Worship Casualties: Who speaks for the injured?

[pelathais]

I got a split lip at a camp meeting service once. The back of one guy's head was thrown into my face. Painful and embarrassing because it meant that despite my sincerity and my courage in coming forward to the mosh pit, I was not "in the Spirit" and thus none of my prayers were heard.

What gets me is that those who try and avoid the dangerous crazies are the ones who are ridiculed and chastened from the pulpit. I once picked up one woman's baby and car seat to rescue the infant from the crushing advance of of a dancing fat lady. After that burst of enthusiasm had settled, the pastor called me out and rebuked me saying, "I remember when you used to get excited..." Thing is, I never would leave a baby on the floor nor would I ever "loose track" of where I was. I never acted like that.

I learned early on that you can't win these arguments "in church." A forum may allow a bit of space to express wonder at some rather idiotic things, but so much of Pentecostalism developed particularly around justifying crazy "worship" antics that this will probably always be with us.

I was at one church - a National landmark now, where the pews had been ripped from the floors so many times that they were pretty much just set up like folding chairs. The flooring was so badly damaged from years of abuse/repair/abuse that the pews could no longer be bolted down. No one saw this as being a problem.