Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies (10 vols.)

In a climate of theological specialization and isolation, Witvliet offers an excellent integrative resource that invites joint learning and prayer.

—Theology Today

I would recommend this book highly to parish personnel, from priest to musicians to lectors to liturgy planners. It’s clear, well written, and well informed. This book is a true service to the whole Church, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant.

—Parish Liturgy

The Psalms are the canonical hymnbook of both synagogue and church, but in much contemporary worship they find little place. John Witvliet gives a robust defense of their spirituality and theological inspiration, and provides sound pastoral advice and useful resources to enable ministers and worship planners to place them at the center of authentic biblical worship.

——Bryan D. Spinks, Bishop F. Percy Goddard Professor of Liturgical Studies and Pastoral Theology, Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School

Worshiping communities that accept John Witvliet’s invitation to read, sing, pray, study, and share the Psalms more deliberately will find themselves on a path to deep formation in biblical faith . . . The rich array of helpful resources gathered here will equip worshiping communities to walk that path with attentiveness, creativity, and gratitude. An inspiring and informative book, especially for those who are called to lead congregations into the treasures of the Psalter as pastors, worship leaders, musicians, and educators.

—Dorothy C. Bass, professor of theology, Valparaiso University

Practical theology of the highest order. Witvliet’s work is deeply grounded in good critical study and in the teaching of the church tradition. But his eye is on the congregation where the Psalms take on new life in each fresh rendering, and he stands alongside other practitioners of prayer and praise who move back and forth between text and context. His book is an immensely rich resource for such practice.

—Walter Brueggemann, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, emeritus, Columbia Theological Seminary

A Primer on Christian Worship explores the history and current state of worship with clarity and humility. William Dyrness does not resort to soapboxes but shows careful discernment. As the chapters unfold, one is invited to rethink what we do when we ‘tell the story of God’s love’ each time we gather. At once foundational and practical and visionary, this book will be superb for worship committees that want to think about worship theologically and historically — and want to learn how various styles of worship shape our faith. Those who come to this book with an open mind and heart will finish it knowing they have encountered wisdom.

—C. Michael Hawn, author, Gather into One: Praying and Singing Globally

It is all too rare to find a book that is as practical and useful for the real challenges of congregational worship as it is theologically insightful and richly rooted in church history. The historical theology of Bill Dyrness’ Primer on Christian Worship leads clearly to the actual practice of worship without limiting worship by ‘style’ or other superficial concerns that beset so many congregations. Dyrness’ thoughtful, engaging book is enhanced by his clear and warm writing style, the questions for discussion at the end of every chapter, and its well-focused breadth as a useful introduction to the history, shape, and practice of Christian worship.

—Robbie F. Castleman, author, Parenting in the Pew

In this small book Dyress seeks to make accessible to evangelical free-church Protestant pastors, worship leaders, and laity some of the contemporary ecumenical conversation about liturgy. He largely succeeds at this goal through an accessible style and through the suggested supplementary readings and discussion questions he provides at the end of each chapter.

—Worship

A superb study of one of the most widely performed pieces of Western music. As we have come to expect from this author, the writing is profound and scholarly as well as lucid and accessible. This is destined to be a classic guide to a classic work.

—Jeremy Begbie, Thomas A. Langford Research Professor of Theology, Duke University

Calvin Stapert observes that oratorio, like opera, was written to entertain. Messiah certainly does that. But it does more. It proclaims good news. This fascinating, informative book will enrich the hearing of one of the world’s musical masterpieces. It will also deepen and enhance appreciation of one of Christianity’s true treasures.

—John Buchanan, former pastor, Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago

Although Handel’s Messiah is known and loved by many, the composer’s intentions and purpose in creating this unique work are either unknown or underappreciated . . . In this book Calvin Stapert’s aim is not merely to give his readers information about this remarkable oratorio; he wants them to understand it—an aim admirably achieved with clarity, conviction, and charm.

—Robin A. Leaver, visiting professor, Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Queen’s University Belfast

Messiah is ‘the classic,’ not only in the West but even in Japan. I have been performing this magnificent work with Bach Collegium Japan every year in the past decade, but it still makes us exuberant each and every time we perform it. When it comes to Bach cantatas, we oftentimes cannot help but be earnest and vigilant performing them, but in Messiah we can pour our hearts out as we please! According to Reformer John Calvin, music can deliver words deeply into our hearts, as through a funnel wine is poured into a vessel. Messiah must be one of the best funnels distilling God’s words to the depths of our hearts. In this book my friend Calvin Stapert helps us understand this masterwork from manifold points of view, pouring deeper appreciation for the work into our hearts through the funnel of his words. Thank you very much, Cal!

—Masaaki Suzuki, founder and director, Bach Collegium Japan

A superb general treatment of a cornerstone in Western cultural history, Stapert’s book is a work of great intelligence and devotional warmth. Highly recommended.

—Stephen A. Crist, associate professor, Emory University

No one has done a better job of explaining the first three centuries of Christian images within their cultural context: the persecutions, the doctrinal disputes, and the great intellectual ferment.

