Beyond The Worship Wars

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

Over the past several years, churches have engaged in an ongoing debate between two different styles of worship--"traditional" and "contemporary." Here, Ronald Byars argues that many of the differences between the two styles are superficial. Authentic worship, being wholly theocentric, can and must be both responsive to contemporary culture and grounded in history and tradition. Thus, rather than merely trying to please their members, congregations must focus on exploring worship that is biblical, honors our communion with the saints, and takes seriously the ways that our culture is reshaping us. He concludes with a description of an authentic, postmodern Protestant worship service.

The purpose of this book is not to debate the theological, style or cultural issues of worship expressions. The primary theme is that of finding the balance in corporate worship expressions - blended worship. While there may be moments in the life of a worshipping community where risky and sweeping changes are prudent, this is not the primary context for this dialogue. When these changes are done with loving visionary leaders, a positive outcome can be achieved. This book will help leaders carefully think through how they process change in their congregation's worship expressions in such a way that worship tensions are avoided. It will also challenge leaders to take ownership of their motives and actions in dealing with worship tensions in the local congregation and to be willing to change if necessary. Ultimately, the goal is to divert or derail division in the church. Throughout this book a theme will be explored and at the conclusion of each section there are questions or thoughts for personal reflection. As you read, treat this writing as meditative. Do not simply skim familiar scripture passages; rather, read them slowly so they can speak to you in the context of this dialogue. Take time to thoughtfully and honestly consider the thoughts for reflection at the conclusion of each section.

A 4500-year-old lost city is excavated • A writer reluctantly returns to the scene of a childhood trauma • A criminal mastermind kidnaps women and children consigning them to a life of slavery In Captives of Minara Josh Radley travels to Pakistan to write about archaeological discoveries that may unravel a mystery concerning the Indus civilization. While there he struggles to restore intimacy to his marriage and put to rest nightmares reaching back to his childhood as a missionary kid. Josh, along with his daughter Janice and wife, Stephanie, expect heat and dust... but are unprepared to deal with sabotage, theft, kidnapping, and murder.

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 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.

“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.

Too many Christians still think that worship is only a Sunday-morning activity done inside the church, while mission involves how the church engages the outside world. But Ruth Meyers argues that a dynamic relationship exists between worship and mission -- that gathering as God s people includes at its heart our being sent out into the world in God s name. Meyers explores this relationship by taking readers through the various parts of the worship service: gathering, proclaiming the Word, praying for the world, celebrating the Eucharist, and going forth to continue participating in God s mission in the world. In each chapter Meyers includes stories of worship practices in different churches and considers how the actions of worship relate integrally to mission. Missional Worship, Worshipful Mission emphasizes that missional worship is not a set of techniques but rather an approach to worship and congregational life in which God s mission permeates every aspect of what the church does.