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Covenantal Worship: Reconsidering the Puritan Regulative Principle

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I finished the book in a week of busy time. It faithfully represents the concerns of the Puritans fathers and exposes the Scriptural weakness of the "pursuit of plainness." The "CRP" (Covenant Regulative Principle) has arrived in time to challenge the Reformed churches out of idolizing the 16th and 17th centuries and to face the challenge of cultural relevance in covenantally faithful worship. The text handles the confessional standards with precision as well as demonstrating our Lord's synagogue attendance much less Calvin's Geneva as failing the Puritan's Regulative principle! Though many in the reformed tradition will shy his call for frequent use of the Table as "popery," it is a clarion call among other elements of this outstanding and providential text. Further agitating the idolators of the past, his catholic openness to the various Christians traditions as an aspect of covenantal worship is outstanding and exemplary of where the Reformed churches should be moving in order to be faithful to the cultural mandate. This is not an apologetic appeal for "contemporary worship" (as might be feared), but an honest attempt at proposing a solution to a flawed hermeneutic that is death to the present need of the reformed community. Neither high or low liturgy is the answer but covenant faithfulness.

Gore's work is insightful, challenging, and well-researched. This is a must read for anyone struggling in the chaotic no-man's-land between the various factions in the worship wars. Whether a strict adherent to the regulative principle, or a staunch defendant of free worship, Gore has provided you with a fresh perspective that should not be overlooked.
As a Presbyterian minister over a multi-generational flock, I found Gore's insights immensely helpful in placing our church's worship within a broader context of charity and harmony in today's fast changing cultural dynamic. Gore has proven for us that the preponderance of evidence stands against a slavish adherence to the Puritan regulative principle. Rather, it is time for us to move towards a more biblical, covenantal understanding of corporate worship in the Reformed denominations, and to embrace all those methods which are Christ-centered, glorifying, edifying, culturally relevant, orderly, and free. I agree with John Frame when he says that Gore's work should move us a strong step forward in ending the worship wars in our churches.

R.J. Gore effectively stimulates thought in possibly the most controversial area of debate in reformed theology today. While Gore does criticize various theological perspectives on worship he does so with clarity. He neither throws out the puritan perspective nor embraces the contemporary fads. Rather, Gore forces the debate to another level. He does not remain neutral but engages the issues from historical, theological, biblical, and cultural perspectives in such a way as to bring balance and unity. This is a must read for those who are intellectually honest enough to consider the sources that have brought the issue of worship to the forefront of Reformed dialogue in the 21st century! Clearly an essay the deserves to be considered by all who choose to enter the great debate!

Gore achieves commendable balance in being both ecumenical and distinctively Reformed in his critical look at the Puritan regulative principle and how it has shaped Presbyterian worship for centuries. While giving the Puritans their due credit with ample acknowledgement of their considerable contributions to the Christian faith, Gore does not shy away from respectful criticism of their regulation of worship. He finds common ground with the Puritans in their belief that Scripture must direct our worship, but builds upon it towards the goal of covenant faithfulness, rather than toward the Puritan adherence to a strict set of prohibitions. The examples provided are clear and irrefutable.

This book should help stimulate much-needed discussion of the proper bounds of Christian worship in the Reformed tradition, and hopefully outside it as well. As churches continue to face the increasingly complex task of achieving cultural relevance while remaining faithful to the Bible, they can only benefit by considering the principles Gore expounds. Highly recommended, especially for Presbyterians.
Also, kudos for the eye-catching and colorful cover art.

I come to the book as part of a sunday school class on worship, it is perhaps the 2nd or 3rd book i've read on the topic, with several more to follow in the next few months.

To put it into a growing perspective: it is a little to the left of J.Frame's Worship in Spirit and Truth as Gore is willing to say discard RPW. It is a lightening rod, as is Frame, for the more traditionalist side to say that the conservatives are loosing their understanding of worship and are becoming the great hated liberals for doing so. All the name calling i've seen so far has been from the traditionalist side. This book is a straightforward investigation that looks at both the historical and Biblical evidence for worship.

