Joseph Perry

Comm. 363
Dr. Langan
2/3/16

Attitude vs. Action

One of the staple actions of Evangelical Christianity is the altar call. Whether it be at
camp services, Sunday morning worship, evangelism meetings, or a concert devotional; some
sort of reaction to the message is customarily requested. It can range from a raised hand to
walking to the front of the church for prayer. These actions are motivated by an individuals
attitudes.
Growing up in the Assemblies of God, one attitude I experienced was the necessity of
being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Assemblies of God denomination is Pentecostal and, as
such, has a high emphasis on being Spirit-filled. This involves a life devoted to Christ, a desire to
be filled with the Holy Spirit, and supplication. Often, the filling of the Spirit is evidenced
through the speaking of tongues. I was exposed to these beliefs very early. Speaking in tongues
was a common part of church services and prayer. Sunday school lessons included teachings on
being filled with the Spirit. Consequently, my peers and I adopted the attitude that we would be
filled with the Spirit one day.
The attitude was formed through teachings, personal experience, and testimonies. This
attitude did, indeed, lead to action. During middle school, I attended a summer Bible camp.
During an evening service, the speaker spoke on being filled with the Spirit, which reinforced
my attitude. At the end of the message, an altar call was issued: Come forward if you want to be
filled with the Holy Spirit. I believed being filled with the Spirit was a necessary thing and so I
completed the action of going to the front. My attitude was the foundational stepping stone to the
action of responding to the altar call. Without my prior beliefs, I doubt I would have responded
to the altar call.

On the other hand, my Christian faith has been influenced and changed in many
circumstances by the actions I have taken. An integral part of every church service is worship. It
includes singing, emotional response, and physical gestures. The level of physical expression
varies based on the culture of the church. It can range from stoic solidity to dancing fluidity. My
faith upbringing in this area was, again, affected by growing up in the Assemblies of God
denomination, which tends to be more expressive.
Types of physical involvement in worship I saw growing up included raising hands,
rocking, dancing, and kneeling. The main element was raising hands. In some aspects, it seemed
that the true worshippers were the ones who could raise their hands in worship. However, to me
it seemed to hold no value. I did not understand how physical expressions could be a part of
worship. In all, I tended towards the other end of the spectrum. I believed raising hands in
worship was a selfish act; meant to draw attention to ones self and showcase ones religiosity.
There came a day, however, when I decided to raise my hands in worship. What
prompted this? External social pressures played strongly into my decision. I experienced a strong
motivation to comply with the societal norms. One Sunday, my hands were raised during the
beginning music. The result was underwhelming. My initial attitude held. But I continued to
involve myself in the action of raising my hands. Over the course of a few years, my attitude
about physical involvement changed. I began to see the benefits of being physically involved in
worship. Currently, I hold the attitude that physically expression is a way to show commitment
and emotion during worship. In contrast to my first example, the action in this scenario was vital
to the formation of my attitude.
In the preceding two cases, attitude and action have played different roles in the
formation of my faith. In each, one functioned in a primary catalytic role to the other. The issue
then becomes a matter of significance between the two. Which arrangement has led to the more

vital formation of my faith? In comparison of overall value added to the faith, attitude leading to
action has been the most important.
When I reflect on my development as a Christian, there a number of major instances
where an attitude preceded action. Furthermore, such instances were often the defining moments
in my faith. For example, my attitude that I Christ is mankinds savior caused me to enter into
relationship with him. A similar pattern occurred with regards to baptism, rededication, and
spiritual disciplines. These actions have a number of similarities. They required forethought and
planning. This was stimulated by the teaching and testimonies of my surrounding social group.
The actions involved a high level of commitment and, therefore, necessitated greater
development. On a personal note, I believe that the attitude took precedence over the action
because I have a higher need for cognition. My thought and reason about the actions prompted
the action.
In contrast, there have been times where action precipitated attitude. I believe these to be
the exceptions. The formation of my faith was not exclusive to one formula. Both methods
played a role. In the areas when action led to attitude, the social expectations operated in a
critical role. For example, in the above scenario of physical expression in worship the driving
prompt was the desire to fit in. I think the desire to comply with social norms was instrumental in
all action to attitude developments. The infrequent occurrences is resultant from my low desire to
fit in with the crowd. In other words, I am a low self-monitor.
Attitude leading to action is paramount in faith development. The Christian must have
both faith and works, as we learn from James. In most cases, however, the works are preceded by
faith.