10e_worship

The main ideas from this information are: - Worship in the church has historically taken place on Sundays, with activities such as praising, praying, reading and preaching the Word, celebrating sacraments, and giving financially. - Liturgical churches follow a set liturgy, while non-liturgical churches allow for more spontaneity. - The Catholic Church developed the practice of communion in one kind, giving only the bread to the laity. - The Pentecostal Charismatic Movement brought spontaneity to worship services. - The Reformation and post-Reformation led to changes in worship practices, such as Luther's use of vernacular language and Calvin's emphasis on liturgy. - The Anglican Church, Puritans, Separatists, Independents, and Baptists all had different approaches to worship. - Revivalism and the Pentecostal Charismatic Movement had an impact on worship in the modern period. - Vatican II brought changes to the liturgy of the Catholic Church. Chapter 30, Worship. Key terms of worship, liturgical churches, non-liturgical churches, regulative principle, normative principle, Roman Missal, concomitants, communion in one kind, separatists, independents, Puritans. Key people, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Hollis, Benjamin Kietz, Charles Fenney, J. Rodman Williams, Mark Driscoll. Key points, the church has historically gathered worship for Sunday, so it's historically gathered together for worship every Sunday, if not more frequently. Included historically in the worship of God have been such activities such as praising and thanking God through song and prayer, reading and preaching the Word of God, celebrating sacraments, interceding for needs, and giving financially. Following a set liturgy was a common practice for many churches. The Roman Mass or the Roman Missal became an electrical template for the church's worship services by the 5th century. Because of the developing doctrines of concomitants and communion in one kind, the Catholic Church began to give the bread, but not the cup, to the laity. According to the doctrine of concomitants, the Christian may receive all of Christ if he only takes one of the elements, since all of Christ is present in either element. Thus the practice of communion in one kind became the norm. An important development of worship services that came during the 20th century came through the Pentecostal Charismatic Movement, although the spirits leading often yielded the speaking of tongues during worship services, the characteristic element of Pentecostal worship was spontaneity. Chapter Summary The Church has historically gathered for worship every Sunday, if not more frequently. Included historically in the worship of God have been such activities as praising and thanking God through song and prayer, reading and preaching the Word of God, celebrating the sacraments, interceding for needs, and giving financially liturgical services, are well ordered and arranged with close attention given to historical practices in non-liturgical churches. Through their worship services follow an order they allow for more spontaneity and variety. Protestant churches also differ according to whether they abide by the regulative principle or the normative principle. Churches continue to show a large diversity in worship styles and their services. The early church incorporated the reading, preaching, and teaching of scripture, the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, prophesying and praying, the exercising of spiritual gifts, the giving of finances, the exercise of the church discipline, the baptism of new converts, and the celebration of the Lord's Supper. In their worship services, Christians were expected to attend worship services at least every Sunday. Justin Martyr speaks of early Christian worship in similar terms. His church met on Sunday since it was the first day of divine creation and of the day of Christ's resurrection. His services included the reading of the Old Testament and the Gospels, teaching and admonition by the leader of the church, congregational prayer, the celebration of the Lord's Supper, and the giving of finances. As time progressed, these elements of worship gatherings became standardized. Following a set liturgy was a common practice for many churches. The Roman Mass or the Roman Massal became a liturgical template for the church's worship services by the 5th century. The Middle Ages Other liturgical examples were adopted during the Middle Ages, including the Leonine Liturgy, the Galatian Liturgy, the Gregorian Liturgy, and the Roman Gallican Liturgy. When the Roman Gallican Liturgy settled in the lands that were conquered by Charlemagne, modifications were made to the liturgy. Touches of dramatic buildup, heavy use of incense, extended introspection prior to the Eucharistic celebration, a Trinitarian orientation in prayers, an increased sense of mystery, a view of the Mass as a sacrifice explicable by transubstantiation, and a physical distancing of the priest celebrating the Mass from the laypeople in the congregation. At the height of the papal influence, the Catholic