The question of how Christian worship should be conducted has long been a central concern for the Church. This debate, however, has gained increased urgency in light of the profound cultural and philosophical shifts that have characterized the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Francis Schaeffer’s mid-twentieth-century work, How Should We Then Live?, grappled with the disintegration of moral absolutes in the transition from modernity to postmodernity. Today, we face an analogous question regarding the nature of Christian worship: How should we then worship? In an era of theological relativism and entertainment-driven liturgy, this question has assumed new significance. This essay argues that a return to worship informed by the holiness and transcendence of God is essential to maintaining the theological integrity of Christian practice. In this context, we will draw upon insights from contemporary ecclesiological debates, the latest scientific discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and doctrinal reflections on Christian theology of holiness.
The Crisis of Worship in Contemporary Ecclesiology
The past three decades have witnessed what has been termed the “worship wars,” a deep division within evangelical and mainline Protestant churches concerning the appropriate forms of worship. This conflict extends beyond mere musical preference; it reflects a theological struggle regarding the nature and purpose of worship itself. At the heart of this dispute lies a fundamental question: Who is the proper object of worship, and how should we approach Him?
The rise of “contemporary” worship styles has been driven by cultural forces that prioritize emotional experience, entertainment, and individual expression. As Robert Wuthnow has observed, worship in many American churches has become increasingly influenced by secular entertainment culture: “Worship services increasingly mimic the entertainment industry in both form and substance, reflecting a shift in the expectations of worshipers.”[^1] While such practices may be effective in drawing large congregations, they raise critical theological questions about the integrity of worship. Specifically, they challenge the Church’s historical commitment to theocentric worship, which places God, rather than the worshiper, at the center of the liturgical act.
Christian worship, as outlined in both the Old and New Testaments, is fundamentally about rendering honor and glory to God. This is clearly stated in the first of the Ten Commandments: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod. 20:3). Worship is to be directed to God alone, not to any human or cultural preference. In John 4:24, Christ commands, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” Yet much of contemporary worship, as theologian David Wells notes, has shifted from a focus on the transcendence of God to a focus on human needs and preferences: “The shift from theocentric to anthropocentric worship represents a fundamental change in the character of evangelicalism itself.”[^2] This shift not only distorts the nature of Christian worship but also diminishes the Church’s capacity to bear witness to the holiness and majesty of God.
The Theological Priority of Holiness in Worship
A theological analysis of worship must begin with an examination of God’s holiness, which serves as the central attribute that defines His being. In the Scriptures, the holiness of God is the fundamental reality that shapes the way in which believers are to approach Him in worship. The prophet Isaiah’s vision in the temple, where the seraphim proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty” (Isa. 6:3), highlights the centrality of God’s holiness in the worship of His people. Similarly, the New Testament emphasizes the necessity of approaching God with reverence and awe: “Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Heb. 12:28-29).
Holiness, in theological terms, refers not only to God’s moral purity but also to His utter separateness and transcendence. God is “wholly other,” distinct from the created order, and this transcendent nature must be reflected in the way His people worship Him. Historically, Christian worship has sought to balance the transcendence and imminence of God. Augustine’s reflections on worship remind us that, while God condescends to meet us in our lowliness, He remains the infinitely exalted one. The practices and liturgy of the Church, therefore, must reflect this balance by emphasizing both God’s nearness and His exalted separateness.
However, many contemporary forms of worship have increasingly emphasized God’s imminence at the expense of His transcendence. This is evident in the casual, entertainment-driven forms of worship that seek to make God “relevant” to modern culture. In doing so, they risk diminishing the sense of reverence and awe that should characterize the worship of a holy God. The result is a kind of worship that is overly familiar, lacking in solemnity, and detached from the biblical and historical understanding of God’s holiness.
Insights from Cosmology: The James Webb Space Telescope and the Theology of Creation
Recent discoveries in cosmology, particularly the findings made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), provide a fresh context for theological reflection on the grandeur of God’s creation. The JWST, which has allowed scientists to peer into the farthest reaches of the universe, has revealed the unimaginable vastness, complexity, and order of the cosmos. These revelations have profound theological implications, particularly for our understanding of God’s creative power and sovereignty.
Psalm 19:1 declares, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The discoveries of the JWST underscore the truth of this biblical assertion, as the intricacy and expansiveness of the universe point to the majesty of its Creator. The vastness of the cosmos, with its billions of galaxies and countless stars, serves as a powerful reminder of the infinite greatness of God. As the psalmist reflects, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:3-4). The sheer scale and complexity of the universe revealed by the JWST serve to humble human pride and to evoke a sense of awe before the Creator who sustains all things by His power.
Moreover, the discoveries of the JWST challenge the anthropocentric tendencies of contemporary worship. The theological implications of the cosmos’s vastness should inspire worship that reflects the transcendence of God. As theologian William Lane Craig argues, “The more we understand the vastness and complexity of the cosmos, the more we are driven to humility and awe before the Creator who sustains it.”[^3] If God is truly as vast and powerful as the universe He created, then our worship must reflect this reality by emphasizing reverence, humility, and awe.
Conclusion: Reclaiming Reverence in Worship
In light of these theological and cosmological insights, it becomes clear that the question of how we worship is inextricably linked to the question of who we worship. The form of Christian worship must be shaped by the character of the God who is worshipped. In an age of relativism and entertainment-driven practices, the Church must resist the temptation to conform to cultural pressures that trivialize the majesty and holiness of God. Worship must be directed toward God and designed to glorify Him, rather than to cater to the preferences of the worshiper.
The challenge for the contemporary Church is to recover a sense of reverence and awe in worship, recognizing that we approach a holy and transcendent God. The discoveries of the James Webb Space Telescope, by revealing the grandeur of the cosmos, serve as a powerful reminder of the greatness of God and the limitations of human understanding. Christian worship, therefore, must be marked by humility, reverence, and a profound sense of the divine mystery. Ultimately, the goal of Christian worship is not to entertain or to appeal to human preferences, but to glorify God in the beauty of His holiness.
Footnotes:
1 Robert Wuthnow, The Restructuring of American Religion: Society and Faith Since World War II, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2021.
2 David Wells, No Place for Truth: Or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2019.
3 William Lane Craig, The Cosmological Argument: A Philosophical Defense, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2023.