Worship: Beyond the Hymnbook

by Charles H Kraft Dr, Chuck Fromm (Foreword by)

Overview

What is worship? Are the things we do in worship mere ritual, or do they have meaning? Why do we do these things, anyway? Worship is one of our most important acts, and it serves several purposes. In worship, we honor the God who has done so much for us. We communicate to him that we are on his side. We educate our children, leading them into a deeper relationship with Jesus. And we communicate to Satan that we're on God's side, for worship is both an act of solidarity and an act of war. But how best to communicate in worship? Traditional singing is often simply a transition to another part of the service, and for some worshippers, the songs' very familiarity can be deadening. Into this context of familiarity comes contemporary worship with guitars and drums--as well as the new life found in new appreciation for a contemporary understanding of God. New music spawns renewal of our excitement, our appreciation of our relationship with Jesus, and our involvement in his program. We can no longer sit, heads down, as we read old thoughts in old hymnals. He is alive, and so are we. ""In Worship, Kraft calls us to a higher standard of worship, one which we as leaders in the church need to take note. Serving God's church for the past nineteen years in the worship leader role, I am no stranger to many of the issues he tackles head on, and whether you have been serving ninety years or today is your first day; read, wrestle with, and digest this book. It will surely serve you well as you serve God's people."" --Thomas Hale, Pastor for Worship, Arts & Technical Advancement, Pasadena Covenant Church, Pasadena, CA ""Worship is vintage Kraft! His penetrating analysis of worship drawing on cultural approaches and communication principles gives us a rich resource for going deeper in our relationship with God and what we do in church services. From issues in 'hijacking worship' to worship as relationship that is formal, informal, or deceitful, Chuck Kraft stimulates us to get beyond the hymnbook in his engaging, inimitable way."" --Roberta R. King, Associate Professor of Communication and Ethnomusicology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA Charles H. Kraft is Professor Emeritus at Fuller Seminary after forty-one years as Professor of Intercultural Communication. He has taught anthropology, communication, contextualization, and spiritual warfare to missionaries and prospective missionaries, in addition to serving as a missionary in Nigeria. He holds degrees from Wheaton College (BA), Ashland Theological Seminary (BD), and Hartford Seminary Foundation (PhD) and is the author of thirty-two books and numerous articles in his fields of expertise.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625648693
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	01/19/2015
Pages:	126
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.25(d)

About the Author

Charles H. Kraft is Professor Emeritus at Fuller Seminary after forty-one years as Professor of Intercultural Communication. He has taught anthropology, communication, contextualization, and spiritual warfare to missionaries and prospective missionaries, in addition to serving as a missionary in Nigeria. He holds degrees from Wheaton College (BA), Ashland Theological Seminary (BD), and Hartford Seminary Foundation (PhD) and is the author of thirty-two books and numerous articles in his fields of expertise.

Table of Contents

Foreword Chuck Fromm vii

Introduction ix

1 Shouldn't We Be Teaching People How to Worship? 1

2 Teaching Jimmy, Part 2 5

3 Teaching Jimmy, Part 3 8

4 Worship as Warfare, Part 1 11

5 Worship as Warfare, Part 2 14

6 Hymns Versus Praise Songs: Which Shall We Sing? 17

7 Worship: Tradition, or Just "Follow the Leader?" 21

8 Traditions Too Often Lose Meaning over Time 25

9 Who Do We Sing to? 30

10 Singing into the Universe 33

11 Some Say Worship Isn't Very Important 36

12 Organs, Guitars, and the Incarnation 39

13 Organs, Guitars, and Context 42

14 Worship and Relationship 47

15 Source or Receptor Orientation? 50

16 Information Versus Stimulus 53

17 Where Is Meaning? 56

18 The Rule that Breaks all Other Rules 59

19 Participation Requires Familiarity 62

20 Do We Depend Too Much on Our Worship Leaders? 65

21 How Our Worldview Affects the Way We Worship 68

22 Is the Wiggle in the Drama or Is the Stage Shaky? 72

23 Expression or Communication? 76

24 Worship and Church Growth 81

25 Media Are to Serve, Not to Be Served 84

Appendix

A "Let's Not Just Praise the Lord," by Donald Hustad, Christianity Today, November 6, 1987 89

B "Let's at Least Praise The Lord," by Charles Kraft, 1989 99

C "The Hymnbook is Not Enough," by Charles Kraft, 1989 111

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"In Worship, Kraft calls us to a higher standard of worship, one which we as leaders in the church need to take note. Serving God's church for the past nineteen years in the worship leader role, I am no stranger to many of the issues he tackles head on, and whether you have been serving ninety years or today is your first day; read, wrestle with, and digest this book. It will surely serve you well as you serve God's people."
—Thomas Hale, Pastor for Worship, Arts & Technical Advancement, Pasadena Covenant Church, Pasadena, CA

"Worship is vintage Kraft! His penetrating analysis of worship drawing on cultural approaches and communication principles gives us a rich resource for going deeper in our relationship with God and what we do in church services. From issues in 'hijacking worship' to worship as relationship that is formal, informal, or deceitful, Chuck Kraft stimulates us to get beyond the hymnbook in his engaging, inimitable way."
—Roberta R. King, Associate Professor of Communication and Ethnomusicology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA

Editorial Reviews

In Worship, Kraft calls us to a higher standard of worship, one which we as leaders in the church need to take note. Serving God's church for the past nineteen years in the worship leader role, I am no stranger to many of the issues he tackles head on, and whether you have been serving ninety years or today is your first day; read, wrestle with, and digest this book. It will surely serve you well as you serve God's people.
--Thomas Hale, Pastor for Worship, Arts & Technical Advancement, Pasadena Covenant Church, Pasadena, CA

Worship is vintage Kraft! His penetrating analysis of worship drawing on cultural approaches and communication principles gives us a rich resource for going deeper in our relationship with God and what we do in church services. From issues in 'hijacking worship' to worship as relationship that is formal, informal, or deceitful, Chuck Kraft stimulates us to get beyond the hymnbook in his engaging, inimitable way.
--Roberta R. King, Associate Professor of Communication and Ethnomusicology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA

From the Publisher