Ronald Allen has spent the last decade and a half preparing worship leaders at Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. LEADERSHIP asked him to list his favorite books for architects of worship.
Up With Worship by Anne Ortlund (Gospel Light).
Begin here. This little book sets us on the path toward the high and holy task of the worship of God. Though my copy is dog-eared and heavily marked, its contents are still fresh. Anne Ortlund presents basic notions of worship in small, tasty morsels. She describes worship as admiring God. Her motive for worship is rightly in italics: Lord, this church service is for You. I’m here to give You pleasure.
In His Presence: Appreciating Your Worship Tradition by Robert N. Schaper (Nelson).
For those with curiosity about worship during the “slight gap” from Acts to the Pilgrims, Schaper is a pleasant guide. Although he evidences a strong interest in the history of liturgy and sacramental thought, he treats other traditions with warmth and balance.
O Come, Let Us Worship by Robert G. Rayburn (Baker).
This guide for pastors has many good emphases (providing order and structure to worship, emphasizing the role of music), not a few personal biases (mainly songs he doesn’t like), and a splendid development of the concept of “spirit and truth” in true worship.
Worship Is a Verb by Robert E. Webber (Word).
Nonliturgical worshipers and nonsacramentalists may be put off a bit by this book. One reviewer says of Webber: “He wants to make us all Catholics.” But perhaps it is precisely those from a free church tradition (and I am one) who need Webber’s writings to face squarely the issues of order and structure in biblical and historic worship patterns.
Remember that slight gap? If we choose worship patterns that differ from historical models, it ought not be simply because we are ignorant of such precedents.
Jubilate! Church Music in the Evangelical Tradition by Donald P. Hustad (Hope).
The major role music plays in worship can hardly be exaggerated. Yet how often music is misused, misunderstood, or minimized. This book, Hustad’s church music masterwork, warrants study by church musicians, worship leaders, and their pastors. We delight most in returning God’s gift of music to him with joy. Hustad gives us perspective and balance, knowledge and appreciation.
The Worship of God by Ralph P. Martin (Eerdmans).
According to Martin, the worship of God is an act of the community and is to be done under the authority of the Word of God. This significant book by the distinguished New Testament professor goes a long way toward placing worship in proper theological perspective. The reader (and practitioner) of this book will avoid the common contemporary error of merely searching for a “worship experience,” a foible Eugene Peterson has described as Neo-Baalism. Biblically, our intention must be more than achieving an experience; together we glorify God!
Worship: Rediscovering the Missing Jewel by Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror (Multnomah).
Gordon would never forgive me if I were to neglect our book. We attempted to speak to worship leaders in those evangelical churches that are neither charismatic nor liturgical and who have new perspectives to discover about the worship of God.
As one reviewer asked, “What are two Conservative Baptists doing writing on worship?” We wanted to bring a balanced perspective, deeply biblical and pointedly eclectic, enriched by traditions other than our own. Although the state of the heart precedes the state of the art in biblical worship, the state of the art often needs improvement.
Britt Taylor Collins’s cover summarizes the intent of the book: a crusty heart chipped away to reveal a multifaceted jewel responding to God in reverent wonder.
1986 SPRING QUARTER 43
Copyright © 1986 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
