Private Worship, Public Values, and Religious Change in Late Antiquity


Book Description

Conventional histories of late antique Christianity tell the story of a public institution - the Christian church. In this book, Kim Bowes relates another history, that of the Christian private. Using textual and archaeological evidence, she examines the Christian rituals of home and rural estate, which took place outside the supervision of bishops and their agents. These domestic rituals and the spaces in which they were performed were rooted in age-old religious habits. They formed a major, heretofore unrecognized force in late ancient Christian practice. The religion of home and family, however, was not easily reconciled with that of the bishop's church. Domestic Christian practices presented challenges to episcopal authority and posed thorny questions about the relationship between individuals and the Christian collective. As Bowes suggests, the story of private Christianity reveals a watershed in changing conceptions of "public" and "private," one whose repercussions echo through contemporary political and religious debate.




Public Worship, Private Faith


Book Description

The Sacred Harp, a tunebook that first appeared in 1844, has stood as a model of early American musical culture for most of this century. Tunebooks such as this, printed in shape notes for public singing and singing schools, followed the New England tradition of singing hymns and Psalms from printed music. Nineteeth-century Americans were inundated by such books, but only the popularity of The Sacred Harp has endured throughout the twentieth century. With this tunebook as his focus, John Bealle surveys definitive moments in American musical history, from the lively singing schools of the New England Puritans to the dramatic theological crises that split New England Congregationalism, from the rise of the genteel urban mainstream in frontier Cincinnati to the bold "New South" movement that sought to transform the southern economy, from the nostalgic culture-writing era of the Great Depression to the post-World War II folksong revival. Although Bealle finds that much has changed in the last century, the custodians of the tradition of Sacred Harp singing have kept it alive and accessible in an increasingly diverse cultural marketplace. Public Worship, Private Faith is a thorough and readable analysis of the historical, social, musical, theological, and textual factors that have contributed to the endurance of Sacred Harp singing.




Worship


Book Description

Nothing is more important than worship. It is the theme of Scripture, the theme of eternity, and the theme of redemptive history— to worship the true and living and glorious God is the purpose of all creation. So why do we treat it as only what is sung or played in church on Sunday morning? Pastor John MacArthur leads you through Scripture texts about true worship. You will learn that worship is any essential expression of service rendered unto God by a soul that loves and extols Him for who He is. Worship is the nonstop role of believers, not merely part of a church service. So get ready to alter your priorities, aiming higher than entertaining worshipers on Sunday mornings. Worship shows that your ultimate priority must always be to worship the true and living God, with a radically different type of living.




Jonathan Edwards on Worship


Book Description

The great American pastor-theologian Jonathan Edwards remains undeniably relevant today, more than 250 years after his death, as attested by the unending flurry of articles, books, and dissertations treating him. Despite this, virtually nothing has been written concerning Edwards's views on worship, a subject central to the Christian faith, and certainly to Edwards himself. This volume explores Edwards's perspective on both public and private dimensions of worship, aspects of which rise from well-understood Puritan categories, and proposes the practice of self-examination as a bridge between public and private devotion. As Ken Minkema, of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale, writes in the foreword, "Ted Rivera's study is the first that systematically attempts to show us Edwards's views of worship, and so represents an important resource for scholars and religious practitioners alike who are interested in liturgy, 'the practice of piety,' and spiritual growth. Through an engagement with Edwards's own words--in letters, notebooks, and sermons--we learn of Edwards's own spiritual life, and of the nature of private and corporate devotion."




Private Worship


Book Description

Why is worship the single most important thing a Christian can learn to do? How are we to worship the Lord? Only on Sundays? What is it that keeps us from worshipping? How is worship different from praise? What is the connection between worship and joy? How is it possible to restore "the joy of our salvation?" Worship is the single most important thing a Christian can learn to do, because it's the "key" to God's presence and the fullness of joy. Without worship, we'll not be able to enjoy His presence; and without His presence, we'll have no joy; and without joy, we'll have no strength.




I Exalt You, O God


Book Description

Hungering and thirsting for God’s majesty As the world becomes ever more impersonal, hectic, and stressful, our hunger grows for the reality of God’s greatness in our lives. We seek moments of personal worship and praise to God...we desire His awesome presence. Now Jerry Bridges, one of this generation’s most influential and personal Christian writers, guides you into God’s throne room for an intensely personal time of worship. You’ll exalt God for... • His Greatness...beyond measure, beyond compare • His Holiness...transcendent majesty • His Wisdom...skill and splendor on display • His Love...the infinite love of an amazing Father for His child Along with clear, compelling, biblical teaching on these four aspects of God’s nature, I Exalt You, O God includes a generous scattering of prayers that will guide your heart into reverent praise and thanksgiving. As a result, you’ll come away with a fresh and deeper desire to fall before God’s presence with heartfelt praise for the vastness and the wonder of His greatness, His holiness, His wisdom, and His love.




Reformed Worship


Book Description

This book offers a discussion of the Reformed worship tradition, its history, theology, and rationale. The authors discuss the characteristics of Reformed worship and focus on theology and the practice of the sacraments and ordinances of the church. They provide concrete suggestions as to how this tradition can be the basis of meaningful worship in American congregations today.




Worship Quest


Book Description

Worship Quest serves as a guide to understanding foundational questions about worship and leading in worship. Worship Quest offers a practical perspective on four roles of worship leadership and how they are to be fulfilled within various worship gatherings. For those called to lead in worship as well as those tasked in hiring worship leaders, it is important to understand the roles of worship leadership. Worship Quest helps readers come to understand the different worship gatherings and the various roles of worship leadership, and thus successfully fulfill God's call of leading in worship.




The Worship Pastor


Book Description

Modern worship leaders are restless. They have inherited a model of leadership that equates leading worship with being a rock star. But leading worship is more than a performance, it's about shaping souls and making disciples. Every worship leader is really a pastor. The Worship Pastor is a practical and biblical introduction to this essential pastoral role. Filled with engaging, illustrative stories it is organized to address questions of theory and practice, striving to balance conversational accessibility with informed instruction. Part One presents a series of evocative "vignettes"--intriguing and descriptive titles and metaphors of who a Worship Pastor is and what he or she does. It shows the Worship Pastor as Church-Lover, Disciple Maker, Corporate Mystic, and Doxological Philosopher. Part Two covers specific roles related to ministry within the worship service itself--the Worship Pastor as Theological Dietician, Caregiver, Mortician, Emotional Shepherd, War General, Prophetic Guardian, Missional Historian, and Liturgical Architect. Part Three looks at ministry beyond the worship service--the Worship Pastor as Visionary Teacher, Evangelist, Artist Chaplain, and Team Leader. While some worship leaders are eager to embrace their pastoral role, many are lost and confused or lack the resources of time or money to figure out what this role looks like. Pastor Zac Hicks gives us a clear guide to leading worship, one that takes the pastoral call seriously.