Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
History and Religion
All Prayer is Worship? (vs. Lutheran Jordan Cooper)

All Prayer is Worship? (vs. Lutheran Jordan Cooper)

Last updated on: June 13, 2026 at 1:09 pm by Dave Armstrong

0 Comments

All Prayer is Worship? (vs. Lutheran Jordan Cooper) 2026-06-13T13:09:32-04:00 Dave Armstrong

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This is the transcript of the video, “Is All Prayer Worship? Jordan Cooper says “Yes.” The Bible Says…No!” (Catholic Bible Highlights with Kenny Burchard, 12-20-25).

*****

Rev. Dr. Jordan B. Cooper is a Lutheran pastor, professor, and apologist, who runs the Just & Sinner YouTube channel. It has 77,000 subscribers and over a thousand videos. We would wholeheartedly agree with many of those. But today we’re replying to a curious claim that he makes in his video, “A Critique of Prayer to the Saints”, from April 19th, 2020. It has 23,000 views. Here is what he says, starting at 28:44 in the video:

[Jordan] what you need to have in order to have the Roman Catholic doctrine of prayers to the saints is something very different and . . . very unbiblical . . . [such as] that there is such a thing as a prayer that is not worship. Now, Scripture says a lot about prayer. Scripture is very explicit about prayer . . . One of the major themes of Scripture from the very beginning to the very end and everywhere we see . . . prayer that is given directly to God as an act of worship. . . . all we have is prayer that is an act of worship . . . Scripture is very clear every time it speaks about prayer, that it is in the context of worship . . . the category of prayer that is not worship does not exist . . .

This is stock Protestant belief: that all prayer is at the same time worship. But like so many Protestant beliefs — I know, because I have interacted with and critiqued them for 35 years — , it seems to be simply assumed, without particular biblical proofs in mind. Like the old soup commercial, they seem to think that “it’s in there” in the Bible somewhere and that someone else has done the homework and found the proofs that are assumed to exist. But I respectfully submit that it’s quite evident that not all prayer – as described in the Bible — is worship. Rev. Cooper proclaims that all of it is, with universal terms like “everywhere” and “all we have” and “every time.”

But how is requesting something of God or interceding for someone else, or pouring out our heart or our doubts to God, or being still and listening for His words to us or answer to a prayer, worship? Probably most of the prayers that Christians utter are a lot more like requests that we make of another person. That’s simply not worship, even if we are addressing God. Jesus Himself compares prayer to the request made by a son to a father, in Matthew 7:7-11. James expands upon the concept of prayer as “asking” that Jesus had established: “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly . . .” That’s in James 4:2-3.

Now, as always, no one need take my word alone for any of this. I offer many biblical proofs, and Protestant reference works back me up as well. For example, look at what the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia affirms in its article, “Prayer”:

In the Bible “prayer” is used in a simpler and a more complex — a narrower and a wider — signification. In the former case it is supplication for benefits either for one’s self (petition) or for others (intercession). In the latter it is an act of worship which covers all soul in its approach to God. . . . It is unnecessary to distinguish all the various terms for prayer that are employed in the Old Testament and the New Testament. But the fact should be noticed that in the Hebrew and Greek there are. on the one hand. words for prayer that denote a direct petition or short, sharp cry of the heart in its distress (Ps 30:2; 2Co 12:8), and on the other “prayers” like that of Hannah (1Sa 2:1-10), which is in reality a song of thanksgiving, or that of Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, in which intercession is mingled with doxology (Eph 3:14-21).

Likewise, the standard reference work, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine, in its entry, “Pray, Prayer” lists six Greek words and two variations, with various specific meanings, but it never once refers to either worship or praise. Likewise, the entry, “Praise” contains five Greek words or their variants, never mentioning prayer. Moreover, its section on “Worship” never uses the word “prayer” either.

Sometimes (not all the time), the elements of a petitionary request and worship are together in a prayer, such as in Isaiah 37:15-17, 20 in RSV:

And Hezeki’ah prayed to the LORD: [16] “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, thou art the God, thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. [17] Incline thy ear, O LORD, and hear; open thy eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennach’erib, which he has sent to mock the living God. . . . [20] So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou alone art the LORD.”

Sometimes (remember, Rev. Cooper claims it is every time), a prayer is entirely praise and worship, as in Jeremiah 32:16-22. Sometimes prayer is a confession (either individual or corporate), as in Daniel 9:3-11. The most well-known prayer in the Bible is, of course, The Lord’s Prayer, or Our Father. It has many different elements together. Worship is present only in two sections: “Hallowed by thy name” and “For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory.”

The Bible simply doesn’t associate prayer and worship all that closely. The word “worship” appears 82 times in the New Testament and “pray” or “prayer” 161 times, but only once are they together in a verse: Luke 2:37. It refers to a woman “worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.” The phrase “worship God in prayer” never appears in the Bible. Nor does the phrase, “worship him in prayer.” I looked up instances of “pray” and “praise” together and in the sole appearance in James 5:13, they are separated: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.”