the important pull quotes and reading notes:

introduction: the long and winding road

confusion comes from the absence of a consensus, the lack of a coherent theology of worship that is based upon certain bedrock, widely accepted principles. pg 1
in his first pastorate, not one elder in our session-pastor included- could give a thorough explantaion for why we did what we did, why we left out certain expressions of worship, or why we placed the selected particulars in the prescribed order pg 3
during graduate studies at Westminster he discovered: the Puritan regulative principle of worship seemed to cut the Gordian knot in matters of worship. Rather than endless discussions about right and wrong, Puritans simply banned everything that did not have explicit biblical warrant. Anything that was not commanded, or logically based on a command, Scripture did not allow. That certainly ended the guesswork. pg 3

chapter 1 : doing your own thing

5 different approaches to worship:
pragmatic: if it works it is allowed
ecclesial: RC, what the church says is correct is allowed
lutheran: what is not prohibited is allowed
reformed: whatever is consistent with covenantal faithfulness is allowed
puritan: whatever is not commanded is forbidden

this principle affirms that what exist on the popular level, as an expression of piety, often works its way into more formal statements of belief.
for some, it is enough that such songs communicate well with young people. the more profound argument that encourages the use of Scripture songs on biblical grounds is not thoroughly pondered. ... Finally, there are congregations that seek to maintain their theological integrity while exploring the possibilities of vibrant, creative worship. They pursue this goal with the intential awareness of their surrounding culture. Here a genuine desire to understand the principles regulating biblical worship is coupled with an equally intense desire to make worship meaningful to the worshiper. pg 11
where, in the evangelical churches is the pressures for worship reform coming from:
Ray Stedman _Body Life_, Robert Morey _Worship is all of Life_, Praise and Worship movement, Robert Webber and "mystery, worship, sacraments" a call to the High Church tradition, Thomas Howard, _Evangelical is no enough_, Anne Ortlund _Up with Worship_, Robert Rayburn _O Come let us Worship_ , Ralph Maring _The Worship of God_, Warren Wiersbe _Real Worship_, Ronald Allen _Worship:Rediscovering the Missing Jewel_
in the OPC and now PCA Jack Miller and the New Life churches, James Jordan _The Sociology of the Church_ and Ray Sutton and the Genevan group, more traditional worship
Paul Hoon _the Integrity of Worship_ this warning cautious us against trendiness and the subordination of eternal truth to the seductive claims of a particular cultural context. or the uncritical acceptance of all that has preceded. and slip into equating what is true with what is unchanging. ... My hope is that this analysis will point the way toward a greater coherence in Presbyterian worship, as well as greater freedom from strictures that may more accurately be viewed as culturally conditioned and not as divinely commanded. pg 19,20

chapter 2: deja vu all over again

parallel between 16thC/17thC and our times.
the larger context of the westminster assembly's work is the reaction to the RC and the attempt to recapture the purity of the early church by removing the doctrinal and practical developments of medieval RC Church. pg 23
assembly's stated goal to achieve a religious consensus between Ireland, Scotland and England
the confessional basis of the RPW:
wcf 1.6 1-all worship is either based directly on scripture or is logically deducible from Scripture. 2-there are circumstances common to any human society that are not subject to explicit commands, but rather to general conformity to the Word and reasonableness. p26
2b-legitimate options within the category of circumstance must also be in accord with social decorum and custom. pg29
there is still a problem. to be specific, where and how does one draw the line between that which is circumstantial to worship and that which is an element of worship? pg30
perhaps a better way of distinguishing beween what is commanded and what is circumstantial is to differentiate between what is essential and what is nonessential in worship. pg 31
how to define circumstance: 1-no substantial part of worship, no sacred and significant ceremony 2-not connected to a a sacred act 3-subject to the will of the church for which an evident reason exists for their use--G.Gillespie pg 31
wcf 20.2 1- God alone has authoritatively addressed the human conscience only in his law, the only perfect revelation of which in this world in the inspired Scriptures. 2-two kinds of rules no authority to legislate a-contrary to Scripture b-in addition to scripture in matters of faith and worship. pg 33
adiaphora-things indifferent, the church does not have the authority to impose innovations in worship.
wcf 21.1-6 1-worship God according to his commands, all else is the sin of idolatry. pg 36 what is substantial to worship vs what is incidental. will-worship is prohibited.

chapter 3: the puritan via media

Although the Directory may properly be described as a compromise document, this description is primarily in terms of what is not required or not forbidden, rather than in terms of what is explicitly required or forbidden...what is clearly required is nothing other than a consistent insistence on the divine prerogative in worship. ... the Directory at times chose to remain silent over certain issues that were sensitvie to the variousparties in ordr to achieve a broader acceptance. pg 42
elements of the compromise: party views from Erastian to Independent Puritan to jure divino Presbyterian. between the High Church elements and the free church. between radical Independents, conservative Scots( who used a service book) and English Presbyterians (who might have a high regard for the Prayer Book). is is a significant development in terms of both freedom from coercion and freedom from liturgical conformity. pg 44,45
there was a compromise with regards to prayer, over particular forms of worship called novations, but most importantly over the frequency of Communion. pg 45,46
as a compromise document it represents a via media, this catholicity is both a strength and weakness of the Directory, for it accommodates but in doing so confuses the already ambiguous distinction between essential and circumstantial aspects of worship. pg 47
what is adiaphora, what is its relationship to the elements of worship, and to the task of delineating between essential and circumstantial issues of worship. pg49
the source of the problem: must encompass historical practice, could not press RPW to it's logical conclusions, and provide a basis for unity. pg50

