Short essay that discusses various aspects of worship, including the importance of have a close relationship with God, the necessity of preparation, and the requirement of mindfulness when praying.

The aspect of Worship in the church setting is often misunderstood. As a result, the activity that takes place in a sanctuary can sometimes be off the mark. When the sovereign being--the object of worship--is God, the Creator, we should assume that he has given his followers an ability to be creative. And what better place to create than the sanctuary where believers hope to invite the presence of their Creator? This work attempts to do two major things: teach the meaning of "true worship" and provide inspiration for creating many forms for worshipping God. In the process, worshippers receive revelation knowlege from God. The worship of God involves both adoring Him and drawing others into His presence. Visual, dramatic, musical, and kinetic arts create that space, not only drawing Him but speaking through believers to other believers for edification. The worship experience becomes an interactive and profound meeting between the Divine and man. This text serves as a training manual of sorts to encourage others to use their creative gifts and talents to get further into "true worship" and to bring others into the Father's presence.

Although numerous studies have examined biblical and theological rationales for using the visual arts in worship, this book by Lisa J. DeBoer fills in a piece of the picture missing so far -- the social dimensions of both our churches and the various art worlds represented in our congregations. The first part of the book looks at Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism in turn -- including case studies of specific congregations -- showing how each tradition's use of the visual arts reveals an underlying ecclesiology. DeBoer then focuses on six themes that emerge when Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant uses of the visual arts are examined together -- the arts as expressions of the church's local and universal character, the meanings attributed to particular styles of art for the church, the role of the arts in enculturating the gospel, and more. DeBoer's Visual Arts in the Worshiping Church will focus and deepen the thinking of pastors, worship leaders, artists, students, and laypeople regarding what the arts might do in the midst of their congregations.

Senses of the Soul explores the way art and visual elements are incorporated into Christian worship. It incorporates research conducted in Los Angeles congregations. Through extensive interviews in a sample of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox congregations it looks into the way visual elements actually become part of the experience of worship. By looking at attitudes and experiences of beauty, art, and memories, it suggests that believers appropriate images and aesthetic encounters in terms of imaginative structures that have been formed through worship practices over time. By comparing responses across denominations, the book proposes that people receive visual elements in ways that have been shaped by long traditions and specific background beliefs. In addition to discussions of the differences between the major Christian traditions, the book also examines the relation of art and beauty to worship, the role of memories and everyday life, and the power of images in spirituality and worship. By its focus on the worshiper, the book seeks to make a contribution to the growing conversation between the arts and Christian worship and to the process of worship renewal.

An intriguing, substantive look into the relationship between the church and the world of art.

The aspect of Worship in the church setting is often misunderstood. As a result, the activity that takes place in a sanctuary can sometimes be off the mark. When the sovereign being--the object of worship--is God, the Creator, we should assume that he has given his followers an ability to be creative. And what better place to create than the sanctuary where believers hope to invite the presence of their Creator? This work attempts to do two major things: teach the meaning of "true worship" and provide inspiration for creating many forms for worshipping God. In the process, worshippers receive revelation knowlege from God. The worship of God involves both adoring Him and drawing others into His presence. Visual, dramatic, musical, and kinetic arts create that space, not only drawing Him but speaking through believers to other believers for edification. The worship experience becomes an interactive and profound meeting between the Divine and man. This text serves as a training manual of sorts to encourage others to use their creative gifts and talents to get further into "true worship" and to bring others into the Father's presence. This volume is the black and white edition. Color prints of paintings are on my web site www.dellbelew.com.

This series is designed to promote reflection on the history, theology, and practice of Christian worship and to stimulate worship renewal in Christian congregations. Written by pastoral worship leaders from diverse communities and scholars from a range of disciplines, these volumes seek to nurture worship practices that are at once spiritually vital and theologically rooted. Book jacket.