The Danger of “I Feel”

Contrasting Practices and Contrasting Effects

In a 21^st Century society, more than we like to admit, people adhere more readily to a post-modern perspective than a modern one. To avoid a confusion of terms, a simple definition of either terms are as follows: A modern believes in objectivity and that there is a right or wrong. Everything should be tested and proven and feelings be thrown out of the window. A postmodern is one who believes there is no right and wrong, all we are is about feelings. You may feel that eating a fruit a day is the right thing, but that is the right thing for you, not for me. Whether it is right, is up to me to decide. Obviously, the postmodern can be said to be more relativist – believing that value judgments are all relative.

Both positions taken to the extreme are unbiblical. Firstly, a Christian is thought that there is an element of subjectivity in the way he or she learns. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin on the inside. While one man may be deeply convicted of his unkindness, another in the same situation may be convicted of pride. The Spirit leads us and guides us in His best timing. Yet, an understanding of the bible based entirely on feelings is dangerous. For the bible sets out clear propositions. Thus, without more, one cannot say “I feel like God is telling me to leave my family and quit my job for the mission field” and simply do so. Our feelings must be placed against the ruler of the word to be tested if it measures up to biblical principles.

Our church has a blend of both contemporary and traditional worship. Both strains are the result of certain religious movements. For example, more church historians would identify the more enthusiastic, youthful, emotive kind of worship with the Pentecostal movement. A visit to our 915am and 1030am services will largely prove so. This is to be contrasted with the more liturgical and structured 8am and 5pm services.

Because of the structure inherent in the traditional services, little room is given, perhaps to expressive manifestations of the Spirit’s work. Order is key. Structure is key. An honest critic may say this rigidity may inhibit the Spirit from touching lives and allowing people to respond, if at all this form of worship errs in inhibiting God’s work, it errs on the safe side (though not necessarily on the better side).

But the centrepiece of this article is to critique the more emotive forms of worship we have, and the theology implicit in the form. Form is not just form. For after all, a car built low and aerodynamic implies the maker’s belief that cars should be fast and built for racing. Likewise, an emotive, more expressive form of worship has its many benefits, but likewise has its dangers – and as keen students of the bible, we must test the spirit and philosophy behind it and do our best to align ourselves to biblical practice.

Charismatic Inclinations

The Pentecostal movement in the US which has influenced greatly the form of worship in churches all over the globe, has its immense benefits. While many have felt stifled by the ‘high church’ format in liturgical services, a more vibrant worship allows one to respond to God, not only in head, but largely in heart. Such services are often (though not always) characterised by more modern forms of music (electric guitars, drums, electric keyboards, violins, bass guitars) and more expressive forms of singing. While liturgy often means repeating the same tunes with different lyrics, charismatic worship sometimes does the inverse, which is to repeat the same lyrics, but with different chords. More than the musical form, charismatic worship is often stylised by emotive singing, praying aloud and the usual pauses to hear and feel what God is saying. And it is this practice which may be troubling.

Very often, emphasis is placed on ‘hearing’ from God. “What do you think God is saying to you now?” “Spend a moment to ponder God’s word for your life.” “I sense God wants me to tell the downhearted that he will heal them.” A lot of emphasis is placed on the individual searching introspectively and deeply in the recesses of his being. It is emotive by nature.

Dangers of “I feel...”

The bible does not inhibit emotion. In fact, a perusal of the Psalms, the book of Job, the life of the Prophets and the life Christ will show us that emotions play a huge role in our relating to God. In the Garden Christ cried with painful tears, and if He did not, perhaps his going to the Cross might appear easier to us. King David often ‘yells’ through his Psalms, petitioning for God’s salvation in the lows of his life. Emotions are not omitted.

Yet, the danger of worship which thrives on our emotions and personal sensing is that we will interpret things in light of how we want them to be. When asked “what do you think God wants you to do in this situation?”, one may rightly say “I’m not sure, after all, it is a grey area.” In fact, it is at this point of time that a keen student of the bible, like the Bereans in Acts, should study the scripture to look for principles and to glean wisdom.

