Lookahead:
Just this morning, I caught part of what I presumed was the worship segment of a church service on IG; it featured a young woman, jumping up and down, shaking her mound of long hair, to a rock guitar interlude (while everyone, including musicians, looked on) — then singing the following lyrics:

Oh LORD won’t you take us for a ride
We want to go high
Just to spread our wings and fly.

Compare that to the Luke 7:47 woman who knelt down low, and wept on Jesus’ feet — forever demonstrating to us: “my hair, my greatest glory, isn’t even fit to clean the dirt off His feet.” She had suddenly come to the realization that the One Who had all power, and every reason, to punish and destroy her, was, instead, the personification of life, perfect goodness, and exquisite LOVE.

This post will deal with how we worship in the present day. And lest we forget, two of the five main global religions still support the worship of hybrid false deities (part man/part animal), the showering of deity temples with food and drink offerings, and even the sacrifice of animals (chickens, goats, water buffalos, etc.) to them in 2026. We also have huge social enclaves that are worshipping man as God. In continuing last week’s thread on “What worship is NOT,” we now address how people, in one socialist country, are presently worshipping…a malevolent dictator. This dictator has mandated that his subjects worship…him…and him alone. So that “Nebuchadnezzar Spirit” is alive and well in 2026.

In a sobering video that I recently watched (The Mind of a Dictator) the commentator summed up the situation. The documentary began with some propaganda video clips of the dictator galloping a white horse in a wintry setting. The producer’s premise was highly effective. The dictator sat his steed expertly, showing impressive strength and skill, combatting any chubby/cuddly characterisations — that might arise due to the fact that, in real life, his stature is shorter but his weight is heavier.

The documentary’s voice-over said, “This is Kim Jong Un, ruler of North Korea. He’s just 36 years old, but he commands the world’s fourth largest military. He has nuclear weapons, and his family has ruled over their people using violence and terror for over 70 years…Kim Jong Un is only the third man to rule North Korea. He is following his grandfather and father in the role of supreme leader. They rule over their people as gods.” And that’s not an exaggeration. Kim Jong Un is looking for absolute-conformance of every single North Korean to his wishes and personal agenda – with slavish devotion and lock-stepped obedience – just like the enemy of our souls. The dictator’s subjects worship his (and his father’s) photographic portraits and paintings on walls–and are given strict guidelines on how to treat this art.

Lisa Ling in her Undercover in North Korea Documentary–and I’m quoting her running commentary from the video: “The first thing I noticed was that there weren’t any family pictures… Just image after image of Kim Jong Un and his father. Of all their pictures, ‘which is your favorite picture?’ ‘Of course, every picture, absolutely.’ We were warned to photograph the supreme leader carefully…’So from (the base of picture) up? What happens if it’s only half? What happens? Why not? No? Oh, okay.’ We weren’t supposed to ask why.”

But we do know that people (Otto Warmbier) can be imprisoned, even killed, for allegedly disrespecting propaganda signage.

Lisa Ling is a famous American journalist who was in North Korea to film Dr. Sanduk Ruit “(an ophthalmologist from Nepal who is involved in restoring the sight of over 250,000 people across North America, Africa and Asia using small-incision cataract surgery)…After treating a North Korean diplomat in Kathmandu, Ruit persuaded North Korean authorities to let him visit in 2006. There he conducted surgery on 1000 patients and trained many local surgeons.” Wikipedia

Lisa Ling interviewed some of the patients/families prior to surgery. Everyone was attributing this act of major benevolence to…Kim Jong Un. (It was actually funded by an Australian humanitarian foundation.) Lisa interviewed a blind lady who said her dream was to be able to see what the Supreme Leader looked like and here’s more running commentary…Ling asked the lady, “Why do you want to see this dear leader so much, so badly?” LISA: (The lady) was obviously moved, but what surprised me was, so was everyone else. This party official is crying. Even this government minder (North Korean surveillance officer). LISA: Uh, I just wonder… can the Great Leader do anything wrong? -What? -Can the Great Leader do anything wrong? Is there anything wrong? Or he’s always, what he says is, is magical? RESPONSE: “I couldn’t understand your question.” LISA: Okay. I truly believe that our minder did not understand my question, because I think he may have perceived me to be questioning the authority of the Dear Leader and that was something just incomprehensible and so he didn’t even understand how to translate such a question.

Also, you may have noticed Lisa’s use of the approved honorific names. The North Koreans will be punished for not using them/properly – or “taking them in vain.” (five out of the approved eleven are: Respected Father, Beloved Father, Great Comrade, Dear Respected Marshall, Supreme Leader) Now we could say that God was also specific about what honorifics should be used for Him, in Exodus, as well as commanding us not to take His Name in vain. However, when I use God’s honorifics, my inner intention is definitely to honor Him — I really mean it and God knows I mean it, i.e., it’s a heart response that He can read.

