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An Outline of Christian Worship Its Development and Forms
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- GenresTheology
212 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 15, 2012
Maxwell's An Outline of Christian Worship is one of those reading pleasures. Not so much in itself, but in the fact that a good friend stirred my interest in it. I felt drawn to reading it because of what he said about his experience with the book. Of all the books I've read, those recommended to me by friends, particularly the ones physically placed in my hands for perusal, have been some of the most meaningful. I wouldn't say this was a great book but it certainly has been something that helped me grow in my understanding of Christian worship.
William Maxwell takes his reader on a journey through almost 2000 years of Christian worship. Early in the book he alerts us to what was for me a striking thesis. Maxwell contends that the Lord's Supper grew out of a Jewish tradition called Kiddush and not the Passover. Maxwell describes this tradition as "a simple repast shared weekly by small groups of male Jews, very often by a rabbi and his disciples." He goes on to say that "Its purpose was to prepare for the Sabbath or a festival, and it was religious in character." I leave it to the reader to explore the evidence presented for this thesis but I found it plausible.
Moving on to the early church, Maxwell sets himself to point out a developing pattern of Christian worship centered around the celebration of the Lord's Supper. He discusses the earliest evidence of Christian liturgies, with separate chapters on the liturgies in the East and the West. As a sample, take this engaging fact from the Middle Ages: the distinction of the Gallican and Roman rites in the West. There is much detail about these two liturgical traditions, including the eventual ascendancy of the Roman over the Gallican and how the Gallican still influenced the Roman.
After surveying the early church and the Medieval period, Maxwell embarks on the largest part of his survey, the liturgies of the Reformation churches. He gives outlines of the liturgies of Luther and Zwingli and discusses them but seems decidedly dismissive of their value. In fact, Maxwell disappoints in mentioning the creativity of Lutheran liturgies outside of Germany while neglecting to outline or discuss them.
Once Maxwell arrives at the Reformed liturgies of Strasbourg and Geneva, we can tell by the level of detail that he believes these rites are of special importance. The section on the Reformation liturgies continues with Reformed rites in England and Scotland as well as the story of the Book of Common Prayer in both lands. I was fascinated by Maxwell's proposal for outlining the service suggested by the Westminster Directory of Public Worship. I take away from it that while the Westminster Directory was, in part, a reaction to the set forms of the Book of Common Prayer, it was not a rejection of the historic genius of Christian worship to follow a certain logic. Rather the Westminster Directory gives us a service that rightly encourages a Biblical breadth and freedom as far as what is said during worship. Maxwell is not as positive about Westminster as about other liturgies but that points up how he provides enough material for his readers to constructively argue with him. Maxwell rounds out his book with discussions of some modern liturgies, the daily offices, the Christian Year, and forms of prayer. The latter section includes a helpful, though technical discussion of those pithy written prayers known as "collects."
Overall, this book is a good introduction to its subject but may be too technical at points for complete comprehensibility by a beginner. The difficulties include a fair amount of Latin quotations and terminology. Maxwell also fails to succinctly define some of the key terms used throughout. Bard Thompson's Liturgies of the Western Church may be more approachable, though it is a longer book. Once a reader has a little background, Maxwell can be read with profit. I am so glad that my friend told me about this book because I was reminded of some material that I previously studied and was also challenged to continue to pursue this important topic.
William Maxwell takes his reader on a journey through almost 2000 years of Christian worship. Early in the book he alerts us to what was for me a striking thesis. Maxwell contends that the Lord's Supper grew out of a Jewish tradition called Kiddush and not the Passover. Maxwell describes this tradition as "a simple repast shared weekly by small groups of male Jews, very often by a rabbi and his disciples." He goes on to say that "Its purpose was to prepare for the Sabbath or a festival, and it was religious in character." I leave it to the reader to explore the evidence presented for this thesis but I found it plausible.
Moving on to the early church, Maxwell sets himself to point out a developing pattern of Christian worship centered around the celebration of the Lord's Supper. He discusses the earliest evidence of Christian liturgies, with separate chapters on the liturgies in the East and the West. As a sample, take this engaging fact from the Middle Ages: the distinction of the Gallican and Roman rites in the West. There is much detail about these two liturgical traditions, including the eventual ascendancy of the Roman over the Gallican and how the Gallican still influenced the Roman.
