0732 | Worship by the Book | D. A. Carson (ed.)

This is a very helpful book primarily because it has a revolving focus on how gathered worship is practiced by different Christian traditions. This therefore means that there’s something for everyone to take away from this.

And in case you might think that this would mean that the book won’t scratch quite where anyone is itching, Carson’s own opening chapter is alone worth the price of admission.

I made copious notes throughout the book, but this opening chapter saw the lion’s share. In it, Carson makes excellent points about gathered worship in general such as the never-to-be-forgotten reminder that

there is a profound sense in which excellent worship cannot be attained merely by pursuing excellent worship

p. 30

Here’s a great example of a church that is clearly striving for “excellence” in gathered worship. However, it’s hard to watch this performance and wonder if they are completely missing the point.

… and is that actually a brain sitting in a chalice on the communion table?

But I digress.

Carson has other wisdom which made an impression on me. For those serving in gathered worship, there is a higher calling than the leading of musical worship, namely teaching.

If you wish to deepen the worship of the people of God, above all deepen their grasp of his ineffable majesty in his person and all his works.

p. 31

There was a timely reminder that where I’ve come from is and should be behind me

If we ascribe to worship (meaning, in this context, our corporate praise and adoration) something of this power, it will not be long before we think of such worship as being meritorious, or efficacious, or the like.

p. 50

The last church where I was involved in leading musical worship was heavily influenced by Bethel Church and, in following them, they bought entirely into the idea that corporate praise was somehow efficacious, even to the point where it was given priority over the preaching of the word of God. This is nothing short of heretical; the only thing that is efficacious is the blood of Christ applied through the grace of Christ.

Following Carson’s opening salvo come chapters on corporate worship from an Anglican perspective, a “free church” perspective, and a reformed perspective. Each of these has something to offer us all, no matter where or whether we might place ourselves on the denominational spectrum.

Highlights in the rest of the book included a reminder that

If you don’t think evangelism IS worship then you do not understand what worship is.

p. 250

The book does have flaws however. It’s dated to the extent that at one time, they draw connections between “Calvin’s corporate worship tradition” and “the concerns of postmodern people.” To the current generation, Calvin might as well be postmodern so dated has the latter term become.

And the lengthy descriptions of orders of service in addition to being pretty boring to work through aren’t really going to benefit anyone too much unless they are serving in a church that currently has no order to its services whatsoever. This is unlikely.

On the whole though, despite it’s age, it’s still well worth a read for a reminder of how we can keep the main thing the main thing in gathered worship.