SILENCE;
CHURCH: SERVICES

The Bible and Christian biography emphasize silence, but today we use silence in exactly nothing. The average service in gospel circles these days is kept alive by noise. By making a religious din we assure our faltering hearts that everything is well. Conversely, we suspect silence and regard it as proof that the meeting is “dead.” Even the most devout seem to think they must storm heaven with loud outcries and mighty bellowing or their prayers are of no avail.

This World: Playground or Battleground?, 47.