Book: The Great Worship Awakening: Singing a New Song in the Postmodern Church

Joyce Borger

Robb Redman. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002. 272 pp. $19.95 www.josseybass.com

Robb Redman, a Presbyterian pastor who has been a consulting editor for Worship Leader magazine and has also worked for Maranatha! Music, provides a balanced perspective within the contemporary worship context that is worth listening to. The book will be useful to those who wish to understand the historical, cultural, and sociological background to various (and sometimes conflicting) approaches to worship. Redman begins with a background look at four underlying currents: the seeker service, the praise and worship movement, the contemporary music industry, and the liturgical renewal movement. He then considers how our multiethnic communities, global awareness, generational differences, and postmodern context have influenced our worship practices, and concludes with some practical suggestions for worship renewal.

Rev. Joyce Borger is senior editor of Reformed Worship and a resource development specialist at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. She has worked in the area of worship for over 20 years and has served as editor of several musical collections, including Psalms for All Seasons, and Lift Up Your Hearts: Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs (Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2011, 2013). She is an ordained minister, teaches worship courses at Kuyper College, leads worship at her church, and serves as co-chair of the church's worship committee.