Lisa Ling concluded that it was difficult to tell whether people truly felt so compassionately about their leader or whether they felt compelled to act like they did. And in fact, it would be a huge merciful blessing if Kim Jong Un CANNOT read his peoples’ heart responses. Essentially – theirs is not awe-based fear. It is phobic-fear/terror actually.

In a Google AI survey of other Lisa Ling journalistic pieces, she elaborated–[Lisa Ling] described the country as being under an “iron grip of fear”. Conformance is maintained through absolute state control over all information (no internet, banned cell phones, and state-run media) and the threat of severe punishment, such as life in a prison camp for merely questioning the leadership.

I asked Google AI about North Korean worship practices, i.e., how they worship Kim Jong Un: North Koreans worship Kim Jong Un through an intense, state-mandated cult of personality, treating him as a deity rather than just a political leader. Worship involves mandatory daily pledges, displaying his portrait (and bowing to it), singing propaganda songs praising him as “father,” and attending massive rallies to show loyalty.

In addition to an entire country being inculcated into the worship of man, instead of God, we have global religions that are worshipping imaginary hybrid man/animals. Two of the five biggest global religions have their own brand of false gods, like a murderous monkey god that is revered by the Tibetan Buddhists. Or the Hindu man-lion, man-elephant, etc. But in Buddhism, (it’s the) local or lesser deities (who) are believed to become angry if not respected or if proper rituals are not performed. The people don’t have to appease the principal deities…similar to the case of the Hindu false goddess, Kali. Per Google AI, she is frightful to behold, nevertheless she is viewed as a protector. “Kali is iconographically depicted as a ‘terrifying emaciated woman,’ with black skin, long tangled hair, red eyes and a long lolling tongue…(and) a grim set of ornamentation: ‘a necklace of skulls or freshly decapitated heads, a skirt of severed arms and jewellery made from the corpses of infants.'” Imagine trying to worship Kali and remain in a place of perfect peace (like God’s promise in Isaiah 26:3).

However, Hinduism adherents primarily focus on seeking a state of self-transcendence, sometimes connecting with the lower-level deities that are considered to be conduits to the Supreme Being. Lay adherents may also be trying to show gratitude for acknowledgement of their “mundane” requests for favor; however, they are not trying to appease any gods out of fear of shunning or punishment. (Note: Preceding is my paraphrase of Google AI–and feeble attempt to simplify something that is extremely complex.)

In terms of other worship practices, animal sacrifice is still practiced by certain Hindu communities today, although it has significantly declined and is now considered a minority practice within the broader religion. While most modern Hindus offer vegetarian items like fruits and flowers, ritual animal slaughter—known as bali—persists in specific regions, primarily within Shaktism (worship of the goddess) and local folk or tribal traditions. (Google AI)

In the meantime, the hybrid gods seem to be a strange fulfillment of the apostle Paul’s description of the Romans 1 auguring-in process in which the creation eventually worships the creature.

Romans 1, verse 22 reads…professing to be wise they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonour the bodies among themselves who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever Amen.

Moving on to Challenges that Christian Worshippers Face in 2026 (or we could entitle this section, Another Case of Man worshipping Man? Or even, Man worshipping Self?)

Recently I read an article about a worship leader who committed suicide. He had a multi-year relationship with an underage church member and was ultimately called on the carpet – for essentially grooming a male tween into teenage-hood :-(. One would ask how on earth could this happen in the church? First of all, how could this man get to this moral state, while leading worship each Sunday. But having been discovered, then why would he take his own life? to avoid a greater punishment? Who did he think the God he worshipped was?

I’m not saying that this is going on routinely behind the scenes in the churches of America. Nevertheless, there is a fandom culture that seems to have penetrated the church over the last several decades. I was watching an IG video clip of Elvis live – in his early breakout years before he became a drug addict. He was a highly refined performer and I saw some real talent there in his focused/flawless rendition of his precedent-setting songs and dance moves. It was also hard to ignore the audience which was probably 99 percent female. And believe me, these pubescent girls were not screaming and weeping about Elvis’ technical excellence as a performer. They were busy launching a whole new brand of fandom in the ’50’s.

That “fangirl” tendency is still around today, and with replete Christian artists (live and on-line) I believe we have a responsibility to keep it at bay. Some of the fan base/behavior in church settings may also have to do with the format. In the day of big choirs and orchestras, the temptation to glorify the musicians/artists was watered down due to their sheer numbers on the stage — plus the credit was parsed equitably. But when you’re part of a Christian band things get whittled down to 4 or 5 “performers.” Everyone’s eyes are glued on them, so if we don’t watch out, it’s almost like being in a concert venue in the megachurches. Plus a lot of these musicians are formally trained and their default mode is giving a performance. However, the fundamental problem is perhaps the advent of Christian celebrities; the global emergence of these famous folks started in the latter part of the 20th century, and they have come into their own in the new millennium. Just Friday I saw a e-commercial for an upcoming (historically, highly popular) women’s conference, which included extensive bio’s for “2026 Speakers and Performers” (not “Worshippers”). So will people be at that conference to glorify and worship God? Sounds like another fund-raiser to me.

