The Worship of God: Reformed Concepts of Biblical Worship

by Various

"There can be no more important issue than that of worship. There can be no more important question than that of how God is to be worshipped." In the 21st century, as has been the case throughout history, different interpretations of worship continue to divide churches and denominations. Worship expresses our theology and if we are to worship in truth we must submit to scriptural revelation. 'The Worship of God' offers an invaluable companion to those seeking to enhance their understanding of the purpose, history and different forms of worship. Dealing with subject areas from the regulative principle of worship to the distinctives of reformed liturgy, from Heart worship to the place of Psalms and contemporary worship music, this book gives us unique insights on an issue that demands our attention. Contributors include: W. Robert Godfrey, Joseph A. Pipa, Jr., Terry L. Johnson, Morton H. Smith

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2005

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Reviews

[Jared Lowe]

If you desire a concise overview of the Reformed and Presbyterian understanding of worship, "The Worship of God: Reformed Concepts of Biblical Worship" is an excellent resource. This book is a collection of essays that were, mostly, presented at the annual Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary's Spring Theology Conference in 2003.

The essays included in "The Worship of God" cover the major distinctives within the Reformed tradition with regards to, predominately, the public worship of God; from an explanation of the Regulative Principle of Worship, to the History of Worship in Presbyterian Churches, to The Biblical Case for Exclusive Psalmody as well as A Defense of Biblical Hymnody, and many other topics that relate to the worship of God from the Reformed and Presbyterian perspective.

Much of what passes for worship within churches today, yes, even within some Reformed and Presbyterian churches, is not Biblical worship. This book, though not exhaustive, highlights essential principles which are needed in reforming the worship of God within the contemporary Church. I would recommend this book to any Christian who seeks to take worship seriously, and who seeks to do so according to the way in which God has directed us in his Word.

[Ethan McCarter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most compilation books this one has some great essays and some rougher ones. I especially enjoyed the two by Terry Johnson and the "Reformed Liturgy" by Dr. Pipa. I thought that the two on exclusive psalmody versus biblical hymnody were a bit lackluster. There's some helpful stuff here nonetheless. In particular, one seeking to find good examples of historical Reformed liturgical practice will find helpful essays. I wouldn't recommend it for someone looking for an in-depth defense of the regulative principle since the author's presuppose that position throughout all of the essays; these are in-house Presbyterian and Reformed debates within the book and presenting papers. There's a lot of typos, formatting issues, and wrongly utilized phraseology in this work too which is more toward the publishers and editors than it is with the authors. I'd recommend the book for someone looking for introductory material for Reformed distinctives for worship, how to view historic Reformed liturgies, and starting points for research into other debates. There's better works out there, but it's not terrible either.

[Nate Norberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who doesn’t come from a Presbyterian tradition, I found it difficult to engage with. Unfortunately, most of the contents of this book are built on the regulative principle of worship. If, like me, you don’t find that the regulative principle has much biblical support, there are some large chunks of the essays that just seem irrelevant.

I was hoping that it would be something that would lead the reader to worship, but I found it more like a manual of which expressions of worship that the authors think are off-limits. (Strangely, even things like shouts of joy which are found in the Psalms)

Maybe I’m just not the intended audience and you need to be more of a Calvinist to appreciate it properly.

[Cbarrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some essays better than others. Helpful resource on historic Reformed worship and history of regulative principle. Good reminder that historically, regulative principle pertains to elements: prayer, praise, reading scripture, preaching. Liberty is granted to circumstances and forms.

[Dylan Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great essays in here, especially both essays by Godfrey. I found Shaw’s essay on Biblical Hymnody to be the weakest.

Overall, a great read to understand Reformed and Presbyterian worship.

[mpsiple · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag, but some good stuff in here.