Advice on Reading the Bible in Public
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, A person who can read well is seldom met with now-a-days. The public reading of the Bible is oftentimes not worthy… Read More »Advice on Reading the Bible in Public
Articles on Worship
Pentecostalism, emotion, and worship
W. Robert Godfrey provides1 a helpful look at how the Pentecostal movement impacted evangelicalism’s understanding of the nature of emotion (particularly physical expressiveness) in worship.… Read More »Pentecostalism, emotion, and worship
Luther on the centrality of the Word in worship
Martin Luther did not want to revolutionize completely the traditional worship of the Western church. He did, however, believe that preaching of the Word had… Read More »Luther on the centrality of the Word in worship
What “moves” you in worship?
Which of the following scenario is a more meaningful worship experience? The 100 member choir and 50 piece orchestra combine in a rousing performance of… Read More »What “moves” you in worship?
Online Communion?
The United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry met recently in Nashville to discuss the relative merits of offering Communion online. You can find detailed background… Read More »Online Communion?
Doxologies and Gloria Patris
A hymn to complete another hymn, or a hymn to complete a section of worship, is how we might think of singing the Doxology, or… Read More »Doxologies and Gloria Patris
The Lord’s Day, part 7
The modern American culture treats the normal week as beginning with Monday. The typical work week is from Monday through Friday, which often leads people… Read More »The Lord’s Day, part 7
John Frame and the Regulative Principle of Worship
John Frame is among one of the most influential theologians to defend contemporary worship music and practice, particularly through his two popular books, Worship in Spirit… Read More »John Frame and the Regulative Principle of Worship
The Lord’s Day, part 6
Following the rigid ceremonialism of the Roman Catholic Church, reformers such as Luther and Calvin were cautious about formalizing Christian worship to a ceremonial “first… Read More »The Lord’s Day, part 6
The Lord’s Day, part 5
The scriptural information regarding the Lord’s Day ends at Revelation 1:10. However, a helpful addition to the biblical material is the record of history’s view… Read More »The Lord’s Day, part 5
Where did all that pomp and circumstance come from?
Have you ever wondered how Christian liturgy developed from the simple meetings we see in the book of Acts to the smells and bells of… Read More »Where did all that pomp and circumstance come from?
William Ames on the connection between prayer, singing, and outward expressions
In the second book of The Marrow of Theology, William Ames’s (1576-1633) classic Post-Reformation work, Ames deals with a number of matters related to practical theology. The ninth… Read More »William Ames on the connection between prayer, singing, and outward expressions
The Lord’s Day, part 4
In considering a discussion of the Lord’s Day, it is helpful to do so in connection with the Old Testament Sabbath Day. This can help… Read More »The Lord’s Day, part 4
Public Worship
So that the presence of God, which, enjoyed in private, is but a stream, in public becomes a river, a river that makes glad the… Read More »Public Worship
Was the Last Supper a Passover meal?
It is probably safe to say that when most people think about the Last Supper, they naturally assume that it was an observance of the… Read More »Was the Last Supper a Passover meal?
Hebrew worship and the surrounding culture
One of the more important aspects of studying the worship of Israel is to wrestle through the relationship between Israel’s worship culture and that of… Read More »Hebrew worship and the surrounding culture
The Lord’s Day, part 1
We live in a busy world. With technological advances one would think that our lives would be less hectic. However, the opposite seems to be… Read More »The Lord’s Day, part 1
Limiting How We Apply the Regulative Principle
To admit a worship practice as a biblically-prescribed New Testament worship element, the Regulative Principle would seek to ensure that such a practice is unequivocally… Read More »Limiting How We Apply the Regulative Principle
Selecting Hymns That Are Good
When we select the songs and hymns for corporate worship, there are plenty of weak, cowardly, and even evil reasons to motivate our choices: sheer… Read More »Selecting Hymns That Are Good
The Use of Creeds
“My faith has found a resting place, not in device nor creed.” So goes the hymn, and if taken over-literally, we might agree. Our faith… Read More »The Use of Creeds