Worshipping With Calvin: Recovering the Historic Ministry and Worship of Reformed Protestantism by Terry L Johnson and published by Evangelical Press.
In the 'worship wars' which have marked recent times, many aspects have been considered but rarely is the issue of truly Reformed worship addressed. In this pertinent work, Terry Johnson effectually fills a void - countless books have been written about Calvin, but to date there has been scant material on Calvin and biblical worship.
The vital historical context is presented, and the practical ramifications for Reformed biblical worship today are explored.
There is a revival in Calvinist thinking across a broad spectrum of the church today. As he takes notice of that, the author suggests that, in order for Calvinism to thrive, attention must be given to the ministry and worship that will sustain it. The belief is advanced that Calvin would not separate theology from worship and that the new Calvinism of today needs to take seriously the liturgical reforms of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, not merely the theological.
Terry L Johnson takes note of the revival in Calvinist thinking that is evident across a broad spectrum of the church. But, he notes, for Calvinism to continue to thrive, attention must begin to be paid to the ministry and worship that alone will sustain and perpetuate it. The new Calvinism must take seriously the liturgical reforms of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, not just the theological, if today's dynamism is to endure. Calvin would not have approved of the separation of theology from worship. . . . Reformed theology determined Reformed worship; and conversely, Reformed worship was the nurturing womb from which Reformed piety and practice sprang. Theology, worship, and piety are inseparably linked, neither thriving without the supporting presence of the other. This is by no means a polemic against one or two forms of worship. Terry Johnson makes a strong historical and biblical case, so that whatever the readers preferred style of worship, this book will inform and challenge.