After surveying the early church and the Medieval period, Maxwell embarks on the largest part of his survey, the liturgies of the Reformation churches. He gives outlines of the liturgies of Luther and Zwingli and discusses them but seems decidedly dismissive of their value. In fact, Maxwell disappoints in mentioning the creativity of Lutheran liturgies outside of Germany while neglecting to outline or discuss them.
Once Maxwell arrives at the Reformed liturgies of Strasbourg and Geneva, we can tell by the level of detail that he believes these rites are of special importance. The section on the Reformation liturgies continues with Reformed rites in England and Scotland as well as the story of the Book of Common Prayer in both lands. I was fascinated by Maxwell's proposal for outlining the service suggested by the Westminster Directory of Public Worship. I take away from it that while the Westminster Directory was, in part, a reaction to the set forms of the Book of Common Prayer, it was not a rejection of the historic genius of Christian worship to follow a certain logic. Rather the Westminster Directory gives us a service that rightly encourages a Biblical breadth and freedom as far as what is said during worship. Maxwell is not as positive about Westminster as about other liturgies but that points up how he provides enough material for his readers to constructively argue with him. Maxwell rounds out his book with discussions of some modern liturgies, the daily offices, the Christian Year, and forms of prayer. The latter section includes a helpful, though technical discussion of those pithy written prayers known as "collects."
Overall, this book is a good introduction to its subject but may be too technical at points for complete comprehensibility by a beginner. The difficulties include a fair amount of Latin quotations and terminology. Maxwell also fails to succinctly define some of the key terms used throughout. Bard Thompson's Liturgies of the Western Church may be more approachable, though it is a longer book. Once a reader has a little background, Maxwell can be read with profit. I am so glad that my friend told me about this book because I was reminded of some material that I previously studied and was also challenged to continue to pursue this important topic.
May 5, 2012
This review will be a little longer than others, for Maxwell's little book was like a bombshell for me. If nothing else, I learned that I know very, very little about historic Christian worship. I found, with some astonishment, that I knew virtually nothing of the liturgical nomenclature. I virtually had to have a dictionary open in one hand as I read this little volume. Maybe there is a liturgical dictionary out there (if so, please let me know, and I will buy it promptly, as I need it!), but I was swimming just trying to keep up with language of historic Christian worship. In a word, this book taught me that my ignorance is immense. That, itself, made this book worth reading. There are probably plenty of books that could have accomplished this, but, providentially, it was this book that came into my world and rocked the same. What's more (as if I needed any more cause for humility), this book is not some 800-page tome by Dom Dix. It is a small overview, a beginner's introduction to that *central* labor of the Christian life: public worship.
I joyfully hold to the regulative principle of worship (RPW). I think that divine worship is closely regulated by the revealed law of God. I am committed to the regulative principle, but I am currently not quite so sure I know what that means. In fact, I think that my commitment to the RPW (note: not the RPW itself, but my commitment to it) has actually pridefully blinded me to two millennia of Christian tradition, dismissing the great bulk of it as, at best, misguided. One reality that I found from page to page in Maxwell's book is that a great deal of Christian liturgy, which initially seems odd and non-Scriptural, is actually based upon Scripture itself. Now, I grant that what's based upon Scripture is not, itself, necessarily Scriptural. But, there are many aspects of Christian liturgy that I have dismissed out of hand, which I should rather have considered with much greater attention. My point, here, is that I have roundly dismissed too much of Christian liturgical history, merely assuming that these Christians were not in submission to Scripture. I want to stress that this is an issue of pride on my part. Essentially, I think that I've used the concept of the RPW as a rubber stamp for what I want divine worship to be. What's more, I do not suppose that I'm the only one who has done this.
I want quickly to add this note of restraint. I own that I am a schoolboy when it comes to Christian liturgy. I have been a schoolboy before, and I'm aware of the foolish errors which schoolboys are want to make. Briefly stated, knowing that I know very little, and therefore would do well to keep my trap shut. I need to read and pray extensively; I need to study the Scripture. In a word, I need to be humble. Humility naturally gives rise to conservatism. Conservatism is, by definition, slow to move.
As to criticism, there are two reasons that this book gets only three stars. First, the book could have been organized in a more useful way. Maxwell includes liturgies in the text proper. He would have done better to add an appendix with the liturgies. This would have done two things. First, it would have made the text less choppy, and second, it would have made comparison of the various liturgies far easier, as they would have been consolidated in one place. The second criticism is that Maxwell's guiding principle for worship is too subjective and is not based upon God's Word. Every liturgy is weighed in the balance of what Maxwell thinks is capable to shoulder the weight of divine worship. This is a useful concept, but is not where one should start. One should start with the Bible. What is scriptural? The Bible tells us what God wants in worship. Maxwell does not seem to have this most fundamental standard in view, and that is a glaring weakness.
I joyfully hold to the regulative principle of worship (RPW). I think that divine worship is closely regulated by the revealed law of God. I am committed to the regulative principle, but I am currently not quite so sure I know what that means. In fact, I think that my commitment to the RPW (note: not the RPW itself, but my commitment to it) has actually pridefully blinded me to two millennia of Christian tradition, dismissing the great bulk of it as, at best, misguided. One reality that I found from page to page in Maxwell's book is that a great deal of Christian liturgy, which initially seems odd and non-Scriptural, is actually based upon Scripture itself. Now, I grant that what's based upon Scripture is not, itself, necessarily Scriptural. But, there are many aspects of Christian liturgy that I have dismissed out of hand, which I should rather have considered with much greater attention. My point, here, is that I have roundly dismissed too much of Christian liturgical history, merely assuming that these Christians were not in submission to Scripture. I want to stress that this is an issue of pride on my part. Essentially, I think that I've used the concept of the RPW as a rubber stamp for what I want divine worship to be. What's more, I do not suppose that I'm the only one who has done this.
I want quickly to add this note of restraint. I own that I am a schoolboy when it comes to Christian liturgy. I have been a schoolboy before, and I'm aware of the foolish errors which schoolboys are want to make. Briefly stated, knowing that I know very little, and therefore would do well to keep my trap shut. I need to read and pray extensively; I need to study the Scripture. In a word, I need to be humble. Humility naturally gives rise to conservatism. Conservatism is, by definition, slow to move.
As to criticism, there are two reasons that this book gets only three stars. First, the book could have been organized in a more useful way. Maxwell includes liturgies in the text proper. He would have done better to add an appendix with the liturgies. This would have done two things. First, it would have made the text less choppy, and second, it would have made comparison of the various liturgies far easier, as they would have been consolidated in one place. The second criticism is that Maxwell's guiding principle for worship is too subjective and is not based upon God's Word. Every liturgy is weighed in the balance of what Maxwell thinks is capable to shoulder the weight of divine worship. This is a useful concept, but is not where one should start. One should start with the Bible. What is scriptural? The Bible tells us what God wants in worship. Maxwell does not seem to have this most fundamental standard in view, and that is a glaring weakness.
January 4, 2015
A detailed and enlightening study of the liturgies used in the Christian Church from the earliest days to the present. Obviously it narrows its field as the ages progress, and so Western liturgical families are mainly in focus after the first few centuries are covered and Anglo-sphere liturgies predominate the coverage of the post-Reformation centuries.
Of especial interest is the development of the Word-only Sabbath services that have come to be the norm in today's reformed churches.
The author is Anglican and so biased against some of the genuine improvements that followed the early Reformation period. Still, many of his points of criticism are fair and his vast knowledge does make the most of his comments of value.
This is a good book to study alongside Hugh Oliphant Old's works of Reformed worship (which are very much more sympathetic to the Reformed tradition).
Liked it.
Of especial interest is the development of the Word-only Sabbath services that have come to be the norm in today's reformed churches.
The author is Anglican and so biased against some of the genuine improvements that followed the early Reformation period. Still, many of his points of criticism are fair and his vast knowledge does make the most of his comments of value.
This is a good book to study alongside Hugh Oliphant Old's works of Reformed worship (which are very much more sympathetic to the Reformed tradition).
Liked it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews