The Role and the (Lack of) Need for Silence in Worship

silence; church service; worship; praise; music

Abstract

The author of this article explores whether there should be a space for silence in the worship of God in believers’ lives, church services and the part of the service in which God is praised with songs. To carry out the study, the author compared worship services of two churches in Zagreb – the Evangelical Pentecostal Church “Rock of Salvation” and the Church of Christ (on Kušlanova Street). The author analyzed the presence and role of silence, considering the non-use of musical instruments in the Church of Christ and concluded that the “empty” space in the church service between individual smaller parts is used in various ways. The author presented different definitions of silence or quietness, which nowadays for many no longer means absolute silence, by putting in dialogue the interviews with the pastors of the mentioned churches – Ratko Medan and Mislav Ilić – and the reflections of theologians and experts in the field of Christian services. The same problem is also put against the backdrop of modern times that are both unfamiliar and uncomfortable with silence.