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Yesterday, I posted a lengthy summary of Worship by the Book, a book by D.A. Carson with contributions from Tim Keller, Mark Ashton and R. Kent Hughes. Today, I’m posting some personal thoughts on this popular book about worship.

Worship by the Book is a treasure chest of biblical teaching on the subject of worship. The authors are concerned about preserving the God-centered nature of worship in their respective traditions. Each viewpoint has something to add to the discussion, though many of the disagreements between the various traditions can be traced back more to cultural conditioning than biblical conviction.

Ashton writes boldly in favor of the Book of Common Prayer, and we must agree that Thomas Cranmer’s legacy is one for which we should be thankful and also seek to emulate. However, Ashton fails to distance himself at all from his tradition as he seeks to walk in Cranmer’s legacy. His chapter seems to address more the wayward Anglican church rather than the wider evangelical audience who would be puzzled by the insistent use of a prayer book in the first place.

For this reason, though his insights are helpful, his chapter feels disconnected from the rest of the book. To more persuasively make the case for liturgical worship over against contemporary forms and expression, he might have approached his chapter differently.

Just as Ashton follows in the footsteps of Cranmer, Keller follows in the footsteps of John Calvin. Keller’s chapter is more helpful than Ashton’s, for his insights are relevant for all evangelicals. By staying above the “historic worship versus contemporary worship” wars, Keller is able to claim the high ground and then to show how Calvin’s way best leads us out of the theological fog surrounding worship in our churches today.

The best part of Keller’s chapter is his description of the praise, renewal and commitment cycles of a worship service. This is a helpful proposal, flexible enough to be applied in various cultures and services in various ways.

Keller chooses professionalism over authenticity in his decisions regarding musical quality and choice of musicians (238-239). This leads to one of the biggest differences between the authors: who can be a musician? Hughes believes that the character of the musicians matter, that their service to God is an act of worship and that they must be living their lives “consistently with the music they lead” (171). In contrast, Keller advocates the use of non-Christian musicians who possess the natural gifts of God (239).

The book provides no resolution to this and other disagreements. I would have liked to see Carson to write a closing chapter in which he addresses some of the disagreements and then comes down on one side or the other.

Conclusion

Worship by the Book deserves to be read by a wide audience. The authors bring out the best of their traditions and are able to offer sound insights into the nature of biblical worship. Each contributor offers sound, practical advice for all who are involved in corporate worship. Ultimately, it is God’s glory that we must seek in our worship practice for it is in him that we delight.

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