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
Articles on Worship
The Nature and Purpose of Corporate Worship: Biblical, Not Unregulated
For the past month, I have been tracing Paul’s argument about spiritual gifts in corporate worship in 1 Corinthians 14, drawing out important implications including… Read More »The Nature and Purpose of Corporate Worship: Biblical, Not Unregulated
The Nature and Purpose of Corporate Worship: Order, Not Disorder
Sometimes people comment that the New Testament gives us very little instruction regarding corporate worship, but this is not true. There are many NT passages… Read More »The Nature and Purpose of Corporate Worship: Order, Not Disorder
Doctrinal Triage for Worship
Many years ago, Al Mohler published a widely-read article on doctrinal triage, a method for evaluating the seriousness of doctrines. Kevin Bauder then pointed out… Read More »Doctrinal Triage for Worship
The Nature and Purpose of Corporate Worship: Edification, not Expression
Paul’s central argument in the only full NT chapter addressing corporate worship is that for corporate worship, the spiritual gift of prophecy was to be… Read More »The Nature and Purpose of Corporate Worship: Edification, not Expression
Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Screens
“John, we’d love it if you and Susan would join us for a meal on Thursday evening.” “Uh…well, Mike, thanks but…isn’t that illegal? I mean,… Read More »Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Screens
Decent and Orderly Worship: Why is Prophecy better than Tongues?
Last week I started a series on what is likely the single most important text in the New Testament regarding our corporate worship—1 Corinthians 14.… Read More »Decent and Orderly Worship: Why is Prophecy better than Tongues?
What I’ve missed while not gathering with my local church (Part 3)
The novel coronavirus has resulted in a time where many churches have been unable to gather. This has been unprecedented for most of us alive… Read More »What I’ve missed while not gathering with my local church (Part 3)
Decent and Orderly Worship: The Context
“Our church’s worship is pretty formal, but I prefer Holy Spirit-led worship.” Such was the comment I overheard recently by a young evangelical describing his… Read More »Decent and Orderly Worship: The Context
Why We Won’t Livestream During Lockdown (Though We Could)
Left-click the bread icon to consume the bread. >Click< >>> Thank you. You have eaten the bread. Left-click the cup icon to consume the cup. … Read More »Why We Won’t Livestream During Lockdown (Though We Could)
How a church can worship “together” during COVID-19
It may be tempting to think that we are living in unprecedented times until we remember that Christians have faced persecution and plagues throughout history.… Read More »How a church can worship “together” during COVID-19
The Dangers of Syncretism and Idolatry
In the Old Testament Law, God gave his people very specific instructions about how they were to relate to the people around them, including in… Read More »The Dangers of Syncretism and Idolatry
How the Tabernacle Communicated a Theology of Worship
At Mt. Sinai, God established standardized practices of worship for his people. First, God commanded that the people build a sanctuary for him. They built… Read More »How the Tabernacle Communicated a Theology of Worship
Forming a Great Commandment Culture
In the context of giving the Law at Mt. Sinai and the promise that if they follow God’s commands as a nation, God will bless… Read More »Forming a Great Commandment Culture
Called by God to Worship
The first Patriarch of Israel, Abraham, was not originally a worshiper of the true God; he dwelt the land of Ur, worshiping many false gods… Read More »Called by God to Worship
The First Worship War
The very first conflict following the Fall was a conflict over worship. Genesis 4:3–8 relates how Abel’s offering to the Lord’s was accepted, while Cain’s… Read More »The First Worship War
By the Waters of Babylon, Episode 11 now available: “Why We Sing”
It has always been a characteristic of God’s people that they are a singing people. Yet God’s people have also recognized that we must always… Read More »By the Waters of Babylon, Episode 11 now available: “Why We Sing”
Foundations of Worship
“In the beginning, God.” With those opening words of the book of Genesis, we find the very foundation for all biblical religion. God’s self-existence, creative… Read More »Foundations of Worship
Roots of Evangelical Worship: Two Worship Philosophies
In the wake of eighteenth-century Enlightenment and nineteenth-century revivalism, evangelical Christianity evidenced two distinct philosophies of worship. The first was the conservative philosophy that generally… Read More »Roots of Evangelical Worship: Two Worship Philosophies
Roots of Evangelical Worship: Charles G. Finney
Many factors, cultural and theological, converged to form what we might call today “Evangelical Worship,” including Enlightenment philosophy, German Pietism, John and Charles Wesley, American… Read More »Roots of Evangelical Worship: Charles G. Finney