What If Worship Was Wild?

In my NIV version of the Hebrew Bible, the first mention of the word “wild” is in reference to wild animals in the Adam and Eve story. In the account of the heavens and the earth being created, the audience is told no shrub had appeared on earth, because god had not sent rain on earth yet. However, streams came up from the earth as the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground, breathing the breath of life into the man to become a living being. The story continues, the LORD God planted a garden in the east, and the LORD God made all kinds of trees to grow out the ground. A river flowed from Eden and separated into four headwaters, Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. The LORD GOD took the man and put him to work, commanding the man he is free to eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The LORD God thought it was not good for man to be alone, so it made a helper suitable for him. The LORD God had formed all the wild animals and the birds of the sky from the ground of the earth and he brought them to the man to name all of them. The story continues the man named all the livestock, the birds, and all the wild animals.

The story continues with the creation of Eve and ends with the absence of shame Adam and Eve had even though they were naked, but that’s beside the point. I believe the wild were created in a state of chaos. The ferocious and untamed animals came to the man to be named. I could imagine the joy they came to the man with and how that shake may have dwindled when they left. I could imagine the wild animals may have become quiet and constrained due to the labeling put upon them. Though I don’t think the action by the man had malicious intent behind it, I think the possible politeness that may have been the aim didn’t change the feelings that were felt. I believe the praise was present before the naming, the wild untamed energy sending beneficial vibrations throughout the spiritual realm.

I believe worship is more than a particular time during a religious service, but an embodiment and a way we carry ourselves through life. Like the wild animals created by the LORD God, I believe their untamed actions are an example of exuberant worship, a raw praise of life. I believe spirituality exists within a space of praise, not within the confinements of one’s culture, age, or tradition, but in one’s own self expression. I believe through rhythm, movement and radical or possibly even wild energy, we can break the hold of the physical realm to experience what’s behind the curtain.

Beyond Wild

I don’t spend much time outside, most of my passions exist within the confines of my house, however, I do enjoy the beach when the weather is warmer. When I do take the time to get my feet in the sand, I see all the life that explodes from the behind bushes and spouting from the sound. I see the high energy scurry of the crabs in the sand and the flight of birds from one plot of land to another. I believe the wild animals hurrying from one place to another is a version of praise, a recognition of how life is not guaranteed. Even though I can’t tell if these wild animals are in their youth or closer to their end, I believe their movement is a declaration of their attempt to survive, their attempt to keep in touch with their breath.

James and Justin on the Stay Spiritual channel, created a reaction video to Plantesakerstv’s Planetboom HIGHER PRAISE promotion video¹. After the initial chorus, verse and turn back to the chorus, Justin pauses the video to add some of his thoughts². Justin adds a forewarning, before his viewers think him and James are lame, Justin highlights that he’s not a Christian, but they grew up with a Christian background³. Justin believes this may color his view and make him more comfortable with the praise music in the video⁴. Justin then asks his audience a question, what could be more heavenly than such a variety of different people, from different races, having a blast, even though Justin points to there not being many old people in the video⁵. Justin believes this is what people want from heaven, everyone singing and dancing together, with what feels like fifty people on stage⁶. Justin and James laugh when there seems to be almost as many people on stage as there are in the crowd having a good time⁷. Justin points to another perspective, how viewers or the original video could be irritated by the greater picture, looking at the video as a religious promotional video and this worship scene is what religions have promoted over time⁸. Justin counters by stating in the realm of aesthetics and having a good time, do people want to be drunk singing and dancing together, highlighting that they actually look like they’re having a good time without the presence of booze or alcohol⁹.

In the religious traditions I am familiar with, typically reverence coincided with fear. In the Hebrew Bible, there are plenty of times where individuals and communities are commanded to fear the LORD, communicating a seen need for them to respect the LORD’s commands. I would like to challenge the need for fear to revere, but propose a need for people to experience the divine in a wild way, the way animals did before they received their label. I believe the ideas surrounding planetboom’s promotion video, authentic expressive reverence, may be seen as unconventional at first, however, through practice, can be acknowledged as a legitimate practice of worship, even though it may be beyond the common notion of devotion.

Shouting Wild

In creating Spectrum of Spirit, my brainstorming process revolved around the first mentions of “spectrum” and “spirit” in our world. One of the earliest mentions of “spectrum” pertained to Hermann von Helmholtz acoustic work, building off Isaac Newton’s light spectrum to include sound within spectrum discourse. Helmholtz spent some of his time analyzing harmony in musical tones. I believe emotional intensity influences the way one connects to sound, affecting how their body reacts to any form of tune, from wild animals, to sophisticated orchestras. I believe the combination of the body’s emotions and movement impacts the volume at which one sings, the volume of what can be seen as a wild release of praise towards themselves or something else.

After the end of Planetshakertv’s video, James tries to connect the band’s performance to another rock band, but couldn’t think of a contemporary band that fit the mold, so he struggled to label them¹⁰. Justin jumps in, encouraging Christians to keep getting together and praising, sharing his belief that this is one of the rightest things they do¹¹. Justin believes this would make Jesus proud, stating the way they hold their arms around one another would contribute to Jesus’ pride¹². Justin continues, expressing that if one doesn’t want to be a part of that, he’s not sure what you really want, recognizing the trauma and issues some might have towards being touched¹³. Justin goes on further, stating Christians have got this right, innocent partying with one another, without overly biblical lyrics¹⁴. Justin agrees with a particular lyric, and thinks this may be the future of Christianity, their ability to get together as opposed to hiding themself wearing a chastity suit¹⁵. James starts to contribute again, claiming out of the Abrahamic faiths, does a good job of evolving and assimilating wherever it can, in certain respects¹⁶. However, James throws in a tiny critique, especially with Evangelicals, that they have a hard time being open to different groups that aren’t a part of them¹⁷. In James’ experience, he hasn’t met many Christians who are willing to have conversations with other people who don’t fit within their group¹⁸.

I very much appreciate the complex discussion James and Justin have about their previous experiences with Christianity and what they believe may be the future of their community. James and Justin recognize the comradery and family that is built through their wild worship expression, that sometimes can distract them from the ability to connect with those outside of their circle. I believe the intensity shown in planetboom’s promo can be equated to the hunger for survival shown in wild animals around the world, their wild actions representing a deeper need hidden behind the surface. However, I believe hunger is only one of the contributors to animal and humans desires, another being the joy that comes from relishing in one’s current ability to breathe and to live. Alongside hunger and joy, I believe the last contributor to a being’s desire is the concept of surrender. Yet, I would stray away from a calm surrender, not dying down to the presence of authority or tradition, but to the wild side of oneself, the expressive side, the one that goes against societal norms. I believe the singing in planetboom’s video can be symbolic of the shout within one’s spirit, the hope for freedom from the bounds of labels, a call to the wild.

Call to the Wild

Dance in worship. Shout in the wild. Sing beyond your limits. Favor your understanding. Inhale as praise. Track your expression. Originate one narrative for yourself. Eternalize your watch. Bring emotion to your echo. Mystify the spiritual. Find authenticity in your twin. Engage your soul beyond the surface.

Bibliography

Stay Spiritual, “Planetshakerstv I Planetboom HIGHER PRAISE I NON CHRISTIAN REACTION,” YouTube, last modified July 15, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64h7QJMoaVo&t=31s. ↩︎
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Spectrum of Spirit: A Digital Sanctuary for Spiritual Discourse and Community