Church adopted a reworked version of the Roman Massal. The printing press made the standardization of texts, and thus the standardization of Catholic liturgy possible. However, great diversity continued to prevail. Few laypeople actually participated in the Eucharist. Instead, they chose to adore the Host, the transubstantiated Body of Christ that was held in the tabernacle after the Mass was over. However, the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 required Catholics to participate in the Eucharist at least once per year. Because of the developing doctrines of concomitance and communion in one kind, the Catholic Church began to give their bread but not the cup to the laity according to the doctrine of concomitance that a Christian may receive all of Christ if he only overtakes one of the elements, since all of Christ is present in either element, thus the doctrines of communion in one kind became the norm. The Reformation and post-Reformation, besides the critiques of transubstantiation, the sacrificial nature of the Eucharistic celebration, the minimalization of the preaching of the Word of God, and the use of indulgences during the Mass, the Reformers also constructively contributed to new ideas for Protestant worship. Martin Luther's liturgy broke with the traditional use of Latin in the Roman Catholic Mass. He further altered the traditional liturgy so that it did not include any notion of sacrifice. John Calvin began his worship services with the public confession of sin and followed this with pastoral absolution. Calvin's worship services in Geneva also included the reading of the Ten Commandments, the singing of songs, prayer for the grace of the Holy Spirit of God on the preached Word, the reading of the biblical text, and a sermonic exposition of the text. So Calvin's worship services also included the reading of the Ten Commandments, the singing of songs, prayer for the grace of the Spirit of God on the preached Word, the reading of the biblical text, and a sermonic exposition. The service continued with prayers for rulers and authority, pastors of other congregations, the salvation of non-believers, the healing of the sick, and the spiritual and physical needs of the participants. Finally, the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed were recited. This transitioned the liturgy focus on the Word into a liturgy focus on the Lord's Supper. Calvin's emphasis on liturgy would continue into the following centuries through the Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Calvin was further known for his use of the regulative principle for worship. As part of his rule, he forbade the use of choirs, musical presentations, and musical instruments in public worship. This practice stood in contrast with the Old Testament command to use instruments in worship. Calvin responded by suggesting that the Old Testament practice was only a shadow of the true worship enjoined by the New Testament. The Reformation also gave birth to the Anglican Church, whose liturgy was formalized in its two books of prayer. The first book featured changes that were influenced greatly by Lutheran theology, while the second was modified by the encouragement of John Calvin. However, with the death of Edward VI, the enthronement of Mary as Queen of England, the Anglican Church reverted back to the Catholicism of Henry VIII. However, this shift came to an end with Queen Elizabeth and her publication of the second prayer book, with its Calvinistic influences. Dissension began to grow within Anglicanism concerning ecclesiology. This yielded the formation of two groups, the Puritans and the Separatists and Independents. The Puritans sought to investigate a change in the government of the Anglican Church from Episcopalianism to Presbyterianism. After failed attempts at reform, the English appointed a Westminster Assembly to reform the Church. The Westminster Assembly thus produced a Directory for the Public Worship of God, which was to be the standard form of foreworship in the kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The Westminster Directory was followed by the Westminster Confession of Faith, which articulated the key elements of the regulative principle that they believed should govern the Church's worship of God. These elements included a focus on the sufficiency of Scripture, a discussion of the freedom of the conscience, and a discussion of religious worship. Eventually, the Presbyterians would be ejected from the Anglican Church. Richard Baxter's publication, Reformation of the Liturgy, would come to be known as the Savoy Liturgy and represent the Puritan insistence that the proper worship of God must be governed by the regulative principle. Another group of dissenters from the Anglican Church were the Independents and Separatists. The first independent congregation to form was led by Robert Brown and Robert Harrison in Norwich. In pursuit of religious freedom, Brown and Harrison led their congregation in a way distinctly different from the Anglican Church. Prayers were extemporaneous rather than planned. With the advent of Baptist churches