Another biblical argument has to do with the use of a phrase more common in the past: “I pray you”. In RSV, it appears 32 times, including twice in the New Testament (Lk 14:18-19): almost all referring to other human beings.

In Luke 14:19, someone says, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.” In the King James Version from 1611, at Acts 27:34, Paul says, “Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health.” In RSV, Lot says to “two angels” in Genesis 19:2, “My lords, turn aside, I pray you, to your servant’s house.” In Genesis 40:7-8, Pharaoh’s officers tell Joseph about their dreams, and Joseph says, “Tell them to me, I pray you.” In Genesis 45:4, Joseph says to his brothers, “Come near to me, I pray you.” During the plagues of Egypt, Pharaoh requests of Moses and Aaron, “forgive my sin, I pray you”. That’s in Exodus 10:17.

This is a very weak Protestant argument, but it’s used against Catholic invocation of saints, as Rev. Cooper does in this instance. The problem is that this woefully unbiblical, as so often happens in Protestant apologetics (ironically enough). It can’t be found in the Bible. At best, we can find a few instances where worship is part of prayer, but nothing remotely approaching Rev. Cooper’s claim that “all we have is prayer that is an act of worship.”

***

Practical Matters: I run the most comprehensive “one-stop” Catholic apologetics site: rated #1 for Christian sites by leading AI tool, ChatGPT — endorsed by popular Protestant blogger Adrian Warnock. Perhaps some of my 5,000+ free online articles or fifty-six books have helped you (by God’s grace) to decide to become a Catholic or to return to the Catholic Church, or better understand some doctrines and why Catholics believe them. If you believe my full-time apostolate is worth supporting, please seriously consider a much-needed monthly or one-time financial contribution. “The laborer is worthy of his wages” (1 Tim 5:18, NKJV).

PayPal donations are the easiest: just send to my email address: [email protected]. Here’s also a second page to get to PayPal. You’ll see the term “Catholic Used Book Service”, which is my old side-business. To learn about the different methods of contributing (including Zelle and 100% tax-deductible donations if desired), see my page: About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong / Donation Information.

You can support my work a great deal in non-financial ways, if you prefer; by subscribing to, commenting on, liking, and sharing videos from my two YouTube channels, Catholic Bible Highlights and Lux Veritatis, in partnership with Kenny Burchard (see my own videos), and/or by signing up to receive notice for new articles on this blog. Just type your email address on the sidebar to the right (scroll down quite a bit), where you see, “Sign Me Up!” Thanks a million!

***

Summary: Protestants, including the Lutheran Rev. Jordan Cooper, often assert that all prayer is intrinsically worship. But in fact, this notion is very difficult to establish from the Bible.

Lutheranism

Saints & Purgatory & Penance

Salvation & Justification

Previous Post

January 14, 2026

Eternal Hell: Ten Undeniable Bible Proofs

Next Post

January 15, 2026 Justification by Faith: Ten Bible Proofs

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Special pleading, and not a serious response to my arguments . . ."

Dave Armstrong

Is Venerating Men & Angels Worship? ..."

""no man needs to teach us."Didn't you just teach us?"

Dave Armstrong

Is Venerating Men & Angels Worship? ..."

""Catholics say they are the only church that can lead people into heaven."In fact, we ..."

Dave Armstrong

Is Venerating Men & Angels Worship? ..."

"And lastly, I belong to no denomination and am free to serve God as He ..."

Mariah

Is Venerating Men & Angels Worship? ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category & Last Things About Me Anti-Catholicism Atheism & Agnosticism Baptism and Sacramentalism Bible and Tradition Blessed Virgin Mary Books by Dave Armstrong C. S. Lewis Calvinism & General Protestantism Catholic Apologetics Catholic Apologists Catholic conversion Catholic converts Christmas Church (Ecclesiology) Church History Conversion and Converts Development of Doctrine Eastern Orthodoxy Ecumenism & Christian Unity Eucharist & Liturgy Fathers of the Church French Translations G. K. Chesterton Hell Hell & Satan Hell & Satan & Last Things Heresies & Comparative Religion Holistic Health Inquisition & Crusades & Scandals James White Jews & Judaism & Old Testament John Calvin John Henry Newman Liberal / Modernist Theology Life Issues Literary Resume Lutheranism Mariology Martin Luther Music Orthodoxy Papacy & Infallibility Personal Page Philosophy & Science Political & Ethical & Moral Issues Protestant Persecution & Intolerance Protestantism Purgatory Purgatory & Penance Romantic & Imaginative Theology Saints & Purgatory & Penance Salvation Salvation & Justification Satan & Last Things Sexuality and Gender Issues Spanish Translations Traditionalism vs. Radical Catholic Reactionaries Traducciones al español / tradução para português Trinitarianism & Christology Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 April 2010 March 2010 December 2009 October 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 March 2009 February 2009 October 2008 September 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 May 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 October 2005 June 2005 April 2005 February 2005 July 2004 May 2004 April 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz