Pleasing God in Our Worship

by W. Robert Godfrey

Formal and comtemplative services in vast cathedrals are as much a part of Christian worship today as casual and boisterous services in refurbished warehouses. Yet this very diversity raises the question, Are all forms of worship equally pleasing to God? Worship wars have erupted over so many issues--musical styles and liturgical formats, as well as more serious concerns like whether or not to orient services toward seekers--that often the spirit of the age has silenced the Spirit of Christ and left us wondering what is acceptable in God's eyes. This booklet guides believers in recovering biblical worship. It will help you think about what pleases God, evaluate worship from a biblical point of view, and restore Him to the center of our worship, where He belongs.

Genres: Christian

Paperback

First published March 15, 1999

About the author

Dr. Godfrey has taught church history at Westminster Seminary California since 1981. He taught previously at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Stanford University, and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is the third president of Westminster Seminary California and is a minister in the United Reformed Churches in North America. He has spoken at many conferences including those sponsored by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, and Ligonier Ministries.

Reviews

[Jacob London]

Short read, with a few minor disagreements. Although I wish that Godfrey really pressed more so on Christ fulfilling the instruments of the tabernacle cultus.

[Mark A Powell]

With his entry in the Today’s Issues series, Godfrey tackles the question of worship. In recent years, many evangelical churches have discussed (at some length) the nature of worship style: traditional or contemporary, solemn or energetic, and so on. What Godfrey suggests is that it is not the style, but the substance of worship that is the key issue. He explores what Scripture says about worship and exhorts us to model ourselves after its timeless standard.