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2. "the introduction of new and meaningful songs." Aymer said that while some worship music has taken a turn toward the spiritually shallow, "I'm talking about those new songs that are really well thought out, grounded solidly in the tenets of our faith, because that is the legacy that we will pass on."
   
   
3. "the more meaningful involvement of the laity in worship." Too often, laity are not trained or prepared for their role in worship, Aymer said, but the exceptions are encouraging.
   
   
4. "We are recapturing the awesomeness of the conduct of the sacraments; they are no longer perfunctory and ordinary and casual."
   
   
5. the building of a "bridge in worship the contemporary with the traditional, ancient cultures with modern culture; we don't have to negate the one in order to observe the other."
   
   

As the day ended with a discussion of the most important virtues, resources, and theological convictions for the next 30 years of worship, Beach commented, "I can't say enough about this kind of gathering, because I think one of the most important virtues that we could walk out of here with [is] humility and grace towards one another. I see too many Christians shooting their own, and I don't understand that."

Beach added that we all must confess "when we make judgments we don't know enough about. We need to believe the best about each other."

Nathan Bierma is communications and research coordinator for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and writes the weekly "On Language" column for the Chicago Tribune. His first book, Bringing Heaven Down To Earth: Connecting This Life To The Next, has just been released by P&R Publishing.

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Books & Culture Corner and Books & Culture's Book of the Week, from Christianity Today sister publication Books & Culture: A Christian Review (want a free trial issue?), appears regularly on Tuesdays at Christianity Today. Earlier editions include:

Making—and Breaking—Vows | A compelling memoir from the son of a priest and a former nun. (Jan. 17, 2006)

Coming to a Bookstore Near You | Marsden and Hart, Noll and Stout, and more (Jan. 10, 2006)

Ring Out the Old Year | Some highly subjective awards for 2005. (Jan. 4, 2006)

Not Just Looking | Books for the eye. (Dec. 27, 2005)

The Top Ten Books of 2005 | A charming bedside miscellany, a new novel by P. D. James, and much more. (Dec. 20, 2005)

How to Survive a Bookalanche | Some more keepers from 2005. (Dec. 13, 2005)

'Tis the Season for Books (And Lists of Books) | Part one of our 2005 roundup. (Dec. 6, 2005)

Taizé in the Fall | A parable of community. (Nov. 29, 2005)

'Have Mercy on Me, O God' | A report from AAR/SBL. (Nov. 22, 2005)

The Shrine Next Door | A superb study of Chinese popular religion helps to set the context for the appeal of Christianity in China today. (Nov. 8, 2005)

Dissecting Divorce | A new book by Elizabeth Marquardt offers a child's-eye-view of divorce. (Oct. 25, 2005)

Heavenly Real Estate | A geography of art in New York at the midpoint of the 20th century. (Oct. 18, 2005)

Narnia Etc. | A chronicle of reading. (Oct. 11, 2005)

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