A Brief History of Christian Worship [Paperback]

James F White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993

Most histories of Christian worship are written as if nothing significant in liturgical history ever happened in North America and cultural diversisites were insignificant in the development of worship. A revisionist work, this book treats the experience of worship of the people in the pew as the primary liturgical document.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James F. White held the Bard Thompson Chair of Liturgical Studies at Drew University. He previously taught at the Perkins School of Theology for twenty-two years and was professor of liturgy at the University of Notre Dame until 1999.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0687034140
• ISBN-13: 978-0687034147
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Worship & Devotion > Rites & Ceremonies

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, Yet Uninhibited, April 14, 2004

By 

R. Kirkham "jrkirkham" (Rushville, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Brief History of Christian Worship (Paperback)

This history book breaks the molds of stereotype. The format is simple: 1) worship of the New Testament Era 2) worship of the early Christian centuries 3) worship of the middle ages 4) worship of the reformation period 5) worship of modern times, and 6) worship of the future.

What causes me to give this book a 5-star rating is its honesty. Most books of this nature try to plug a certain perspective at the risk of almost becoming dishonest. This book simply lays it out. If you become uncomfortable learning that your style of worship is not as universal as you would like, or that your theology hasn't always been central to Christian practice, so be it.

I found myself challenged by the questions I began asking. This is the kind of book I like.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very different analysis of worship history - excellent, July 27, 2005

By 

Larry Ellis "Author of Forgiveness: Unleashin... (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Brief History of Christian Worship (Paperback)

White does an excellent job tracking several spiritual themes through the various Christian epochs. He compares things as what was the process of becomming a Christian and other themes that most consider timeless, but instead shows the changing in what was considered normative from the early church, patristic period, medieval ages, enlightenment period and modern Christianity. I have read many many books on worship, and this one is definately worth reading and White's analysis is honest, reasonable and very informative.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Read, February 15, 2010

By 

Gulielmus - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Brief History of Christian Worship (Paperback)

Dr. White does an amazing job with this book. It is not so simple that the average reader interested in Christian Worship would be bored, but not as complex as other books so that it is a tedious read. It is informative, and Dr. White maintains a truly objective perspective. He discusses Roman Catholic Worship, Protestant Worship, and (most importantly to me) discusses the origin of other sacraments such as Holy Orders, Baptism, etc. I cannot highly enough reccomend this book.