in the early part of the 17th century, a large change in worship took place. Thomas Helwes reaffirmed the regulative principle for worship among the Baptists. This can be observed also in the Baptist Confession, the Second London Confession of Faith. It was the English Baptist who initiated the regular practice of singing hymns during the worship service. An important figure in this movement was Benjamin Keech, who sought to include the singing of a hymn to conclude the Lord's Supper. Over time, this practice was accepted by most members. The dissenters revolted and caused a split in the church. Keech defended himself against the revolt and even published hundreds of hymns. He was followed shortly after by Isaac Watts, thus cementing hymn singing as an important element in Baptist worship services. This influence was evident in the Philadelphia Confession, which included an article on singing hymns during the worship service. John Owen also argued for the regulative principle for worship and denounced the use of extra elements that have no biblical warrant. The Quakers claimed to have received an inner light or inspiration which would lead them into the worship of God. There was not a regulating principle and said individuals apparently received inspiration from the Spirit. Formal liturgy was denounced. All churches condemned the Quakers as being hopelessly subjective in their approach to worship. The Modern Period. The subjective focus on the individual left its mark on the church in the Modern Period. This influence can be observed, for example, in churches caught up in revivalism, a movement characterized by evangelism and personal renewal. Neither corporate nor individual worship played a role in the theology of Charles Finney, a revivalist. Baptists influenced by revivalism introduced and emphasized the invitation to convert to Christ, which was extended at the end of worship services. Pressure was placed on individuals to convert to Christ. An emphasis on evangelism, missions, and revival tended to overshadow corporate worship directed toward God and their services. Another important development of worship services during the 20th century came through the Pentecostal Charismatic Movement. Although the Spirit's leading often yielded the speaking of tongues during worship services, the characteristic element of Pentecostal worship was, according to J. Rodman Williams, spontaneity. Vatican II also called for an updating of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. From this point on, Catholic churches could celebrate their masses in their own language rather than in Latin. Other Catholic writings have drawn attention to the need to have a more balanced liturgy of the word and liturgy of the Eucharist, more readings from Scripture, a near requirement of a homily, greater lay participation, and a service in the language of the people. Some approved of these changes, while others denounced the changes as modern or liberal. The theology of worship has become a subject of great interest among evangelicals. Numerous writers have reflected on the topic, offering their own definitions for worship. The greatest challenge to traditional worship services in evangelical churches has come with the inclusion of contemporary Christian music. Historically, Protestants have incorporated new and fresh styles of music into their worship services. While some have debated the use of such innovative music in worship, contemporary Christian music has found a significant increase in interest in the doctrine and practice of worship among evangelicals. Much of the growing interest in this new music has come as a result of the influence of parachurch ministries like Campus Crucifer Christ, which introduced young people to celebrative, energetic, and exciting worship music. This parachurch influence on young people has influenced local churches as newer music has been incorporated in modern worship services. However, with the rise of such music, the question of entertainment becomes important. How entertaining should worship be? Many have rebelled against such changes, believing that worship should simply be entertaining, entertainment, or even demonic. This revision of the church has been dubbed the worship wars. In response to these wars, Robert Weber has urged evangelicals to define worship in terms of the gospel story. Marva Dahn offered criticisms of the evangelical church at the close of the 20th century, speaking of the church's capitulation to a media-oriented society, postmodern rootlessness, the idols of personal choice, power, fame, and fortune, a therapeutic culture, emotionalism, and anti-intellectualism, and rampant individualism. In response to such subjectivism, many evangelicals, such as John L. Gerardieu and J. Ligon Duncan, have reverted back to the regulative principle for worship. Other evangelicals, such as Mark Driscoll, have sought to embrace both the regulative and the normative principles, emphasizing the need to keep elements of worship that are committed in scripture while also including new worship elements that are not forbidden in scripture.