A blogger once wrote, “Can we all agree that Pentecostal worship services look fun?” In a culture infatuated with entertainment and emotion, sometimes it is hard for churches to attract people. As a result, many congregations blur the line between emotion and rationality, desiring to cater to an irreligious, emotion-driven population.

Sadly, the church is not the only institution to fall victim to emotionalism. Society has succumbed to the ease of a “better-felt-than-told” mindset. Political debate often centers on how people feel about certain policies. A clear definition of marriage as one man and one woman would be an emotional affront to the same-sex couples hoping to get married next spring. Government-mandated health insurance helps the children, and who doesn’t want to help children? Gone are rational arguments about taxing and spending, replaced by emotional appeals pitting one special interest group against another.

The problem in the church and society is the same—too many people plot their course of action based on feelings and not on thought. It is a societal brain freeze through laziness, apathy, ignorance, and even willfulness. Author John Emerick commented on the human condition: “We are emotional first, and intellectual second.” A sad but accurate observation of society. The conscientious Christian must ask, “What is the proper role of emotions and reason?”

God created humans with intelligence and emotions. Both are gifts from him because life without emotions is dreary and life without intellect is disastrous. Without emotions, there would be no joy, no anger, no sadness, no feeling at all. Nothing would change our moods. Nothing would capture our imagination or cause us to look forward to a coming event. Everything would be blah. But without rationality, there would be no discovery, no invention, no understanding of how things work. God saw the need for emotions and intellect, then graciously created mankind with them.

In the Garden of Eden, God allowed Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of all the trees except one (Gen 2:16-17). God expected them to use reason to discern which fruits they could eat. When Israel turned their back on God and went headlong into idolatry, God called them to the table to reason with him (Isa 1:18). In the early days of the church, Paul customarily used rationality to confront his detractors and tell people how to be saved (Acts 17:2-3, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8-9). God gives us reason and expects us to use it.

Rationality and reason allow us to discern God’s will. As we study the Scriptures, we come to a knowledge of what God wants from us. Through reason we identify God’s charted course for salvation and holiness.

On the other hand, one cannot read the Bible without being moved with emotion. Jesus used humor to teach about the absurdity of hypocrisy (Matt 7:1-5). Out of zeal, Jesus fashioned a scourge to drive the money changers out of the temple (John 2:13-17). And who can read Luke’s account of Peter’s denial without feeling the heart-rending stare of the Lord (Acts 22:61)?

Emotions act as a spur, prodding us to action. When those in Acts 2 heard Peter indict them for sin, it pierced their hearts (Acts 2:37). Their broken hearts sought relief. The emotional hit prompted them to remove their guilt and pain. The word “emotion” derives from a French/Latin word meaning to “set in motion,” or to spur to action.

Problems arise when people determine action by emotion and not reason. In order for the church to stay God’s course, we must use our intellect for our direction and our emotions for motivation. In politics and civil society, rationality must be the guide and emotions the goad. Real emotional intelligence keeps these two forces in their respective spheres, using reason to look to God for what to do, and turning to the emotion for the impetus to do it.