Let's Call "Authentic Worship" What It Really Is

Do you ever get tired of hearing certain words? Like, when you hear them, you involuntarily roll your eyes?

Here’s a few that might get you going:

• “Ha—6/7”

• “Bruh”

• “Ratchet”

• “Bet”

Buzz words like these come and go, but there’s one word that keeps popping its head into the worship culture war discussion that tends to drive me nuts:

• “Worship was so authentic this morning!”

• “I just can’t worship on the team anymore… it just doesn’t feel authentic.”

• “This church really knows what it means to worship authentically.”

• “We really need to linger for the Spirit to move authentically in this place today.”

Let’s unpack this word “authentic,” and examine what we really mean when we say it…

Plus, you’ll be surprised at how appropriate it really is to describe a worship experience.

What Is “Authentic?”

Language is a funny (and frustrating) thing. Because of semantic shift (where the meaning of a word becomes something else over time), we’re led to misunderstandings surrounding issues like this, in the case of worship services.

From my own observation, hearing someone describe worship services and church culture as “authentic” evokes a kind of hyper-sensitivity to emotional expression, release, or candor. The people who worship and fellowship “authentically” together, generally, are more:

• Physically animated

• Vocally dynamic

• Intensely prophetic (think: Scripturally authoritative/super-exhortations)

In other words, for these folks, worship is more “real” when the words and actions of the worshippers become freed from normal decorum; their physical and vocal expressions are manifestations of the moving of the Holy Spirit, which is intense to the point of unavoidable “release” for the worshipper.

And in a general sense, I would agree. But here’s where my hang-up is:

It seems that the point, or end goal, of worship for “authentic worshippers” is an emotional release, rather than the renewal of the mind through the truth of God’s Word.

There’s a word for this: catharsis.

When we experience something cathartic, we receive a kind of psychological relief, which manifests in strong or intense emotions. To be sure, worship CAN be cathartic—but this shouldn’t be our end goal.

The point of worship is to, chiefly, glorify God because we are commanded to, but in another sense, we worship to experience renewal, all from the singing, praying, preaching, and hearing of God’s Word:

• A mind transformed through spiritual wisdom.

• A heart convicted from rebellion to repentance.

• A soul finding rest in the love and peace of God.

If that leads to an expression that is more active, then that’s OK! But too often, when concerning how well a worship service went, I hear several correlations between intense expression and how satisfied the congregants feel, rather than speaking of the holistic renewal from all aspects of a worship service, not just the music.

The Other Side

For a long time, this intense expressionism in worship has been the norm for many churches, at least in the West (and in the broader perception via media). On the other side, there are several churches that express themselves more solemnly and formally; decorum and procedure take precedent. Services are characterized as:

• Reverent

• Familiar

• Historic

There’s a deep line of tradition that permeates the liturgy of these services, and it’s this heritage that some folks (again, from my observation) have pointed to being more truly “authentic” than modern trends.

I can appreciate that; there’s something to be said for the wisdom imparted through historic creeds and confessions, plus the time-tested prayer books and hymns that have lasted for years, sometimes centuries. But here’s my hang-up with THIS position:

It seems that worship becomes a mere motion if we only cling to tradition as the vehicle for our expression.

Rather than looking to the Word itself as the source of renewal, we can skew towards tradition as the source. We find comfort in the legacy of Christians from days-gone-by, instead of finding peace that only the gospel can bring.

Somewhere in the Middle

Here’s my point: Authentic worship doesn’t come down to a particular expression, its intensity (or lack thereof), nor an adherence to something that’s “always been done this way.”

Authentic worship is achieved when you faithfully come.

That’s it.

When God’s people come together to glorify Him, there is no stopping His work—and that’s when it becomes truly “authentic.”

HE gets to determine the effects. HE illuminates His truth for us. HE encourages and nourishes us. The authenticity remains with HIM.

For us, we can experience to varying degrees, and sometimes, we can close ourselves behind our pride, emotional wounds, and frustrations. When we hold on tightly to these things, we quench the degree to which transformation takes its effect, leaving us unsatisfied.

So if you feel that something in worship was “off,” or that “we missed a moment,” or even indignation at what’s going on (barring any gross sin, misconduct, or complete lack of self-control), really ask yourself:

Where are my preferences, hidden sin, or emotional baggage intruding upon my observations and judgment? 

Sure, we can desire emotional release. We can cherish legacy. But above all, we look to God renewing us when we experience His Word, when see take part in the sacraments, when we pray and sing together.

Let’s shift the order of operations: Come with expectancy of mind-, heart-, and soul-change, not just the “feels.”

Sundays Shouldn’t Be the “Only Thing”

So far, this discussion has mainly concerned weekly gatherings of the church. If you repeatedly feel that worship is not “authentic,” then here’s a question:

Is your week outside of Sundays filled with worship? Are your days spent, in some regular fashion, by reading God’s holy Scriptures? Do you saturate your timeline/feed/streaming with good, wise Christian content?

Your spiritual well was NOT designed to be completely filled on a Sunday morning. You are called to engage with God’s Word and receive wise counsel EVERY DAY. This is the rate at which you become the “living sacrifice” mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Roman believers.

To be sure, Sundays are great opportunities to experience authentic renewal through worship…

But why not live authentically every day, enjoying the grace, peace, and wisdom that God offers you?

You might just find that the Sundays become all the more sweet.

Be blessed 👊✌️