Yesterday I finished the late Dr. Robert Webber's book Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail. A great book for really anyone, but especially those in the Evangelical traditions, or those who have had friends or family leave the Evangelical traditions for liturgical worship. Webber did a great job summing up the draw of liturgical worship and it seems like he was actually telling my story. It is worth the read if you have the chance.

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.

Six tests and three papers (40 pages or so) in a week and a half often cause people to disappear into studying oblivion. My apologies to Seth and Noel at HermesNews as well as the many friends, college and otherwise, who have been looking for me in my usual haunts. I have two more finals to go and then I will be able to catch a month-long breath from school.

The following will be the most personal thing I have posted on a blog in approximately two years. I apologize in advance for any misleading or confusing statements that may follow. I will try to be as clear as possible.

Giles and I have been attending the same church for two or three years. This church and its small congregation have become like family to us and some of the other college students that attend. Just yesterday our minister announced that he is resigning and will be returning to the Catholic Church with his wife. Seeing as this is a Protestant Church, this came as a surprise to many in the congregation. Because the outgoing minister was working for the congregation for free, combined with the small size of the congregation, the option of hiring a new minister is not available. For all practical purposes, the congregation will be dissolving on 8 January at their congregational meeting.

This leads to the personal aspects of the situation. My opinions and beliefs have been refined over the past five years and are somewhat different then those of a 16-year old Dean. As I look ahead to a wedding next year and an unsure geographical location come May, Giles and I have to find a new place of worship for the next semester as well as long term.

For all of you who have read this far, I ask that you keep Giles and I in your prayers. With finals and break and everything like that, it puts us in an awkward situation of making decisions from opposite ends of the country. There is also the pressure of family and friends playing into the matter, what with everyone else's personal opinions and expectations. Frankly, we need encouragement and support right now without anyone else's agenda. If you have thoughts and such to share, please let us know so we can arrange and time and place to meet with you to discuss it. Thanks all, in advance.