Fewer topics in the church today arouse more interest and debate than the issue of worship, but settling the "worship wars" will demand more than simply catering to opinions and satisfying personal preferences. Authentic worship must begin with a truly biblical understanding of its purpose and object, as well as an informed perspective of how the Bible, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and music contribute to genuine God-centered worship.

In this important work, recognized experts offer worship leaders and those preparing for ministry a valuable resource for sorting through layers of tradition and unchanging biblical tenets. The authors--including a historical theologian, a systematic theologian, and a specialist in cross-cultural studies--examine three key components to authentic worship:

God as the object of worship

Music as the expression of our worship

Symbols as the images of our worship

A guide to biblically shaped worship, which has the greatest missional impact in a post-Christian culture
By the Waters of Babylon examines a relationship between worship, culture, and evangelism that is centered in a desire for biblical fidelity rather than cultural relevance. Imagine how the Hebrews felt during their years of captivity in Babylon. How could they sing the songs they once sang in the spender of Jerusalem now that they sat in exile? Christian worship in the West faces many of the same challenges as this tragic account of Israel's captivity. By all accounts Christendom is dead, and unbiblical beliefs have progressively permeated Western thought, expectations, and culture.
So how should churches respond to this seismic shift in their relationship with an increasingly post-Christian culture while still following the biblical mandate to reach that culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ? By the Waters of Babylon will help Christians wrestle through this critical issue of the relationship between Christian worship and evangelistic witness, especially in the context of an increasingly hostile culture. The author demonstrates that biblically regulated, gospel-shaped corporate worship that communicates God's truth through appropriate cultural forms will have the most missional impact in a post-Christian context.

Early Christian Worship is a straightforward, readable introduction to worship in the first four centuries of the church's existence. How did early Christians see and understand their own worship? How did this interact with early Christian beliefs? The book has been brought up-to-date and revised, with some chapters rewritten and an updated bibliography.

Paul F. Bradshaw is professor of liturgy at the University of Notre Dame, and priest-vicar of Westminster Abbey and a member of the Church of England Liturgical Commission. He is the author or editor of several major books (The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship, Eucharistic Origins, Reconstructing Early Christian Worship, The Study of Liturgy, A Companion to Common Worship, volumes 1 and 2).

What does worship look like? Is there just one truly right way to worship? Are there any wrong ways? To what extent should our unity as believers manifest itself in unified public worship? Sadly, disagreement over how we should worship our loving God has sparked some most unloving attitudes among Christians. Exploring the Worship Spectrum seeks to correct this. It provides a forum for presentation, critique, and defense of six prominent worship styles: -Formal-Liturgical - Paul Zahl -Traditional Hymn-Based - Harold Best -Contemporary Music-Driven - Joe Horness -Charismatic - Don Williams -Blended - Robert Webber -Emerging - Sally Morgenthaler This unique format allows those with a heart for worship to compare different perspectives and draw their own conclusions on what the Bible teaches. It engages the reader's faculties of critical thinking in a way that allows him or her to understand the various approaches to worship, carefully evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and make personal choices without adopting a judgmental spirit. The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address three categories: Church Life, Exploring Theology, and Engaging Culture. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series.

Worship is crucial to the Christian life. Yet fewer and fewer people are in our buildings worshiping. Why? Perhaps we aren't meeting their needs, aren't speaking their language, and, therefore, aren't relevant or meaningful. In trying to respond to the needs of the community, "worship wars" sometimes erupt, and rarely does anyone win. Styles are only tactics, says Jeff Patton, and, apart from a sense of God's transformational presence, empty at best.

Transformational worship occurs when worship is indigenous, speaking to the whole person in a particular culture at a specific time regardless of style. Patton describes four aspects of life (the Holy, the void, the lived world, and the self) and sees in these four aspects a "divine intersection" where the Holy invades our reality and brings us to a deeper, transformational experience of God's love, presence, and purpose.