PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

However, this does not mean that experience is everything and doctrine is secondary. All
experience must be grounded in objective doctrine. But remember, many in one church with the
same experience will tend to support others in their church, and seek to verify their experience by
scripture. Once they have verified their worship experience, they codified it, and then they make
it the standard for all others. As a result, both their doctrine and their worship experience
becomes the predominant theme of their church, so they claim that doctrine is now the
foundation of their worship, and worship is the expression of their doctrine. But many times,
neither is true. Instead of exegesis, i.e. interpreting from the scriptures what is there; they're
guilty of isogesis, i.e. reading into the scriptures what they want it to mean.
8. Churches from the same denomination may be found in all six worship
experiences. As I have travelled the churches of America, I have been amazed at the type of
worship I have seen in some denominations. Many times people think that Southern Baptist
churches are homogeneous in nature, i.e. all their pastors preach a three point evangelistic
sermon, followed by a gospel invitation. This is not so. Southern Baptist churches reflect each
of the six worship expressions. However in my opinion, most Southern Baptist churches are
found in the congregational worship style. On the other hand, some would think that all
Presbyterian churches are liturgical in worship style. Again, this is not true. Many Presbyterian
ministers who have graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary mold their worship services
around Bible Expositional sermons. Their churches have become teaching centers of the Word
of God, with a lesser commitment to liturgical expressions of worship.
9. There is a correlation between experience and doctrine even though it is difficult
to see a cause and effect relationship. In the summer of 1960 I was the Executive Secretary of
the Greater St. Louis (MO) Sunday School Association. One of my requirements was to visit all
of the cooperating churches to organize the National Sunday School Association Convention that
was held in October of that year. I visited and spoke in many pentecostal churches. I had
preconceptions about what went on in Assembly of God churches, Church of God, Pentecostal
Holiness, and other pentecostal type churches. My preconception was based on a bias that was
reenforced by my Presbyterian roots and a few pentecostals I had met in an inter-denominational
Bible college. However, that summer I experienced pentecostal churches with high church
liturgical services. I remember walking out of some of their churches shaking my head thinking,
"They're just like Presbyterians." Over the years I have concluded that you will find all six
worship expressions in churches holding pentecostal doctrine. Also, that summer, I changed my
view of those churches that are holiness or pentecostal in doctrine and life-style. I came to love
them and appreciate them as I do all who belong to Christ.
Therefore, I have come to believe that there is not a cause and effect relationship between
church doctrine and church worship. Not all churches in any denomination or with a theological
tradition will follow an expected worship model. However, there may be a correlation, (not
cause and effect but similarity), hence more charismatic churches would use renewal worship
than most other worship forms.