Why do Christians raise their hands in worship?

Why do Christians raise their hands in worship?

From Curiously Kaitlyn by Kaitlyn Schiess

May 12, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

Kaitlyn and Mike explore the reasons behind the practice of raising hands in worship and its implications for faith and emotional expression.

Ever looked around during worship and wondered why everyone suddenly has their hands in the air? Kaitlyn and producer Mike explore where this practice comes from, what the Bible actually says about worship, and why different churches express worship in such different ways. They also unpack the tension between emotional worship and thoughtful faith, and ask an important question: What if God cares more about the condition of your heart than the placement of your hands? 0:00 - Theme Song 1:01 - Why Do We Put Hands Up in Worship? 3:45 - Ways of Worship 9:05 - The Anti-Hand-Raising Argument 14:45 - Sponsor - After Class Podcast - Take Theology seriously… without taking yourself too seriously: https://afterclass.libsyn.com/ 15:58 - Sponsor - OneAccord - Live-translation platform built for churches! Try OneAccord for free at https://oneaccord.ai/KAITLYN 17:38 - Worship and Feelings 29:38 - Wrapping it Up 26:45 - End Credits

People in this episode

Host: Kaitlyn Schiess

Guest: Mike

Topics covered

  • worship practices
  • Christianity
  • emotional worship
  • thoughtful faith
  • Bible teachings
  • church expressions

Keywords

  • worship
  • hands raised
  • Christianity
  • Bible
  • emotional worship
  • faith
  • church

Sponsors

After Class Podcast, OneAccord

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