Description
What is worship? Worship is special and it is dialogical in nature. It is also prescribed. The fact of being in God’s special presence means that not only are general principles to be observed, but the very elements of worship have been written out beforehand. This collection of essays addresses the nature, elements, and historic views and practices of worship.
Table of Contents
Section I. The Nature of Worship
- What is Worship (Frank J. Smith)
- The Fear of the Lord in Worship (Herman Hanko)
- The Dialogical Nature of Worship in the Old Testament (E. Clark Copeland)
- “Hear Ye Him”: Worship in the New Testament (R. Sherman Isbell)
- Second Commandment: The Principle that God is to be Worshipped Only in Ways Prescribed in Holy Scripture and that the Holy Scripture Prescribes the Whole Content of Worship, Taught by Scripture Itself (William Young)
- Christian Liberty and Worship (David C. Lachman)
- Family Worship: Biblical, Reformed, and Viable for Today (Douglas F. Kelly)
Section II. The Elements of Worship
- An Introduction to the Elements of Worship (Frank J. Smith)
- The Reading of the Scriptures (Louis F. DeBoer)
- Worship and Preaching (Henry Krabbendam)
- Song in Public Worship (John Murray)
- The Singing of Praise (Frank J. Smith)
- Prayer Regulated by God’s Word (A. Michael Schneider, III)
- The Administration of the Sacraments (Kerry W. “Pete” Hurst)
- The Occasional Elements of Worship (J. Cameron Fraser)
Section III. The Historic Views and Practice of Worship
- History and Worship (Frank J. Smith)
- The Reformed Creeds and the Reconstruction of Christian Worship (C. Gregg Singer)
- John Knox and the Reformation of Worship in the Scottish Reformation (Kevin Reed)
- “The Acceptable Way of Worshipping the Truth God”: Recent Writings on Worship of Particular Interest to Reformed Christians (Thomas G. Reid, Jr.)
- Appendices
- About the Authors
- The OPC Majority Report on the Content of Worship Song
- Indices
- Topical Index
- Scripture Index
Editors
Frank J. Smith (PhD, City University of New York) is Pastor of Atlanta Presbyterian Fellowship (RPCNA).
David C. Lachman (PhD, University of St. Andrews) owns and operates an antiquarian book business in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Endorsements
“A much needed book for an age that has forgotten what it is to worship God according to His Word. Useful both for pastor and people, with many practical aids for worship, both in the congregation and in the home. A work committed to the Bible as the only guide for worship.”
– Morton H. Smith (1923-2017; ThD, Free University of Amsterdam), Professor Emeritus, Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS); Founder & Professor Emeritus, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (GPTS); Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), 1973-1986.