In many worship services, we are told to press deeper, to search more, to reflect deeply. While these are all healthy practices, there may be a tendency to overdo them, leading to these consequences:

(1) Young Christians will think that the answers come from deeper introspection;

(2) Christians may be inclined to make decisions based only on the strength of their feelings;

(3) Christians may be inclined to think that the predominant way God’s speaks is through that still small voice, that inner prompting.

The danger is all of this is not that God does not do these. In fact, he does. But the danger is twofold: Firstly, God has given us many other resources to help us make decisions or think through issues. The wise counsel of matured believers, the bible and all of its commands, books by Christian authors who have thought through certain issues deeply, etc. Secondly, and I argue more dangerously, we may end up arriving at a conclusion or solution which we want to arrive at.

The postmodern, and perhaps Freud will tell us that in our sub-conscious, we already have certain desires which we want to accomplish. Maybe it is a zeal for fame, recognition, money, vindication, etc. So when we press deeply and ask “God would you want me to buy a car?”, the short answers we may get is “Yes, that you may bless others with it.” But could it be because we want the car for our own pleasures and enjoyment? Further, have we considered other important commands in the bible such as honouring our parents, being good stewards of our time, living with justice. If we have refused to help our parents in paying some of their medical bills, does buying a car bode well? If we have had a habit of spending much and accumulating debt, does buying a car testify of God’s wisdom in our lives? If we will buy a petrol-guzzling SUV only for our own use, does it speak well of our care for the society and the environment?

To all decisions, we must be thought how to think biblical, wisely, rationally and also emotionally. If we neglect the emotional aspect, we may miss the passion and conviction of God’s word spoken to us. But if we only focus on the emotional aspect, we testify poorly about the God we worship, portraying a lack of wisdom, love for justice, and lack of common sense even.

I argue that emotive forms of worship, especially those with a great emphasis on ‘feeling’ and ‘deep inner searching’ can be dangerous because there may be a tendency to normalize the hearing of God as that only guided by our feelings. We must think biblically and holistically, with our emotions, but without jettisoning our heads.

Looking at the demographics of these charismatic services scares me further – for the people who fill the pews are the youthful (often with more energy but perhaps lacking in the wisdom of the old). The pews are filled with those who would meet major crossroads in their lives with important decisions to make. If we normalize emotive thinking as the only way, we endanger our future generations but handling them a blunt tool.

Throw the Bathwater, Nurture the Baby

The solution is not to throw the baby out with the bathwater – not to close down all contemporary services and shut down all forms of emotive practice. In fact, I very much enjoy contemporary worship as much as liturgical worship because at times, it engages my entire being. I not only sing with my mouth, but clap with my hands, and raise them to Heaven in gratitude. The flourish of emotions in a contemporary worship teaches us to identify God not as a stoic but as a passionate God – passionate for His Creation, for His redemption work and passionate for our lives. Rather, the solution, I suggest, amongst others, is threefold:

(1) That Youth leaders teach and model for their youth members how to make decisions holistically (I admit this is easier said than done but surely is it the prudent thing to do as compared with the abovementioned dangers) – teach them how to read the bible, that we can learn great truth through the different genres of biblical literature available;

(2) More intergenerational meetings/events are organised that the young will feel comfortable with the wisdom of the mature;

(3) That a sense of community is imbued such that young Christians grow up knowing they make decisions not in a vacuum, but in a community, with people cheering them on, helping them, and also people affected by their choices for good or bad.

As a short sidebar, Gordon Smith, the ex-Dean of Regent College in Canada, has recently highlighted that church anthropologists have suggested that the persons who play the biggest role in the lives of 2^nd generation teen Christians are the parents of their friends. Surprising? Indeed. Not their parents, nor their peers, nor even their Sunday school teachers but their peer’s parents. Whether it be because of a sense of acceptance and initiation into God’s community or the sterling examples of Godly and matured believers whose lives are openly displayed, studies have shown that choosing not to isolate our youth from a bigger (and arguably older) community has its benefits.

I feel like God is telling me to stop here, and maybe I should, since wisdom may have it that an overly lengthy article would lose its impact. But jokes aside, when people look for the gospel, they read it best in our lives. If the best we offer if a people making unbiblical decisions and poor ones at that, it’s no wonder the God we preach is of little relevance nor attraction to their lives. If the best we offer is essentially a biblical-postmodernism, then all is relative and the gravity of God’s commands will certainly be diminished.