Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts

When I saw this title on the shelf at a small Christian bookstore, I did not hesitate in purchasing it. I previously read articles by the author and was willing to trust his opinion with a certain financial investment. On top of that, the book is published by InterVarsity Press, a respectable publishing house that has published J.I. Packer. But I digress.

is itself a very intellectual title. It was not an easy read, instead being a book that I would pick up at times and ignore at others, depending upon my desire for intellectual and subsequent spiritual stimulation. Dr. Best is an educated musician and writer, holding positions such as dean of the Conservatory of Music at Wheaton College and president of the National Association of Schools of Music. Rather than a predictable defense of traditional forms of Christian music, Dr. Best instead approaches the matter by first defining worship and then seeking to explain the most Christ-like approach to church and the arts.

Frankly, I was extremely impressed. Rather than attack one form of worship or another, Best seeks to explain the misconceptions most churches have regarding worship, regardless of their liturgical style of service (or complete lack of liturgy). He argues against the church salesman, the one who seeks to simply make every church-goer feel "comfortable" in a church setting. He also contends that those who advocate for "high worship" are misguided, suggesting instead that Christians should realize that music itself is not a time of worship any more than every other moment in our lives. For that is his idea of continuous outpouring, or as the first chapter is titled, "Nobody Does Not Worship."

I think this book is a must-read for Christians from many perspectives, from those in the modern and contemporary worship churches to those in a traditional, liturgical church such as myself. It's a relatively inexpensive book but it is not short on content, and I highly recommend it for some meaty summertime reading.

I leave you with two brief quotes from the book.

page 28:

Authentic worship can only be in Christ. It is not driven by a liturgy or a call to worship, a change in style or a methodology. Redemption does not signal the beginning of worship. Instead it marks its once-for-all cleansing. It is washed in the blood of the Lamb and turned into a following after the example of Christ and into continued deliverance from the intrusions of fallen worship. Our redemption and our worship are henceforth one with the other. Our entirety, not just a narrowed spiritual corridor or mere churchgoing or ministry, is swept up in newly complete living. Work becomes worship, just as worship becomes duty and delight.

page 209:

This is as good a time as any to broach what to me is one of the most overlooked issues in the life of the church. We live in a world of renewed interest in underrepresented groups. We are continually challenged to honor all kinds: societal stations, races, ethnicities and colors. So far, so good. But if underrepresentation of all kinds is at issue, why is it that so few churches reach out to one of the most overlooked minorities in present-day culture: the intellectually and artistically sophisticated? When will a cadre of Spirit-filled churches and humbled leaders come to the honorable decision of taking the full intellectual and aesthetic burden of the good news on their shoulders? When will such a group take strength in not growing as much, because a neglected body of culture's citizens needs the gospel? Even the most socially descriptive kind of seeker sensitivity should join in agreement.