Classical Worship for Today: Worship That Is Evangelical and Classical -- By: Wilbur Ellsworth

Journal: Reformation and Revival
Volume: RAR 12:2 (Spring 2003)
Article: Classical Worship for Today: Worship That Is Evangelical and Classical
Author: Wilbur Ellsworth


Classical Worship for Today: Worship That Is Evangelical and Classical

Wilbur Ellsworth

Style of worship is the most prominent issue that the evangelical Church in America is struggling with today. With the emphasis on style certain words have come to have explosive impact: relevance and authenticity. Church success and pastoral survival rise and fall on these words. Strangely, it seems that relevance and authenticity are nearly impossible to define. We are left to assert, “Well, I know it when I see it.”

Two presuppositions underlie much of the current thinking about worship. First, that worship should be spontaneous. We have come to believe that worship that is authentic must “come from the heart.” This means that what is spoken, particularly in prayer, should rise up from within us even as we are speaking. What I say in worship must come from what I am thinking and feeling at the moment and if I am not using words I have created, I am failing to give myself fully to God or to those who are part of my Christian community.

The second presupposition is that spirit-filled worship is undefined in terms of biblical directives That is to say, as long as we don’t actually violate the biblical concerns for right doctrine and right living, we are pretty much free to go about our worship life as we think will be effective for our situation. Our conviction here is that Cod is concerned about our heart and motives, and what we actually do in worship can

only be evaluated by its accomplishing our purposes in terms of the people who attend that service. I recall a worship leader saying, “I love our independent tradition because we can take from the best of all the rest and put it together as we like.” At the time, I thought that was a great idea. I have since thought better of it. All of this is to say that when spontaneity and freedom are the unexamined presuppositions of worship, style will end up being the ultimate focus of our concern. And without fear of serious contradiction, I believe that style is the predominant focus in our worship discussions and struggles today. I propose there is a better way.

Two great commitments in worship can help us navigate through the overwhelming subjectivity and the crushing urgency to “keep up in worship.” They are: (1) Commitment to worship that is classical, and (2) Commitment to worship that is evangelical.

Classical Worship

Classical worship is profoundly different from what we today call “traditional worship.” Traditional worship often means little more that choosing a slice of the past and clinging to its well-loved and familiar feelings and asserting that t...

You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe
visitor : : uid: ()