A Primer on Christian Worship: Where We've Been, Where We Are, Where We Can Go (The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies

Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies

by William A. Dyrness

"For all the declarations of advance and creativity made for contemporary worship," William Dyrness says, "the controversies that swirl around it are anything but new. And they call us to reflect on the sources of our inclinations in our current circumstances." / A respected scholar of theology and culture, Dyrness here explores where the church has been, theologically and historically speaking, and how that shapes ― and needs to shape ― where the church will go. He shows how both medieval worship and Reformation spirituality have continued to determine the development of Christian worship in both its Catholic and its Protestant forms. / Through accessible language, clear examples, and thoughtful questions for reflection and discussion, Dyrness makes a very vital conversation about worship available to a wide audience of pastors, worship leaders, and church members.

Genres: Religion

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2009

About the author

William A. Dyrness (DTheol, University of Strasbourg; Doctorandus, Free University) is dean emeritus and professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and is the author of several books on global theology.

Dyrness' specializations include theology and culture (especially theology and the visual arts), Protestant vision since the Reformation in relation to the visual arts, non-Western theology, Christian apologetics, global theology, Interfaith aesthetics.

Reviews

[Fred Matthews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a course on the history and theology of Christian worship.

There are several things that didn’t sit well with me while reading this book.

1. The author discounts the 1200 years of worship that existed prior to the medieval period and overemphasises the worship practices of medieval Europe, stating that they are the basis of what we see in Christian worship. In doing so, he ignores the Jewish origins of the liturgy, first century CE Christian practices, the Didache, and Justin Martyr’s descriptions in his First Apology.

2. Very few footnotes are cited and there is no bibliography which causes me to question the scholarship that went into writing this “primer” on Christian worship. I often wondered where he was pulling some of these ideas from.

3. He spends far too much time on Calvinist practices and the worship practices of what he describes as the “free church” movement while completely ignoring the liturgical traditions of mainline Protestant traditions such as Anglicanism.

4. While he does make the claim that Christian worship is transformative, he fails to include in that statement that it is also pedagogical. That it informs and forms the Christian life.

5. If you have spent any time leading worship, you will find this book very basic and not a good choice for a text book.