--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The spoken word has come to dominate many…" description: "\"“The spoken word has come to dominate many Protestant forms of worship: the words of prayers, responsive readings, Scripture, the sermon, and so forth...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/marcus-j-borg-22014_christianity_the-spoken-word-has-come-to-dominate-man_1476123.jpg" --- # The spoken word has come to dominate many Protestant forms… ![“The spoken word has come to dominate many Protestant forms of worship: the words of prayers, responsive readings, Scripture, the sermon, and so forth. Yet the spoken word is perhaps the least effective way of reaching the heart; one must constantly pay attention with one’s mind. The spoken word…” quote by Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/marcus-j-borg-22014_christianity_the-spoken-word-has-come-to-dominate-man_1476123.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/marcus-j-borg-22014_christianity_the-spoken-word-has-come-to-dominate-man_1476123.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/marcus-j-borg-22014_christianity_the-spoken-word-has-come-to-dominate-man_1476123.jpg) > ““The spoken word has come to dominate many Protestant forms of worship: the words of prayers, responsive readings, Scripture, the sermon, and so forth. Yet the spoken word is perhaps the least effective way of reaching the heart; one must constantly pay attention with one’s mind. The spoken word tends to go to our heads, not our hearts.”” [Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Spoken worship reaches intellect more than emotion; true connection requires mental focus. **In simple terms:** Words engage mind, not heart. Key Takeaway Engage heart beyond words. Themes worship communication spirituality mind‑body Mood contemplative serious Type theological reflective When to use this quote - church services - personal prayer - faith education Key Concepts Theology ritual studies psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can worship balance word and silence? - What practices foster heartfelt connection? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on speech can neglect silence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Spoken word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spoken-word/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [My heart speaks words within the mind that cannot be spoken...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-heart-speaks-words-within-the-mind-that-cannot-be-spoken/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“confession. Now that I have made it, something seems to have gone out of me. Perhaps one should never put one’s worship into words.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/confession-now-that-i-have-made-it-something-seems-to-have-gone-out/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Thinking and spoken discourse are the same thing, except that what we call thinking is, precisely, the inward dialogue carried on by the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/thinking-and-spoken-discourse-are-the-same-thing-except-that-what-we/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Many a spoken word is more piercing than an attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ibn-abi-talib/many-a-spoken-word-is-more-piercing-than-an-attack/) [Ali ibn Abi Talib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-ibn-abi-talib/) > [At this point in my life - age 24 - I have chosen a fairly strange path that not many are walking. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/at-this-point-in-my-life-age-24-i-have-chosen-a-fairly-strange-path/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Spoken word poetry is the art of performance poetry. I tell people it involves creating poetry that doesn't just want to sit on paper,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/spoken-word-poetry-is-the-art-of-performance-poetry-i-tell-people-it/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“The spoken word and the written - there is an astonishing gulf between them. There is a way of turning sentences that completely reverses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/the-spoken-word-and-the-written-there-is-an-astonishing-gulf-between/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“There are two things that cannot be taken back- the sped arrow and the spoken word.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-casey/there-are-two-things-that-cannot-be-taken-back-the-sped-arrow-and-the/) Jane Casey > [Every spoken word arouses our self-will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/every-spoken-word-arouses-our-self-will/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“Every spoken word carries great risk. Therefore, it is better to remain silent if one does not know how to talk. Talking about religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/every-spoken-word-carries-great-risk-therefore-it-is-better-to-remain/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [My first spoken word poem, packed with all the wisdom of a 14-year-old, was about the injustice of being seen as unfeminine. The poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/my-first-spoken-word-poem-packed-with-all-the-wisdom-of-a-14-year-old/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [I don't really have a lot of hobbies. I listen to a lot of spoken word. I get books on tape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-green/i-don-t-really-have-a-lot-of-hobbies-i-listen-to-a-lot-of-spoken-word/) [Benny Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-green/) > [I like spoken-word as much as the singing word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-mazzacane-connors/i-like-spoken-word-as-much-as-the-singing-word/) Loren Mazzacane Connors > [The way we tell our stories on stage is that we use spoken word to convey action, and in movies, we use visual images…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-letts/the-way-we-tell-our-stories-on-stage-is-that-we-use-spoken-word-to/) [Tracy Letts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-letts/) > [“There is a weird power in a spoken word.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/there-is-a-weird-power-in-a-spoken-word/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) ## More by Marcus J. Borg > [“Critical thinking is an unavoidable part of growing up. We do not become adults without it. But in the modern world, this stage often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/critical-thinking-is-an-unavoidable-part-of-growing-up-we-do-not/) [Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/) > [“But Christian illiteracy is only the first part of the crisis. Even more seriously, even for those who think they speak “Christian” fluently, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/but-christian-illiteracy-is-only-the-first-part-of-the-crisis-even/) [Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/) > [“More than half described Christians as literalistic, anti-intellectual, judgmental, self-righteous, and bigoted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/more-than-half-described-christians-as-literalistic-anti-intellectual/) [Marcus J. 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The result is fundamentalism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/because-modern-critical-thinking-is-corrosive-of-conventional/) [Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/) > [“The Politics of the Bible The key to seeing the political passion of the Bible is hearing and understanding its primary voices in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/the-politics-of-the-bible-the-key-to-seeing-the-political-passion-of/) [Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/) > [“This book might also be seen as “a Christian primer.” A primer teaches us how to read. Reading is not just about learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/this-book-might-also-be-seen-as-a-christian-primer-a-primer-teaches/) [Marcus J. 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Borg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/) ## More Christianity quotes > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. 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