Customer Reviews

The Beauty of Holiness: A Guide to Biblical Worship

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To the plethora of books on worship published in recent years, Dr. Michael Barrett adds an unapologetically Biblical study of the theology of worship. The burden for completing this book, in spite of the mass of new literature, was inflamed by the recurring "expressions of nonsense" [p. vii] found in much of the discussions and debates. In addressing this "nonsense", Barrett provides for pastors and laymen "foundational principles extracted from the Scripture to guide toward biblical worship" [p. 180]. Having read some other recent works that emphasize historical, philosophical, and musicological perspectives to address the "red-hot" issue of worship, Barrett's intentional biblical-theological spadework is a breath if fresh air, and a return to solid ground.

Barrett's style is simple and very readable. He spends his time in the Scriptures as opposed to culture, philosophy, and popular opinions. I recommend this volume as a work that will direct you to listen to what the Bible says and to humbly consider what God desires first and foremost.

This book deals with very deep scriptural teachings on the subject of worship, but the author explains the subject matter in a way that is easy to understand. The writing itself is engaging, interesting and very easy to read. His sole emphasis is on expounding Bible truths instead of lifting up man's preferences. For example, in one section he goes through the book of Malachi and shows us how God despises dead religion without the heart involved. Very good book that I enjoyed reading and will keep on my shelf as a reference.

If you are interested in finding a book that outlines the fundamentals of true, Bible-based worship, then this is the book for you. "The Beauty of Holiness" is without a doubt one of the most well-written discussions of worship available today. I currently teach music at a small Bible college in CT and I've read many books on this topic in preparation for my Music Philosophy course. As I've read these other books, I've become irritated with the subjective and opinionated approaches toward worship of many of the authors.

This book is different in every way-there are no personal opinions here; only Scripture. I really appreciate the solid Scriptural foundation that Dr. Barrett provides throughout the book. This is an important feature for me, because I stress to my students that they cannot simply take the word of myself or any particular author on a given subject; they must study the Scriptures themselves and find out what GOD says about a particular subject. I will be adding this book to my required textbook list next fall. It is worth every penny of the price!

This book was text book of class that theory and practice of reformed worship in GRS
which the author serve as president. Book is very readable as foreign student.
Dr. Barrett presents reformed worship methods in practical way strongly based on the Bible.
Especially, you should read the appendix section about exposition of 1 Cor. 11
concerning head covering. This book is one of book that I want to translate to my language.
Enjoy your reading!