Worship as Theology: Foretaste of Glory Divine

by Don E. Saliers

In Worship As Theology , Don Saliers discusses how worship is both theological (God-centered) and anthropological (embodied and embedded in specific human and cultural contexts). He illuminates worship as a theology "prayed, sung, and enacted." At the same time--by focusing upon specific dimensions of liturgical action such as praising, thanking, invoking, confessing, proclaiming, interceding, and blessing--he addresses the differences between the liturgical/sacramental and the "free-church"/evangelical church traditions.

Underlying Saliers' approach is his basic conviction that Christian liturgy is an eschatological art. Theological integrity in worship, he asserts, calls for a permanent tension in the forms and patterns which reflect the "already" and "not yet" of Christian life in the world for the sake of the world. Worship As Theology , therefore, begins and ends with the eschatology of the divine promise, that the church's cry is still "Come, Lord Jesus!" and that God's will be done on earth "as in heaven."

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Religion

255 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1994

Reviews

[Grant Showalter-Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Christian public prayer finds praise and thanksgiving far less demanding when lamenting is suppressed. Put differently, praise and thanksgiving grow empty when the truth about human rage over suffering and injustice is never uttered. Prayer may be sincere and God may certainly be praised and glorified in the absence of acknowledging such a truth about human suffering, but the revelatory character of prayer, liturgical or devotional, is diminished when no laments are ever raised. The Psalms wait to teach us this. Christian liturgy without the full range of the Psalms becomes anorexic, starving for honest emotional range” (121).

“Judgement [eschaton] is part of that self-giving vulnerability of God at the heart of the water bath and the holy meal we know called baptism and Eucharist. The judgement is the permanent crisis ushered by the Word of God made flesh. The judgement is for us who do not see and hear what of God is present under the signs of Christ: the narrative, the sign-actions, and the human beings with whom he most clearly identified-God’s little ones. So abide these three: Word, Sacrament, and suffering human beings. And all three are Jesus Christ-the unity of his person and work. But no discernment is possible unless the Spirit he gives also conjoins with the uncreated Spirit of God permeating the created order. And these, the liturgy shows us, by invocation of the same, are one” (230).

[Steve Irby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished "Worship as Theology," by Don Saliers.

This one will be more brief than recent others since I was and still am quite "low church," and liturgy is foreign to me.

The crux so far is an amazing and wonderful concept--a "duh" but-why-didnt-I-ever-say-that kind of concept--that all liturgy, and worship, is an eschatological (last things) event with its eyes set on the the parousia (final coming of Christ). It is when we, as a church gather that we do so with our eyes set to the Christ-horizon. We worship and celebrate in the tension of the already and the not yet. We commune in this tension of the battle won and the consummation of all things back to Him who bought our freedom. He who was a slave and yet He who was our slave price (poorly translated "ransom"). Ours is a supper that lives in the already paid for and our not yet glorified end. This end is just the beginning.

Another interesting thing to be noted is that worship based on praise alone soon becomes anorexic. Praise needs its polarity in lamentation.

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saliers has written a fascinating book, delving into how liturgical worship embodies theology. There is a lot to digest in his book, and he doesn't really dumb it down any. The text is obviously intended for more learned readers, rather than a general lay audience. This probably would not be as helpful for regular pastors or lay leaders in the church. However, Saliers engagement with what is done in the worship of the church is very rich and exposes a really deep comprehension of both what the liturgy embodies and what it is aiming towards.

I do recommend this book, but it is probably best reserved for those who want to dig deep and think richly about liturgy. There is a lot of really, really good discussion and thought in the book, and I expect I will be returning to it for years as a reference source.

[JD Waggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great examination of the theological impact of worship, especially as a lens through which to look to the future of this madcap creation adventure. Some of it's a bit stuffy (there's a whole chapter in conversation with Barth that can feel like it's totally in the weeds even if you've read Barth), but this is mostly an accessible look at patterns of worship and how leaders can help develop the deeper thinking of all involved. I'll be coming back to this again and again as a Protestant worship leader; it's not really a casual read, but for that it's a solid choice.