As the title suggests, White’s next chapter takes up the topic of church music. All told, the chapter is a useful summary of Christian approaches to music historically and across the denominational spectrum. Everyone knows church music is controversial. This has always been the case. But it was especially pronounced during the time of the …

Last week we finished our Sunday School class on Reformed worship. I received a number of encouraging comments from those who attended. I am so glad that it was helpful. You should know, though, that I feel the same way. The thirteen weeks we spent thinking together about that subject, that I spent reading privately …

One of the coolest Christmas gifts I got was a calendar. To be honest I don’t use calendars anymore that hang on the wall. Although I have been set free in Christ I have, I will admit, become enslaved to my iPhone which tells me where to be and when to be there. I didn’t …

White’s third chapter takes up the necessity of a place for gathered worship as well as the nature of architecture that marks off that space. This discussion is inevitable because Christianity and Christian worship involves people who inhabit a place. As White notes, Ironically, even those who object to ornate architecture or even a designated …

All of our worship services end the same way: The minister lifts his hands and pronounces a benediction upon the people.  Benediction is simply a word that means, “blessing.”  While the benediction may seem foreign and uncomfortably sacerdotal to those from low church traditions, it is nevertheless Biblical.  For example, we find God calling Aaron …