomes our motivation in leading worship or speaking. It shows us that we have misplaced our effort. Rather than attempting to lead people towards Christ or worship, we are focusing on an emotion.<\/p>\n \u2022 These are some unfortunate things that happen intentionally or unintentionally in worship. The problem is compounded, because music is an inherently emotional language. Sometimes, it\u2019s hard not to manipulate! To avoid such emotional manipulation, it helps us to have a deeper understanding of how emotions and worship correspond.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Understanding Emotion in Worship<\/strong> I\u2019ve often heard emotions contrasted with logic, stating that emotions are bad and logic is good. Sometimes, this takes derogatory comments like, \u201cAh, men are logical and women are emotional!\u201d Neither emotion nor logic is superior to the other, and to compare them is folly. Both are good. Both are helpful. To remark that one person (or gender) is \u201cemotional,\u201d and to suggest the inferiority of their constitution or abilities, is to totally misunderstand the rightful place of emotions.<\/p>\n There are, of course, inhibitory emotions that can create negative feelings and behaviors. At the same time, emotions can have a positive impact and result in good behavior. In Scripture, we read of God having emotions that relate to human emotions. For example, God has anger (Psalm 11:5), compassion (Genesis 19:16), sorrow (Genesis 6:6), and joy (Nehemiah 8:10). Even Jesus acted with emotion, as when he cried at a friend\u2019s death (John 11:35), and cleaned out the temple crooks with holy zeal (Matthew 21:12-16; John 2:13-22).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Emotions are highly individualized.<\/strong> <\/p>\n Emotions in worship are okay.<\/strong> <\/p>\n Emotions in worship aren\u2019t required.<\/strong> In conclusion, we should learn to accept the range of emotions in worship. At the same time, we must take care not to try to force people into any emotional state. The peril of both manipulatively emotional worship and emotionally sterile worship is false worship.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A worship service can be a highly emotional time. The powerful music, crowds of people, the aura of God\u2019s majesty, and turning one\u2019s attention to him can create intense feelings of joy, anticipation, or even sorrow. Some people weep. Some people laugh. Some people are unmoved. And all that\u2019s okay. The problem comes when leaders […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[2307,4135,4141,4138,4144,4153],"tags":[1940,1846],"class_list":{"0":"post-11167","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-christian-lifestyle","8":"category-church-leadership","9":"category-church-ministry","10":"category-worship-leadership","11":"category-worship-ministry","12":"category-worship-resources","13":"tag-emotional-manipulation","14":"tag-worship-tip"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogrouting.sharefaith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/750-emotional-manipulation.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nIt\u2019s helpful to start by understanding why emotional manipulation takes place. Some of us may engage in emotional manipulation without even being expressly aware of it. Here\u2019s why emotional manipulation happens.<\/p>\n
\nWhat motivates emotions? Emotions can be caused by a variety of factors. First off, we must understand that emotions are part of the human psyche. Humans are made in God\u2019s image (Genesis 1:26). Therefore, we must accept the legitimacy of emotions.<\/p>\n
\nEmotions are as varied, complex, and unique as the people who experience them. One person may have an emotional response that drives him to tears when he sees a touching commercial on TV. Another person may be completely emotionally unmoved by human suffering on a massive scale. Just because one person isn\u2019t outwardly expressive in worship doesn\u2019t mean that they aren\u2019t worshipping in a rightful way. As we look at the issue of emotion in worship, we need to recognize this vast range, and accept it.<\/p>\n
\nGod created emotion. He uses emotion in our lives. Emotions, just like every bit of us, can and should be part of our worship of God. Worship, stripped of ordinary human emotion, may be unnatural and strained. On the other hand, worship that is crammed with emotionally manipulative tricks is artificial and disingenuous.<\/p>\n
\nThere may be people who aren\u2019t quite as emotional. These are people who are seldom carried away with their emotions, and who find it weird or awkward to express or even feel much emotion in worship. But that doesn\u2019t make them any less worshipful. Worship doesn\u2019t require emotions, but it may include emotions.<\/p>\n