D. A. Carson on Praise

From The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus by D. A. Carson:

"Christians today ought to therefore avoid two sad extremes. One extreme depreciates any sturdy study of biblical truth, dismissing it as unspiritual, and preferring to shout loud praises with worked-up responses and clichés - as if the magnitude of the glory we offer Jesus turns on the decibel levels (or the depth of ignorance masked by self-professed faith). The other extreme depreciates spontaneous joy in worship and all corporate enthusiasm, dismissing such things as mere emotion, and preferring solemn and distinctively intellectual contemplation of propositions about Jesus - as if the magnitude of the glory we offer Jesus turns exclusively on how many truths the mind can formulate." (151)

"...we who are believers must learn to glorify Jesus by increasingly apprehending as much graciously revealed truth as we can, forging it into our lives until it both transforms us and prompts spontaneous and enthusiastic praise." (152)