Responses to raising hands in worship
(Responses are only published with permission of the
writer and when Keith Drury thinks they add to the discussion)
FROM:
Keith, I have followed your columns for a number of years now - am a conservative evangelical pastor with a Brethren background who was working in Alberta, Canada, and now in West Coast Mexico with English speaking interdenominational churches. I appreciated your article on meanings of hand raising. Have thought a bit about it myself and just had my own guesses about them, so I appreciate your insights.
Three
comments/questions:
1. the position of two hands clasped in front of you - the "classic" prayer use of hands like in "Praying Hands" is, I understand from reading old books, an old sign of total submission/commitment as a vassal would hold his hands thus while bowing before his liege lord who would then put his hands on the outside of the vassal, accepting his service and, in effect, rendering the vassal temporarily helpless for his hands were "bound" by the lord's hands. Trust, commitment, surrender.
2. I see crowds acclaiming heros/idols
such as saints and rock stars (!!?) by holding
out one hand at an upward angle,
3. I have a problem with this. Maybe you can illuminate
me. I see folk - usually women, though not always, always (that I have
observed) rather completely charismatic - holding up one hand,
Thanks
FROM:
Keith, I enjoyed your article on raised
hands. There are so many things we say just with a raised hand. I would like to
share with you two other reasons people raise their hands that you may have
considered, but it didn't serve the purpose of the article. I do not write
these as one that is against raising hands, for I do so myself quite often. I
just couldn't help but share these with you:
#1 People raise their hands to show how spiritual they are. It may or may not be true, but
nonetheless, they think that by their actions will at least show others and maybe
convince God (as if it could be done) how spiritual they are. Also, they may
even be trying to convince themselves how spiritual they are.
#2 People raise their hands because everyone around them raise their hands and they don't want to feel left out. As they look around
the room, they see others raising their hands, so they "go along with the
crowd".
:)