Applause or Clapping in Church

dan · believes in Jesus Christ Joined: 17 Apr 2004 Posts: 17

I spent a few years wandering around South America, and the Pentacostal churches down there have become a perfect illustration, for me, of the dangers of incorporating casual social behavior into church services.

One church from Brazil, called Dios es Amor, has rock music playing as they chant and wave and shout. The "revelator" shout "prophecies" about his congregation over the drums as members of the congregation throw themselves on the ground and writhe around in what they call the "Spirit." One particular woman was taken over by an intense experience that I hesitate to describe in this atmosphere (if you know what I mean). I was immediately reminded of the Nicolaitans and other apostate groups that seduced the early Christians away from the pure and simple doctrine of Christ. Reverence is hard to find in many churches these days, and clapping is one of the things that distracts us from what our main focus should be on the Sabbath - worshiping the Lord.

I was in a Jehovah's Witness meeting once in a town in Uruguay called Rocha; the discourse was taking a long time and I actually nodded off (he was ridiculously boring). I was rudely awoken by a thundering applause that erupted when the orator finished his talk. People where shouting, whistling and cheering. I looked at the guys face as he sat down, and he looked like he had just won an oscar. I was waiting for the high five. I realized how much that does actually draw attention away from the Lord and puts it on the person. He came across as extremely arrogant after his sermon.

My church has a policy that there be no clapping or cheering inside the chapel. It draws from our relationship with the Lord. I believe silence also helps the children distinguish between the casualness of the world, and the reverence we should show inside the chapels.