Every Christian agrees: The Lord is worthy of our worship! However, how the Lord is worshipped is heavily disagreed upon within the church. This book is a great gift to the church in regard to the subject of worship.
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The Lord is worthy of our worship! Every single Christian agrees with that. However, how the Lord is worshipped is heavily disagreed upon within the church. Whether it’s a discussion over the so-called “worship wars”, music, the schedule of the Lord’s Supper, or a number of other topics, there is vast disagreement. Enter Terry Johnson, the author of Worshipping with Calvin: Recovering the Historic Ministry and Worship of Reformed Protestantism. This book was published in 2014 by Evangelical Press (EP Books) and is a great gift to the church in regard to the subject of worship.
Worshipping with Calvin: Recovering the Historic Ministry and Worship of Reformed Protestantism
As the title suggests, Johnson is concerned with taking the church back to its Reformed roots, seeking the pure worship that the Lord has prescribed in his Word. This book seeks to put forth the Reformed worship that naturally arises out of a truly Reformed theology that ought to be taught and proclaimed in Reformed churches. Johnson notes that much has been written on Calvin and his exegesis, the sacraments, theology, etc. Very little has been written on Calvin and his teaching on worship.
Worship is to be governed by the Word of God (Sola Scriptura) and has become known as the Regulative Principle (as opposed to the Normative Principle that allows anything to be done in worship that is not explicitly forbidden in Scripture). Calvin’s use of the regulative principle leads us to a Bible-centered and God-glorifying worship, and for this reason, Johnson could use the very catchy title “Worshipping with Calvin”!
Layout and Content
The book is laid out very nicely and logically. It begins with a brief historical account of worship, dealing with the past 1,000 years as well as evangelicalism today. Johnson then provides an overview of worship that consists of an exegetical section (what does the Bible say about this topic) and a discussion on forms of worship. Chapter three then is a very strong section of this book. Johnson provides the theological case for Reformed worship and ministry.
After explaining how the 5 Solas of the Reformation inform biblical worship, he then provides a contemporary evaluation. Johnson says that historic, Reformed ministry and worship “is no mere antiquarian interest, but is worthy of being practiced today. We want to worship with Calvin, with the early church, and with the best of the patristic tradition now. Considerable ground has been lost in recent decades. Protestantism has buckled under the pressure of an increasingly decadent and constantly mutilating popular culture, altering its ministry to keep pace with cultural forms.” This statement is perhaps the very purpose of Johnson writing this book!
In the remaining chapters of the book, Johnson provides the strengths of the Reformed worship and ministry. They are:
- It is God-Centered
- It is Bible-Filled
- It is Gospel-Saturated
- It is Church-Aware
- It is Spirit-Dependent
This is the largest section of the book, comprising of 260 pages (the majority of the book). This section is very heavy on biblical exegesis, historical theology, church history, and systematic theology. In other words, it is excellent! It is a very informative and interesting read. I personally loved this aspect of Johnson’s book. Though this is a long book, it flows very smoothly and can be read quite quickly. It’s a very enjoyable book to read!
RELATED: {Book Review} Serving with Calvin: Leading and Planning Services of Worship in the Reformed Church
Conclusion
This book is in dire need to be read today by the church! Much of what is offered as worship in the church today fails to follow the Word of God and therefore has devastating results (not the least of these is offering “unauthorized fire” to the Lord). Johnson is attempting to serve and assist the church (especially the Reformed church) by reminding her what the Bible tells us about worshiping the Lord in Spirit and Truth. This book is desperately needed today! We would expect non-Reformed churches to discount the worship of the Reformed churches, but unfortunately this can also happen in Reformed denominations. I hope that many churches and leaders will read this book and be convinced of the need to worship according to God’s Word, for this is where we find the worship that truly honors the Lord and ministers to His people.
Tolle lege, take up and read!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Evangelical Press for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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