VOL. 5, NO. 1 | Pardon & Praise: Worship Calmly Considered

In this issue, we’ll be taking a closer look at the subject of liturgy. Everyone has a liturgy. Even free-wheeling groups that pride themselves on freedom and spontaneity eventually develop a predictable pattern.  The early church liturgies were not products of clever imaginations, but were attempts to pattern worship on God’s infallible Word. The Scriptures themselves, from Nadab and Abihu to Ananias and Saphira to the Corinthians who abused the Lord's Table, make it quite plain that God must be worshipped according to his dictates, not according to ours.  We are bound by Scripture, not by tradition: Nevertheless, we cannot help but wonder, as we experience many contemporary worship services, whether God and his saving work in Christ really form the focus of attention, in contrast with the older liturgies of the church.

Featured Articles:

• Is Style Neutral? | by Michael S. Horton
• What Does It Mean to Praise? | by W. Robert Godfrey
• Why Evangelicals Think They Hate Liturgy | by D. G. Hart
• Avoiding the Trail From Clap Clap to Claptrap | by Rick Ritchie