I am compelled to express that my heart goes out to anybody who is on a worship team with this format because it must be very difficult to not lose one’s Godly focus when they’re up on the stage. And the more education and formal training, the more difficult it may be to focus on the Subject of our worship. I heard a remark from a very young member of the Voices of Lee singers which basically summarizes the perspective they have to overcome… “Singing is much more than getting all the timing and the cut offs right, but can you sing with your heart?” How about, can you worship God despite all the distractions?

And as I have referenced in the previous post, the world has really invaded the church; and instead of it being a matter of not throwing the baby out with the bath water…it has become a matter of making sure the baby didn’t already exit, long before you started worrying about tossing the bathwater. 🙂

Not only do we have performers on worship teams, some of them are dressing the part theatrically. In the world, (what I call) the Las Vegas Showgirl Look has invaded the scene everywhere. The term “getting dressed up” for the evening has become an oxymoron. The act of dressing up for a night on the town, or even for homecoming or junior prom, has been replaced by stripping down to the most revealing attire you can legally get away with. In the 20th century, inappropriate attire that would put you into high school detention would be girls wearing skirts above the lower knee or boys wearing taps on their shoes. Now preteens are told no mid-riff tops, no belly shirts, no micro-shorts, no unbelted pants that might suddenly drop to the ground, and yes please do wear underwear, but not on top of your clothes, etc., etc. And in fact, our Children’s Church Dress Code defines inappropriate attire as the following: Tight-fitting sports attire – spandex, Lycra, or other body-hugging apparel…anything that shows too much skin (bare backs, halter tops, racerbacks, spaghetti straps, or mini-skirts). Why the strict rules, if teens (tweens) haven’t already tested church leadership in these areas?

One high school sophomore, whose transparency I appreciate, jokingly talks about her peers wearing outfits that are “scandalous.” We must remember that celebrities have been wearing scandalous outfits since vaudeville and the silent movie eras. The original 1925 Ben-Hur movie probably should have been rated MA or R. And there were always the night club movie scenes in the 30’s and 40’s where women were leaving little to the imagination. Although body building did not become the norm ‘til the 80’s, a select few actors (e.g., roles like Tarzan and Hercules) showed off as much of their buffed physiques as they could get away with. Also in the 80’s Cher pushed the limits of propriety with her Oscar gowns (with styles that Marilyn Monroe showcased in the 60’s). Taylor Swift has nothing on them today! The difference is that the “Las Vegas Showgirl Look” has become a way of life and has officially entered Middle School America. And it’s presently trying to enter the Church.

I began watching an Instagram post of a preacher lady a couple of weeks ago and, as the camera panned from left to right, I became aware that her dress was skin tight and she was shapely enough to have every eye in the place drawn to her major cleavage. I was compelled to comment on the post. I asked, “Why are you wearing this dress?” I didn’t bother to check for an answer. But, why was she wearing it? I guess the reason was the same as a male T.V. pastor who was recently wearing stretchy pants (= sort-of loose ballet tights) while preaching from the pulpit. In the latter case, I could just quickly cancel him with the remote control before I really had to try to “unsee” something.

So in a church setting, it is also very difficult keeping this theatrical influence at bay. However, the infiltration can additionally be indicative of a generally lukewarm attitude in the congregation. A short time ago, I heard a female pastor on the talk show Better Together recounting about how she believed that the LORD had prompted her to do an altar call– because there was sexual sin going on in that church’s group of musicians and singers. 80% of the people came forward to repent, including the choir.

God isn’t thrilled with nudity in general (e.g., the Garden, the Torah Laws on modesty, etc.), however, He was specifically clear on the subject of worshippers and how they should dress. Underwear was definitely a requirement, especially when the priests were climbing up stairs where people might have an opportunity to “look up their skirts.” (Exodus 28:42-43) However, underwear was not intended to be worn on the outside or in place of normal clothes. 🙂

Nevertheless I feel that the LORD is more concerned with the spiritual ramifications of “scandalous dressing”—with the fundamental issue being…what doors the “showgirl culture” opens from a moral/ethical perspective, i.e., what does all that temptation lead to?

So with respect to God in present times, it is my personal belief that acceptable worship is not represented by man-worshipping-man, or man-worshipping-malevolent dictator, or man-worshipping-hybrid in lieu of our Matchless Sovereign Creator of the Universe; and it is NOT by having a heart that is so removed from God that worship team members are effectively worshipping themselves and encouraging others to do so. The Creator CAN read our hearts and I believe that He is seeking genuine heartfelt respect, honor, awe, etc.