User:The C of E/hc

The description of happy-clappy arose in the 1980s following the rise of evangelical Christian worship. The phrase was created as a derogatory term by traditionalists who felt that extrovert display of emotions within worship meant that people were focussing more on personal satisfaction rather than giving praise to God.

Clapping
The main charge levied by critics of "happy-clappy" worship is the fact that "happy-clappy" worshippers tend to clap in church. Traditonalists argued that there is nothing within Biblical scriptures promoting that style of worship. The Bible does state that clapping was considered to be either an expression of disgust or of malicious glee, thus traditionalists feel that "happy clappy" is disrespectful. It has also been stated that clapping in church means that people are treating church as if it were entertainment rather than a focus of the liturgical worship of God. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) of the Roman Catholic Church once stated ""Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment."

Music
The music used in "happy clappy" worship if often cited as music and hymns, also called worship songs that had been written since the 1950s. They were written after older hymns were seen as being out of fashion. One of the more well known examples of a "happy clappy" hymn is "Shine, Jesus, Shine" written in 1987 by Graham Kendrick. Quentin Letts wrote that "happy clappy" hymns went against natural English inclinations of reservations and that "happy clappy" hymns were "pulserveringly purile" due to lack of rhyming and lack of variety in rhythms. "Happy clappy" music though in English schools has been more utilised in school assemblies owing to ease of accessibility for children because of a perceived decline in high church worship within the Church of England. Despite this, traditional hymns made up the majority of those listed by British programme Songs of Praise as the favoured hymns in the United Kingdom.

Services
Within the Church of England the introduction of "happy-clappy" services has gradually increased. Often these moves put vicars instigating them at odds with traditional worshippers. There have been reports where when vicars come up against opposition to their plans to change services, they have been viewed to adopt "bullying" tactics or to forcibly remove traditional choirs from services for wanting to preserve a traditional form of worship. However some evangelicals have argued that the church should adopt more of a "happy-clappy" attitude during services to bring younger people into church.