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Kelsey Langland-Hayes

Dr. Reddinger

GENE 150-03

8 February 2018

The Heart of Worship

According to John 4:24, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and

in truth” (New International Version). During biblical times, followers of Christ epitomized this

command to worship in truth. Because of the Fall, the increase of individualism, and other

factors, however, postmodernism began to rise. Since the rise of postmodernism, worship in the

church has failed to thrive on substance and truth. Living in this postmodernist society has

caused the true “heart of worship” to quickly vanish.

As a result of the Fall and the other factors, I will argue that the element of truth in

worship has decreased. In other words, worship in the church has shifted its focus from Christ to

the individual. Douglas Groothuis, professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary, claims that

“recent worship lyrics express a ‘postmodernist spirituality’ that emphasizes the individual over

the church, felt needs over God’s requirements and power over truth” (272). Individualism and

its stress on subjective truth encourages disbelief in the metanarrative, a significant aspect of

postmodernism. This outcome has overflowed into worship music, for Christians are

worshipping the truth about themselves rather than the truth about God. Essentially, churches

have lost sight of the true purpose of worship - to glorify God. The lyrics to the renowned

worship song “King of my Heart,” for example, proclaim that God is “never gonna let, never

gonna let me down” (S. McMillan and J. McMillan). Even though this song may provide a
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“spiritual high,” it lacks the truth about God and focuses on the individual. Similar to this song,

worship lyrics today tend to have a shortage of truth and an abundance of emotions. With the

focus on self rather than Christ, we are neglecting our calling to glorify God through worship. In

Hebrews 12:28-29, we are reminded of this purpose, “let us be thankful, and so worship God

acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” Because of God’s grace,

love, and sovereignty, we ought to give Him the worship He deserves. However, since the rise of

postmodernism, Christians have failed time and again to fulfill this purpose.

Honoring the Creator through genuine, honest worship creates unity between man and

God. On the contrary, the rise of postmodernism does not allow for this unity with our Creator.

To be more specific, Genesis 3 explains how the Fall created enmity, or separation, between God

and mankind. Since the Fall, sin creates division in our relationships with God and others. This

division hinders us from having a relationship with God. If we do not have a relationship with

Christ, The Truth, it is impossible for us to worship in truth. In John 14:6, it describes Christ as

“the way and the truth and the life.” If churches cannot deeply root themselves in God, the

element of truth in worship will eventually disappear. On the other hand, because of Christ’s

sacrifice on the cross, we can have a relationship with God. In order to grow deeper in this

relationship with God, which can lead us toward authentic worship, we must meditate on the

Word of God. Reading the Bible can help us to understand more about The Truth and His

character. Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that the Word of God “judges the thoughts and attitudes of

the heart.” With the Scriptures as a judge for our hearts, we will be able to more accurately

analyze whether we are truly worshiping as Christ commands us to in John 4:24.

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Influencing the rise of postmodernism, the Fall has made a negative impression on

worship in churches today. In essence, worship emphasizes the individual and sentiment rather

than God. Focusing on truth and The Truth in worship is necessary if we long to fulfill God’s

command for worship.

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Works Cited

Groothuis, Douglas. Truth Decay. InterVarsity Press, 2000.

Sarah McMillan, and John Mark McMillan. “King of my Heart.” You Are the Avalanche, Bethel

Music, 2015.

The Bible. New International Version, 2014.