Dr. Paul Detterman (STH’89,’91) Pens Article on Pronouns in Worship
The following is an excerpt from the Church Leaders article “The Potentially Pernicious Power of Pesky Pronouns in Worship” by Dr. Paul Detterman (STH ’89,’91), published on September 29, 2023.
Pronouns have always interested me. I listen very carefully for them in many different settings, including pronouns in worship. In conversation between friends and/or lovers pronouns can be very revealing. There is a subtle but critically important difference in meaning between a happily married person saying “I want that for my house” and “we want that for our house.” It might not seem such a big deal on the surface, but as someone who has done his fair share of pastoral counseling, I can assure you, it’s a tell.
Years ago when I was in seminary, the first wave of exorcisms were being focused on the liturgical linguistic of American Protestantism. Worship elements, particularly hymns, with first person singular pronouns were suddenly verboten with very few questions asked, all on the theory that if “I” sang “I” it undermined the integrity of the all-important “we.” To be fair, this came in response to the excesses not only of previous generations of hymn writers but also to the emerging contemporary worship culture. But as with anything from luxury sedans to vegan restaurants, the overindulgence of one era becomes the bane of the next.