Rienstra, Debra, and Ron Rienstra. Worship Words: Discipling Language for Faithful Ministry. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009. $22.99. 286 pp. ISBN 978-0-8010-3616-3 (skip to the Conclusion) The authors each bring unique contribution from their area of expertise. Debra Rienstra teaches English at Calvin College, and she therefore offers the penetrating linguistic insights. Ron Rienstra teaches preaching and worship at Western Theological Seminary. What is meant by the phrase “worship words” is clear from the stated purpose: “to help pastors and worship … Read More
David Crowder: Exhibit A on Why Pop Rock Can Be Legitimate Art
I run in circles that consistently expose me to those with the view that so-called “high art” is the only legitimate art. Everything else is at best a weak attempt at art-making or at worst worthless rubbish, so they say. Kenneth Myers’ schema, which has received heavy praise and usage among high-art-only advocates, is usually, in some form, the philosophical crux of their argument (whether or not they are conscious of Myers). Myers wrote the influential book All God’s Children … Read More
“Overcome” is a Great Modern Worship Song
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”(Revelation 12:10-11 [NIV]) A few weeks ago, … Read More
Evidently the Devil Hates “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”
I’m relaying this story from my colleague, Douglas, who is the organist and choirmaster at our church. I’m not necessarily sure what precipitated the conversation, but I found it fascinating. I’m interested in the thoughts of others…speculations as to “why.” My up-front disclosure: I believe that the spiritual realm is real and quite active (Ephesians 6:12), and I believe that demon possession still happens today (though perhaps, as my friend Sharon Beekman reminds me, not always the way that we … Read More
Why Traditionalist Criticisms of Modern Worship End Up Being Criticisms of the Bible Itself
You must read through the whole blog post (and track what he’s doing in the links) to realize what Jeremy Pierce is doing here. Outstanding. Pierce says and defends biblically in fewer words…and much more cleverly…what I’ve tried to say in many posts for well over a year. If this guy showed up at my doorstep, I’d kiss him. On the cheek. In a brotherly sort of way. With my wife watching. And my elders praying.
Hip-Hop Worship, Eschatology, and Aesthetics
This jazzes me on so many levels. Check out this footage from a recent worship service at Sojourn Church in Louisville, KY. The rapper is Shai Linne, whose blog called “Lyrical Theology” shows that hip-hop and Christian thought/worship aren’t antithetical. These videos conjure several stream-of-consciousness observations: Check out the cool way the medium of rap allows for creative twist on a traditional “call and response”…that’s ancient future liturgy at its finest! Check out how into it the … Read More
Worship as Warfare
I don’t believe in allegorical interpretation of the Scriptures. I believe in understanding the Bible in its historical and grammatical context and interpreting passages of Scripture in light of human and divine authorial intent. Some might think that applying how OT Israel struggled with their physical enemies to how NT Christians struggle against the enemy is allegorical interpretation. Here’s why that’s not true. First, OT Israel’s struggle against their physical enemies (neighboring pagan nation-states such as Philistia, Ammon, Moab, etc.) … Read More
Put Your Offering in a Clever Soda Can
Because the Gospel isn’t motivation enough… (I don’t want to blast the company. I just got this email from a popular liturgical supplier. I honestly kept looking for the punchline. There wasn’t one.)
Important Large Church Makes a Bold Move to Unify Worship Services
Tullian Tchividjian, Senior Pastor of well-known Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, gave reasoning on his blog behind the bold move toward unifying the worship at their church. Coral Ridge will not be having services of different styles of music/liturgy/worship. They will all be the same. I applaud this effort wholeheartedly. I think his reasons are sound and Gospel-driven. They are a challenge to churches like mine that continue with services characterized by two different worship styles. I can’t imagine that the … Read More
“God is the Audience” a Poor Metaphor for Worship
“Worship is fundamentally a series of actions. We sing, we pray, we praise, we confess, we cry out to God. But none of our actions would mean much if God did not act as well…In fact, we could not worship at all if God did not invite us and enable us to do so…This is why the view of worship in which we are the actors, so to speak, and God is the audience—a view attributed to the Danish philosopher … Read More