—Touchstone

Any church group or arts committee discussing visual arts and their role in the faith life of the church would benefit from this practical and insightful book.

—Reformed Worship

Robin Jensen’s book makes a wonderful contribution to the thoughtful conversation about art in the church. Though historically and theologically informed, the book is accessible to a wide range of audiences, and it will be useful for church study groups and college and seminary classrooms. Jensen addresses some of the most critical—and controversial—issues with wisdom and insight.

—William A. Dyrness, author, Primer on Christian Worship

A fresh, useful study that draws together several disparate streams of traditional thought and finds golden nuggets buried in unlikely places. Writing from a perspective that wisely celebrates Christian artistic emancipation from Enlightenment domination, Stapert sensitively explores early-church views on the relationship between music as redeemed gift and music as fallen hindrance—music as spiritually substantive rather than merely personally preferential. This is essential reading not only for those involved in worship arts but also for Christians active in all areas of musical life who seek a more balanced perspective on the relationship between the spiritual and the aesthetic.

—Mark Hijleh, president, Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers

Discerning the Spirits is an important and much-needed book. As the so-called ‘worship wars’ come to an end, the church in North America finds itself stuck with a loaded and confusing term—‘contemporary worship.’ The contributors to this volume look carefully at the issues surrounding contemporary worship practices and offer solid theological insight as to what the church in North America is up to in its assemblies. They hold for continued debate over worship forms and styles even as they teach us to argue in love, always discerning, never judging. And they suggest that the church might simply be enriched in its local gatherings if we learn to value the gifts of diversity and use them wisely.

—Clayton J. Schmit, provost, School of Theology, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary

The most pressing questions facing churches today . . . concern the proper functions and appropriate forms of Christian worship. This book surveys in an open and impartial way the incredible variety of worship options that have developed in recent years. Beyond simply describing, however, it helps readers make discerning choices in planning and leading worship through approaching worship as ‘narrative engagement with the triune God.’ Thus theory becomes a highly practical tool for worship leadership.

—James F. White, Bard Thompson Chair of Liturgical Studies, Drew University

There are so many new books on worship being published that one needs to choose wisely. The scope, balance, and practicality of Discerning the Spirits put it at the top of my list.

—Robert Webber, founder, the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies

Christian congregations and their leaders need help in resisting the cultural forces that would cheapen or dumb down their worship. A More Profound Alleluia provides just this kind of help. By calling attention to the theological and ethical warp of corporate worship, this engaging book invites all Christians to love God with their minds every Sunday.

—Amy Plantinga Pauw, Henry P. Mobley Jr. Professor of Doctrinal Theology, Louisville Seminary

Frank Burch Brown has given us several writings on the complex interweaving of theology, the arts, and worship. Here, as before, he treats his themes with great patience, carefully probing each issue in turn. Inclusive yet Discerning will doubtless enrich a lively and important debate about how we handle the ever greater diversity of resources available to Christian worship today.

—Jeremy Begbie, author, Resounding Truth: Christian Wisdom in the World of Music

Brown takes us far further and deeper than his modest subtitle suggests. Drawing creatively yet critically on a wide range of material—from Calvin to Kierkegaard, from Bach to Pope Benedict XVI—he identifies ‘a potentially central role for aesthetic and artistic imagination within religious life as a whole, and within the Christian life specifically.’ Written with great clarity, high intelligence, and a refreshing open-mindedness, this powerful little book should do much to reactivate the aesthetic dimensions of Christian worship.

—Graham Howes, author, The Art of the Sacred

A number of the chapters speak of the need for a greater discernment regarding the use of the arts in worship, and the discussion of the relationship between culture and context is nuanced and insightful. In offering practical advice, the author steers a middle way between the mere performance of ‘high art,’ and the danger of an uncritical and wholesale adoption of ephemeral styles and artistic expression.

—Art & Christianity

The reader with some knowledge of the arts and aesthetics will find this book useful for reflection on how artful worship can assist and challenge a congregation in its encounter with the divine.

—Interpretation

Christian worship soaked in the deep wells of Scripture can flow out to nourish believers in faith and life. Ron Byars’ book shows us how this is done and what difference it makes. This important contribution in the retrieval of Christian worship is also an indispensable encouragement for pastors and worship leaders and all who wish to understand the drama of worship embedded in the Bible.

—Leanne Van Dyk, professor of Reformed theology, Western Theological Seminary

What Language Shall I Borrow? reminds me of Paul Tillich’s insight that all faith language is symbolic: until we discover the affirmations of faith that lie behind specific words, we miss much of the power of language. In other words, the language of worship is always ‘borrowed language.’ Ron Byars’ careful work with the language of the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship takes readers behind the actual words used in worship into the gospel affirmations of those words. His book will be a valuable resource to students and leaders of worship who seek to build bridges between ancient words that communicate faith and the ever-present contemporary yearning to be grasped by those words.

—Art Ross, pastor, White Memorial Presbyterian Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, and author, Romans