The Process of Correspondent Love
Love for God’s beauty is known not only by imagination and through changed nature, but also by exposure. The writer of Theologia Germanica wrote, “And… Read More »The Process of Correspondent Love
Articles on Worship
In Defense of the Prayer Meeting (Part 1)
Long live the prayer meeting! When I was a kid, the independent Fundamentalist Baptist church I grew up in had a prayer meeting. It felt… Read More »In Defense of the Prayer Meeting (Part 1)
Brought Near by the Blood of Christ
Last week we examined two images Scripture uses to describe the Old Testament temple that should be applied equally to the New Testament Church has… Read More »Brought Near by the Blood of Christ
The Church: God’s Temple
So far in this series I have established the importance of grounding our theology and practice of worship in the sufficient and authoritative Word of… Read More »The Church: God’s Temple
The Authority of Scripture over the Order of Corporate Worship
Last week I discussed implications of the doctrine of Scripture’s authority over our corporate worship, and I suggest that it involves at least three aspects:… Read More »The Authority of Scripture over the Order of Corporate Worship
The Dilemma of Commanded Love
If God’s beauty is perceived through correspondent, or ordinate love, we face a dilemma. Love is not merely a mental choice between options. One cannot… Read More »The Dilemma of Commanded Love
The Extent of Biblical Authority over Worship
For the past couple of weeks I have been establishing the need to root our theology and practice of worship in the authoritative and sufficient… Read More »The Extent of Biblical Authority over Worship
More Voices From the Past on Loving God Rightly
Brother Lawrence’s (1614–1691) collected letters, known as The Practice of the Presence of God, describe his attempt to love all things for God’s sake. He… Read More »More Voices From the Past on Loving God Rightly
The Authority of Scripture over Worship
Jesus’s confrontation with the Pharisees during his earthly ministry highlights the fact that God rejects worship based on the traditions of men; rather, he insists… Read More »The Authority of Scripture over Worship
Voices From the Past on Loving God Rightly
It would be an insurmountable task to gather the collective thought of Christians on the topic of love for God. Suffice it to say, that… Read More »Voices From the Past on Loving God Rightly
The Traditions of Men
Ever since Cain and Abel, God’s people have been asking, “What is the proper way to worship God?” Uncertainty reigns today in churches over whether… Read More »The Traditions of Men
Beauty’s Definition: What About the Cross?
If beauty is ultimately God’s self-knowledge and communicative self-delight, we can explain easily enough why other theories of beauty have defined beauty as harmony and… Read More »Beauty’s Definition: What About the Cross?
Beauty Defined (With Some Help From Edwards)
How do we decide between these competing definitions of beauty? As Christians, we would firstly say that we cannot be satisfied with a definition of… Read More »Beauty Defined (With Some Help From Edwards)
Beauty’s Definition
Defining beauty is no easy task. A definition of beauty or the beautiful has eluded the grasp of those who wish a definition with mathematical… Read More »Beauty’s Definition
Beauty’s Difficulties: The Problem of Taste
After more than a century of grappling with Descartes’ division of knowledge into “subjective” and “objective”, eighteenth-century thinkers developed a way to rescue the concept… Read More »Beauty’s Difficulties: The Problem of Taste
The Bowl
High upon a volcanic plateau was a village, about an hour’s walk from the Everlasting Spring. Once a week, on the Day of Worship, the… Read More »The Bowl
Scripture-Formed Worship
Our task as churches is to make disciples, and this happens when we use the Word of God to shape the minds and hearts of… Read More »Scripture-Formed Worship
Disciple-Forming Corporate Worship
Every church has as its mission the making of disciples, but how does that happen? Two weeks ago I made the point that while such… Read More »Disciple-Forming Corporate Worship
Beauty and Motivation
As surprising as it might sound, beauty lies at the heart of motive. Why we do what we do is a question of desire, and… Read More »Beauty and Motivation
Beauty, Ethics and Worship
Sometimes throwaway lines leave a deep impression. One of those were words written on a blog I avidly followed about fifteen years ago. The writer… Read More »Beauty, Ethics and Worship