What is the Nature of Religion? Worldview
Religion is composed of two parts, the first of which is worldview. A worldview consists of a set of assumptions a person holds about reality;… Read More »What is the Nature of Religion? Worldview
Articles on Worship
Worldview-Forming Worship
Imagine a dense forest separating two cities. In order to engage in commerce between these cities, merchants must pass through the forest. For the earliest… Read More »Worldview-Forming Worship
Why We Should Study the Liturgical Story of the Christian Faith
Studying the liturgical history of the Christian faith paints a necessary picture of what Christians have truly believed throughout history, perhaps in some cases more… Read More »Why We Should Study the Liturgical Story of the Christian Faith
How Liturgy Tells the Story of the Christian Faith
There are many valuable ways to study the history of the church; church historians often trace the development of creedal theology, recount the lives of… Read More »How Liturgy Tells the Story of the Christian Faith
A Parable About Pop Music in Church
Christian 1: So I hear you have a problem with lollipops? Christian 2: Lollipops? No, I think they’re just fine. Christian 1: But you apparently… Read More »A Parable About Pop Music in Church
A Theology of the Holy Spirit’s Work in Worship
I have spent a considerable amount of time over the past several weeks carefully surveying the Holy Spirit’s work throughout Scripture, and specifically in passages… Read More »A Theology of the Holy Spirit’s Work in Worship
The Value of Beauty
What possible value can the study of beauty deliver? Isn’t this fiddling while Rome burns, counting daffodil petals while barbarians lay siege to the city?… Read More »The Value of Beauty
Beauty and Christianity’s Primary Endeavors
Once we understand that beauty is close to glory in meaning, we will without any difficulty find beauty at the heart of many Christian endeavors.… Read More »Beauty and Christianity’s Primary Endeavors
Beauty as Scripture’s Theme
The idea of beauty is present in the first chapters of the Bible, as God creates and then makes the evaluative judgement that it was… Read More »Beauty as Scripture’s Theme
In Pursuit of a Doxology
In 1962, A. W. Tozer warned that the evangelical church was missing a jewel. “Now, worship is the missing jewel in modern evangelicalism. We’re organized;… Read More »In Pursuit of a Doxology
Why We Let the Little Ones Come to the Service
I remember the Sunday driving home from church when Becky said, “Wow, I think I was able to listen to the whole sermon today.” Our… Read More »Why We Let the Little Ones Come to the Service
Pentecostalism’s View of the Holy Spirit’s Work in Worship
Last week, I noted that the most common expectation today of the Holy Spirit’s work in worship is that he will make God’s presence known… Read More »Pentecostalism’s View of the Holy Spirit’s Work in Worship
Holy Spirit, come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Arguably, the default expectation of contemporary evangelical worshipers is that the Holy Spirit works in worship in such a way so as to create an… Read More »Holy Spirit, come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
The Holy Spirit’s Work in Worship: Extraordinary Experience or Disciplined Formation?
“Our church’s worship is pretty formal, but I prefer Holy Spirit-led worship.” Such was a comment I overheard recently by a young evangelical describing his… Read More »The Holy Spirit’s Work in Worship: Extraordinary Experience or Disciplined Formation?
The New Song
In Psalm 96, David emphasized, through various poetic devices, the necessity of singing confidently about the Lord’s reign, even though it is not yet a… Read More »The New Song
New Testament Instruction on Congregational Singing: An Examination of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 (Part 3 of 3)
This post is the last of three in this brief series on congregational singing, and the points below are conclusions made from an examination of… Read More »New Testament Instruction on Congregational Singing: An Examination of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 (Part 3 of 3)
New Testament Instruction on Congregational Singing: An Examination of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 (Part 2 of 3)
Last week, we begin this short series by looking at Ephesians 5:19 with a view towards learning how to worship with singing and music in… Read More »New Testament Instruction on Congregational Singing: An Examination of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 (Part 2 of 3)
How Poetry Forms Us
Singing both helps us express right affections to God in response to God’s character and works, and it also helps to form those affections when… Read More »How Poetry Forms Us
New Testament Instruction on Congregational Singing: An Examination of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 (Part 1 of 3)
Note: This post is the first of a three-part series. This post examines Ephesians 5:19, the next post examines Colossians 3:16, and the final post… Read More »New Testament Instruction on Congregational Singing: An Examination of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 (Part 1 of 3)
Spurgeon Uncut and Unpasted
Reading Spurgeon is a sheer delight to the heart. At the same time, it is often faintly discouraging to the preacher. How could a preacher… Read More »Spurgeon Uncut and Unpasted