Almost every congregation is experiencing tension over worship. Many congregations have been participating in a renaissance of worship known as the "liturgical movement" and have reclaimed worship forms that have served the church for centuries. Yet because the church today is operating in a radically changed cultural environment, many people in our society do not understand liturgical worship and thus we must find language, music, themes, and images that speak to the unchurched, spiritually seeking person. In Beyond the Worship Wars, Thomas G. Long discusses the nine characteristics of vital and faithful worship practiced by a wide range of "third-way" congregations—all characteristics that make for vital and faithful worshi
Almost every congregation is experiencing tension over worship. Many congregations have been participating in a renaissance of worship known as the "liturgical movement" and have reclaimed worship forms that have served the church for centuries. Yet because the church today is operating in a radically changed cultural environment, many people in our society do not understand liturgical worship and thus we must find language, music, themes, and images that speak to the unchurched, spiritually seeking person. In Beyond the Worship Wars, Thomas G. Long discusses the nine characteristics of vital and faithful worship practiced by a wide range of "third-way" congregations, all characteristics that make for vital and faithful worship.
How do you worship? Where do you worship? Do you believe worship should be traditional, solemn, and reverential, or should worship be contemporary, lyrical, and lively? These questions about the proper venue, style, or manner in which we worship seem to never go away in Christianity. But is there a right answer? In Worship Wars, author David Waddell explores this question by going beyond style and taking a more personal view of worship. With both humorous and earnest reflections on his own flaws, faux pas, and failures in worship, Waddell looks to the Bible and to the kings of Israel and Judah, where he reveals an order of worship using the stories of the kings as examples to teach better worship practices. No one is perfect in their worship habits and patterns, but the Bible offers a way for worshippers to have the freedom to worship in spirit and in truth, regardless of the style. Whether our individual acts of worship are traditional, contemporary, or a combination of each, we can all discover a lifestyle of worship in spirit and in truth that will please God and bring us all closer to Jesus.
Working to bridge opposing sides in the various "worship wars", Marva Dawn here writes to help local parishes and denominations think more profoundly about both worship and culture.
How shall we worship? One source of debate today is the wide variety of worship styles. In How Shall We Worship? Marva Dawn turns to Psalm 96 to investigate key elements of worship, from music to liturgy. She reminds us of the importance of recognizing that worship is for God and not for us.
In this book, Marva Dawn insists that churches need to engage in a serious process of community discernment concerning worship in order to employ the best tools and forms, and she offers reflections to further the discussion. Each part of A Royal "Waste" of Time begins with a sample Scripture-based sermon since Dawn emphasizes that the church's worship must follow biblical guidelines and form a biblical people.--From publisher's description.
“What is at stake is authenticity. . . . Sooner or later Christians tire of public meetings that are profoundly inauthentic, regardless of how well (or poorly) arranged, directed, performed. We long to meet, corporately, with the living and majestic God and to offer him the praise that is his due.”—D. A. CarsonWorship is a hot topic, but the ways that Christians from different traditions view it vary greatly. What is worship? More important, what does it look like in action, both in our corporate gatherings and in our daily lives? These concerns—the blending of principle and practice—are what Worship by the Book addresses.Cutting through cultural clichés, D. A. Carson, Mark Ashton, Kent Hughes, and Timothy Keller explore, respectively:· Worship Under the Word· Following in Cranmer’s Footsteps· Free Church Worship: The Challenge of Freedom· Reformed Worship in the Global City “This is not a comprehensive theology of worship,” writes Carson. “Still less is it a sociological analysis of current trends or a minister’s manual chockfull of ‘how to’ instructions.” Rather, this book offers pastors, other congregational leaders, and seminary students a thought-provoking biblical theology of worship, followed by a look at how three very different traditions of churchmanship might move from this theological base to a better understanding of corporate worship. Running the gamut from biblical theology to historical assessment all the way to sample service sheets, Worship by the Book shows how local churches in diverse traditions can foster corporate worship that is God-honoring, Word-revering, heartfelt, and historically and culturally informed.
Everybody talks about the worship, but nobody does anything about it. The well-known quote associated with Mark Twain actually goes like this—Everybody talks about the weather ... But changing it to "worship" seems appropriate. With Worship Essentials, Dove Award-winning worship leader Mike Harland helps leaders do something about it. Perhaps no subject about church generates more opinion and passion than worship. Walk with the typical church-going family on their way to the car after the service and just listen. Everybody really does talk about worship. Now, veteran worship leader and experienced ministry coach Mike Harland offers the tools worship leaders need to build biblically-faithful and effective worship ministries without bringing the disruption that often accompanies change. Psalm 67:5 reads, "Let the peoples praise you, God, let all the peoples praise you." Worship Essentials is here to help.
To many, the word liturgy brings to mind juggling a hymnal, Bible and a bulletin printed with formal responsive texts as you worship in a cavernous Gothic-styled church. With great faith and affection, Benedict rescues liturgy from its stuffy associations, revealing it as a momentous occasion every Sunday, no matter the worship style. Worship is a remarkable spiritual adventure and the liturgy itself is God's playground—a pilgrimage of individuals and faith communities joining the divine purpose. Through the liturgy's daily, weekly, seasonal and annual dimensions, we experience God's power to shape our lives. We unite with Christ in heart, mind and work to participate in God's new creation. "Liturgy is more than personal piety," writes Benedict. "It is worship for the long haul… It simply goes on week by week and invites us to come along. It even carries us when our spiritual feet get tired and our energy level flags." Rather than seeing the ordered patterns of worship as a repetitive thing we do, liturgy has a cumulative effect as it transforms us to God-oriented worship and living. Benedict examines the hidden rhythms of Sunday worship Holy Communion baptism daily prayer the Christian calendar Exercises contained in the group discussion guide will awaken your imagination to the power of the liturgical life. Liturgy is where God is waiting. Your part is to include yourself in that community of open hands, hearts and minds.
Have modern believers grown too comfortable with God? In response to the unbiblical, mystical spirituality of our day, Michael Horton calls for a return to the teaching of the Apostle Paul and the early church. The result is a compelling picture of true spiritual intimacy with God.
