Worship Community And The Triune God Of Grace

Here is a book that sets our worship, communion, and language of God back on track. In a day when refinement of method and quality of experience are the guiding lights for many Christians, James Torrance points us to the triune God of grace.

Refuting the notion that the doctrine of the Trinity may be indispensable for the creed but remote from life and worship, James B. Torrance points us to the indispensable "who" of worship--the triune God of grace. He demonstrates why trinitarian theology is the very essence of Christian confession.

The triune God of grace, James B. Torrance tirelessly insisted, is the true agent to transform worship, mission, and society. Unfortunately, the church often lapses into moralism and legalism, or exhortations and condemnations, rather than witnessing to the sole-sufficient grace of God in Christ. When we neglect the Trinity, a de facto unitarianism throws the church back onto its own existence and resources. In Christ, however, the church participates through the Spirit in union with Christ's communion with the Father. By so doing, it also participates in Christ's mission to the world. The essays of this volume articulate and extend Torrance's evangelical theology, which draws attention away from ourselves and toward the triune God who is for us and for the world.

Is God missing from our worship? Obstacles to true worship are not about contemporary or traditional music, electronic gadgetry or seeker sensitivity. Rather it is the habits of mind and heart, conditioned by our surrounding culture, that hinder our faith in the real presence of the transcendent God among his people. Sensing a real need for renewal, John Jefferson Davis offers a theology of worship that uncovers the most fundamental barriers to our vital involvement in the worship of our holy God. His profound theological analysis leads to fresh and bracing recommendations that will be especially helpful to all those who lead worship or want to more fully and deeply encounter the glory and majesty of God.

Liturgical theology tends towards the anthropocentric, focussing primarily on the behaviour of the worshippers. The theology of Thomas F. and James B. Torrance, however, provides an alternative approach: a Trinitarian and Christocentric study of liturgy, which decentralises the worshippers' position in liturgy and focusses instead on Christ, the One who is worshipped. In Trinitarian Doxology, Kevin J. Navarro examines the Torrances' theology, explicating and illuminating their work, whilst simultaneously providing critical analysis which provides a lens for deeper understanding.

Features in-depth studies on a vast array of key passages in both the Old and the New Testaments that relate to God's foreknowledge and responds to current debates on this issue, drawing out implications of biblical teaching for the practical matters of Christian worship, prayer, guidance, and more. Original.

In a culture increasingly secular in its pursuits and indifferent to the voice of the church, how may we ignite the fire for ministry that will bring the gospel to the world? How can weary pastors be sustained amidst a climate of doubt and resistance? For more than half a century, three remarkable brothers have offered a vision that has inspired thousands in churches and seminaries. Today, their message remains fresh and relevant as we enter a new millennium. And for one reason: The Brothers Torrance share a passion for Christ--the Christ of the Scriptures, the Christ of the historic Nicene faith. These essays distill the essence of their thought, and shine with the clarity of their shared vision. A Passion for Christ is a light of encouragement for ministers and lay people elsewhere.

"At the Origins of Christian Worship" can deepen readers' understanding of early Christian worship by setting it within the context of the Roman world in which it developed. Hurtado highlights the two central characteristics of earliest Christian worship: its exclusive rejection of the ancient-world gods and its inclusion of Christ with God as the focus of devotion.