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What do you think about applause after a praise and worship song?

Jethro Bodine

Jethro Bodine

Member
Call me old fashioned but I have to be honest with you that I detest when people applaud after a praise and worship song.

1. It's not about the musicians and their music.
2. It's awkward when the congregation doesn't applaud after a song.

Someone may argue that it's not for the band but for God. If that's true then why does the congregation not applaud after a song that the band did not do very well and struggled through?

What do you think about the congregation applauding after a praise and worship song? Should Trump outlaw it?
 
Does God need our applause? To me applauding is a recognition for a job well done. Obviously whatever God does is a job well done but who is it singing the song of praise, God or people? If the performers are doing for the applause, then their reasoning is a bit off the mark. I am in agreement with you. I feel very uncomfortable applauding after a human band performs a human written song. I feel the same way when people applaud something said during a sermon.

Should Trump outlaw it? Do you mean President Trump or just any Trump? Personally, I think the government should stay out of it in any case.
 
My only question would be why you felt the necessity to take a political swing. Kind of seems this subject of applause really isn't too important to you, after all.
 
reba said:
.. sometimes it is cool some times it is not
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And that's the problem.
Apparently, sometimes God is not worthy of applause after a song. And that always seems to happen when the band didn't do so well. So I quit applauding altogether during the praise and worship time (I never liked it anyway). The band will never get the sign from me that their song stunk.

I remember one time the pastor's wife getting up to sing a solo and, well, she didn't do so hot and no one applauded afterward in a church that did applaud after songs. The silence was painful for everybody, I could tell.

That was twenty years ago, when I never applauded for church music. But even I felt the urge to start clapping to get everyone else clapping, but I felt like I'd be lying if I applauded her poor performance. It was a tough call. I could tell the song was meaningful to her, and I bet when not in front of a crowd she can sing it very well. Turns out me and atpollard attended that church at the same time.....maybe he was there that day and remembers it. Poor girl. Eventually, it came out that her husband the pastor was having multiple internet affairs. To top it off, they had a profoundly disabled child. I still think about her to this day.

I guess I'm old school--you don't praise God with applause, you lift your hands up to express your worship. And that's safe--I think most people understand that you're not going to feel like raising your hands on every single song, no matter how good the song was done.
 
Willie T said:
My only question would be why you felt the necessity to take a political swing. Kind of seems this subject of applause really isn't too important to you, after all.
Click to expand...
WIP said:
Should Trump outlaw it? Do you mean President Trump or just any Trump? Personally, I think the government should stay out of it in any case.
Click to expand...
But we hired Trump to fix everything, didn't we? :lol
(Remember, this is The Lounge).
 
Willie T said:
Kind of seems this subject of applause really isn't too important to you, after all.
Click to expand...
Oh, by the way, actually, it is.
I've played in church groups.
It's a tough gig. Especially now with the Talent Search mentality overtaking the church.
I feel for people who get up in front of the church to sing and/or play instruments.
I personally won't do it anymore. Only in the right church.
 
I often wonder who/what is leading the worship service.

The pretty ladies of the worship team? who have practiced and dressed selected the songs for the emotional ebbs and flows? is that bad is that good.. again i say sometimes... I have been in pleasant services led by the Holy Spirit .. I have been in pleasant services led by the pretty and talented pastors wife. .. in my years i have been in the simple country church with an almost tuned piano . Is it the Lord or my country personality that yearns for the the old country church?
maybe we should/could be thankful that worship comes in many different ways...
 
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So I was reading the tags for this and wondered ...
... where can I get my "free allen wynn guide to the slums of boston"?
Given the cost of living in the NE, it might be useful if I ever move up there. :)
 
reba said:
I often wonder who/what is leading the worship service.

The pretty ladies of the worship team? who have practiced and dressed selected the songs for the emotional ebbs and flows? is that bad is that good.. again i say sometimes... I have been in pleasant services led by the Holy Spirit .. I have been in pleasant services led by the pretty and talented pastors wife. .. in my years i have been in the simple country church with an almost tuned piano . Is it the Lord or my country personality that yearns for the the old country church?
maybe we should/could be thankful that worship comes in many different ways...
Click to expand...

hello reba, dirtfarmer here

In the "old country church" there were no clicks of some liked football and some liked car racing. When service was over every one spoke to every one and when you left you had a good spiritual feeling of spiritually fed. Now days, the business people on speak with business people and professionals only speak with professional. The common people are left out, even when you try to speak to those that "are above your pay grade".

There is something to be said about wearing overalls and going bare footed, as a kid, even to church. There was a concern that has been lost in todays services. It seems as if, well we can check off attending church on Sunday and back to usual on Monday thru Saturday.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
Call me old fashioned but I have to be honest with you that I detest when people applaud after a praise and worship song.
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Yeah, it doesn't really feel about God.
On the other hand, people are really pretty easy to manipulate emotionally. Even a brief study of Classic Rhetoric and a cynical view of the formulaic performances of most large gatherings will quickly reveal just how true it is. So my defenses instantly go up whenever anyone is going to attempt an emotional story/event followed by a call to action. The applause is just part of the culture that wants to make everyone feel good about themselves. What was that quote ...

"You're Good Enough, You're Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like You"

I was first tutored by a missionary from Africa to the US who made the observation that Americans like to sing about themselves rather than God. Our songs focus on how much we will serve, or how blessed we are or how loved we are. I started to compare the nouns and pronouns in church songs to see how many are about us and how many are about God. No wonder we all clap so much, most of the time we are singing about us! Try it some time. See what you find.
 
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Having family that will only sing Psalms and they feel good about it.... So much comes into play with our attitudes.
 
dirtfarmer said:
dirtfarmer here

Is praise/worship to be entertaining? I have heard some of the best entertainers that never "touched" my spirit, but have also heard those that were not so talented bless my spirit because you could tell what they were doing was from the heart and they were sincere in their praise.
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And that's what I'm really getting at. These days it seems praise and worship is graded on if it can win a Talent Show contest. I've noticed that some Christians think good music = good praise and worship, as if that's how you grade a successful worship service. When you have an experience with God in your praise and worship, that's a successful praise and worship service. Good music that you like, and which is played good, is just a bonus. Unless it's too good.....then it's a distraction from what it's supposed to be all about.
 
reba said:
in my years i have been in the simple country church with an almost tuned piano . Is it the Lord or my country personality that yearns for the the old country church?
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I bettin' it's the Lord.

I've been there, too.
Just twenty year ago you were lucky if the church could afford a couple of cheap mics, an amp, and some loud speakers. If you didn't have a piano that someone donated you went with the $100.00 electronic keyboard. And if you did have a real piano forget about gettin' it tuned. That cost money.
 
_______________________________________________________
"For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm."
"Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy."
Psalm 47:1
________________________________________________________

I am not presenting that as a "proof text" to prove that we ought to clap
after church music is presented. I am presenting it merely as a point of
possible interest.

In the Baptist church my wife and I attend, they do applaud after church
music is performed --- but they applaud for ALL OF IT --- so nobody is
ever left out. And we have a really big music program with a very large
choir and there is at least 20 members that take turns delivering heart-
warming Christian songs, so we applaud a lot. They all get applauded.
So does the choir after they deliver special music.
 
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