Worship is the right, fitting, and delightful response of moral beings—angelic and human—to God the Creator, Redeemer, and Consummator, for who he is as one eternal God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and for what he has done in creation and redemption, and for what he will do in the coming consummation, to whom be all praise ...

Hughes Oliphant Old masterfully summarizes the worship of Israel and the early church and traces the development of worship through the period of the Reformation. He provides a sterling historical study that will be highly useful for pastors and church study groups as well as for scholars and students interested in Reformed worship. An extensive bibliography of resources for the study of Reformed worship adds to the value of this book.

There are many forms of liturgy in the contemporary church, but they are not always critically assessed. Liturgy can be viewed as a sealed encounter in which behind closed doors heaven and earth meet and participate in each other. But it can also be viewed as an exercise in acceptance of the world outside, where critical assessment is neglected in favor of socio-political engagement for what passes as “ethical” on the world stage. But true liturgy, writes Dr. Noordmans, is accomplished in the full consciousness of sin, and the sacrifice by which that sin is dealt with. There can then be no unquestioned acceptance of the world; by the same token, there is no turning away from the world in an otherworldly flight to transcendence. There is only the critical confrontation with ourselves and the world around us, in the liturgy which, as the apostle Paul emphasizes, takes place not behind church walls so much as in the “field of the world” (Matthew 13: 38). The liturgy is restrained by the eschatological realizations of original sin and the death and resurrection of the Savior, as contained in the sacraments. And the Word can then operate in the field of the world as it ought to. Reformed liturgy as it has come down through the ages is, Dr. Noordmans is convinced, a reflection of these realities. And only such a liturgy can do justice to the gospel.

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Endorsements: "Liturgical Presbyterians? No, this is not an oxymoron. D. G. Hart has written a lively polemic against the well-intentioned dumbing-down of worship by advocates of church growth. This book is going to make some people very mad, and it will make others very glad. Those who have thrown away the theological substance of the great Reformed tradition of Christian worship ought to be mad. Hart shames them. And yet, for those whose privilege it is to praise and serve God in a church that enjoys the Reformed way of worship in all its depth, glory, and joy, this book is a great summons to faithfulness in our time." --WILLIAM H. WILLIMON, Duke Divinity School "Beginning to realize just how much they have been shaped by non-Reformed influences, conservative Presbyterian and Reformed churches are now being forced to decide between a generic 'low-church' Protestantism, a 'high church' tradition, or, oddly enough, a more traditional Reformed and Presbyterian approach. D. G. Hart believes that Reformed theology provides resources not only for understanding that we are saved, but also for how we worship and mature in the Christian faith. There's a lot of wisdom here, and whether one agrees or disagrees with Hart, his well-considered arguments cannot be responsibly ignored by adherents of Reformed Christianity." --MICHAEL HORTON, Editor in Chief, Modern Reformation "Unabashedly writing to inform, rouse, and serve his fellow Presbyterians, D. G. Hart has nonetheless produced a book that is properly and profoundly ecumenical. Christians from all communions who take seriously the identity and nature of the church will learn from Hart's analysis of the complex arrangement under God of cult and culture, form and content, church and state, praise and proclamation, cross and crown. Hart reminds us that the chronicles of the people of God always offer encouragement to strengthen feeble arms, weak knees, and lazy minds." --KEN MYERS, host and producer of the Mars Hill Audio Journal "Hart's book combines world-class scholarship with keen social and ecclesiastical awareness and should be read and reread by those who want to transmit the piety and ethos of the Reformed tradition to the next generation." --TERRY L. JOHNSON, Independent Presbyterian Church, Savannah, Georgia

Christian worship is always undergoing change as it adapts to particular contexts and concerns. This collection of essays explores ways: 1) that liturgical change happened to address particular historical and theological concerns; 2) that worship and preaching are currently undergoing transition; and 3) that aspects of worship are in need of transformation in order to address primary issues of our time with a focus on environmental and ecological concerns. Spacial attention is paid to the role of the Sacraments and to preaching with an emphasis on the need to connect worship with daily life. These essays show readers ways that liturgical renewal worked in the past as well as offer a persuasive case for continual renewal that responds to key issues in our contemporary lives.

A concise and readable study for laypersons and clergy alike, this book is indispensable for all informed people in many different confessional communities. With the passion of one who not only observes but believes, John Leith touches on all aspects of Reformed history, theology, polity, liturgy, and Christian culture with a balance of enthusiasm and critical judgment that always rings true.