Status Updates From Recovering Mother Kirk

Page number not accurate.

The chapter on hymns: I feel like it was lacking and without much of a conclusion, other than that they water down worship, especially with the constantly changing hymnals and over abundance of hymns. I was hoping to see a case for or against EP. The history was interesting, but I found many of the essentially lists to be cumbersome.

These two short chapters on revivalism and liturgy were good
The revivalism one is especially hard hitting and reveals how an altar call or similar has replaced the Lord's supper.

Similarly, the liturgy chapter talks about a means of grace focused liturgy is replaced with "home room" and the service is really just to promote programs and "ministries." Really fits my past evangelical and mainline experience.

Another chapter worthy of a book in and of itself. This chapter, or essay, on The Irony of Reformed Worship is hard hitting and beneficial. Hart shows how modern worship in many Reformed churches is far more revivalist, Wesleyan, and charismatic rather than Reformed. Their worship is based on the "anxious bench" whereas proper Reformed worship is liturgical is embodied in the Catechism.

The chapter on what we can learn from Lutherans was excellent. I love his comparison between Luther and Calvin's theology of the cross and two kingdoms versus the theology of glory, transforming culture, and Kuyperianism. And before that when he pointed out how much of a marginal group the Reformed are and how they don't seem to be transforming culture despite lofty goals of doing such. Focus on the cross, not glory.

I'm in agreement with Hart on the stuff regarding ECT. Including this chapter is fitting for the section, but I don't know if this essay was necessary in this context, though it is helpful on its own.

The essay chapter ten was adapted from:
"J. Gresham Machen, Confessional Presbyterianism, and the History of Twentieth Century Protestantism, 1900 to the present" in "Re-Forming the Center: American Protestantism, 1900 to the Present" ed. Douglas Jacobsen & William Vance Trollinger, Jr. p129-149.

This may well be the best chapter in the book, so far. Hart's history lesson and mini biography of Dr. Machen along with how he, and old school Presbyterians, are neither fundamentalist or mainline is worth the price of the book.

These two chapters on worship have been excellent. He makes great points in comparing evangelicalism to Liberalism in methodology as well as in their aims while making good cases for a regulative worship.

That "Church Growth" chapter. 😁 Love that it wasn't for it at all, rather for sacraments and covenant children. Don't worry about numbers, that's God's job, concern yourself with faithfulness to Word and sacrament.

The exposure of conservative Presbyterians as liturgical modernists was especially interesting. While I am a bit suspicious of DGH's penchant for seeing revivalism round every corner, it certainly does seem to have had a big influence on Presbyterian piety and worship - to the point that they are just Baptists who drink and smoke, or, else Wesleyans who believe in predestination.

The chapter on Gresham Machen and the founding of the OPC was very good, though probably out of place in this book.