Essays: Worship by the Book

Joyce Borger

D. A. Carson, ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. 256 pp. $16.99. ISBN 0310216257. www.zondervan.com

There have been several collections of essays published in the last few years. Though these collections don’t provide narrative cohesiveness, they are able delve deeper into narrowly defined subject areas.

Worship by the Book, edited by D. A. Carson, includes essays by Mark Ashton, Kent Hughes, and Tim Keller. Carson provides an essay on the biblical theology of worship that is followed by three case studies that look at the churches that Ashton, Hughes, and Keller pastor. Each author presents his working worship theology and its roots, and then describes his church’s worship practices, including an evaluation of actual services they have led. This collection serves as a paradigm for churches that want to do their own worship evaluation and reflection.

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 at Kuyper College, and is involved in the worship life of her congregation.