chapter 4: regulating with calvin

man must learn to serve God against his own nature-quote from T.Torrance
the word must lead us because of our own sin and our propensity to idolatry.
god is please with our odedience to his commands. pg 56
acceptable worship is conformed to the word of god and not the product of human invention pg 57
two of Calvin's biblical interpretation principles: analogy of faith(difficult passages in light of clearer texts) and contextualization(circumstances and occasion of the text are important) pg 59
the bible to be interpretated in its entire covenantal context, the author's intent, theological context pg 61
adiaphora: ceremonial, ethical, doctrinal, consider all in context of Christian liberty and charity pg 63
the church can speak to the issues of the day with: 1- according to love 2-not in addition to God's law 3-intended for a particular need, time 4-not a human innovation 5: common peace and concord a-modest and gravity b-lead us to Christ c-remove confusion lead to discipline and peace pg 67
general rules: 1-God has spoken 2-not in exact detail so church must rely on general principles 3-sensitivity; 1-minimum rules 2-no superstitous ceremonies 3-contextualed to time, place, needs of the church pg 69

chapter 5: worship, genevan style

the shape of the liturgy from Calvin to Puritans
the frequency of the Lord's Supper issues
kneeling, type of bread, color of wine pg 77
for calvin contra the Puritans: godparents, ministerial garb, observance of days, confirmation, certain forms of worship pg 79-84
exclusive psalmody
for the anglican the adiaphora are broad, for the puritan rather narrow pg 85
puritan demanding explicit commands for all of worship and desire for relative simplicity
anglican represented the aspect of Calvin's thought that maintained the necessity of covenantal consciousness, a genuine exercise of dominion and creation with the parameters of what God had revealed. pg 86,87 both are discontinuous and continuous with different pieces of Calvin's thinking.
commanded or warranted: the puritans failed to maintain a broad application of adiaphora to circumstances. pg 88
changing "whatever is consistent to Scripture" into "whatever is commanded in Scripture" giving either commanded or unlawful, thus emptying the adiaphora category alltogether. pg 89

chapter 6: thy will be done

1-understanding the nature of Puritan biblical interpretation 2-integrating practices of Jesus concerning the worship of God; to lead to if the stricter Puritan regulative principle is right. pg 92
puritan rationalism, worship is primarily a mental exercise pg 93
tendencies exhibites in the Caresian shift from objective truth to personal truth, from the primacy of revelation to primacy of reason, conductive of the intellectualization of worship pg 93
to puritans appeal to emotions through ceremony and rite was but an appeal to man's carnal nature. pg 93
simplicity as speaking to the heart through the mind pg 94
platonism and stocism's effects on the puritans pg 95
strict literalism as a hermeneutical error. pg 96
failure to grasp organic development of Scripture pg 98
the synagogue, no temple or sacrificial ritual there, however Jesus participated in its worship services pg 99-105
voluntary Jewish feasts: feast of dedication, purim pg 106-110

chapter 7: your reasonable service

RPW is flawed and unworkable pg 111 the leftmost position i've seen yet on the issue
worship is a point of concentration, every act of obedience to God is an act of worship, adiaphora in proximate or ultimate senses, covenantal character of life and worship stemming from it. pg 115
apodictic(commands) casuistic(case law) pg 119
in wisdom the Christian is to learn to think covenantally, responsibly, as a mature believe in the Lord. this is not a license for unbridled freedom however it is a charter for matrue, thoughtful reflection on god's world from God's perspective. pg 120
anglican-puritan split result of: form-freedom, sponteneity- uniformity tension being resolved to the extremes, rather than holding to paradoxes and balance pg 120
van til on ethics: vicegerency, self-realization, individualization, analogical action pg 121-124
worship was never intended to consist in simple conformity to a comprehensive set of guidelines. pg 124
no longer any binding religious obligations since Christ has fulfilled the entire ceremonial law pg 127
the necessity of personal conviction as the basis of action pg 128
both the weak and the strong have obligations to one another: strong not to impose, weak to judge and censure pg 120

chapter 8: in light of the covenant

responsibility, not simple mechanical conformity pg 138
what is consistent with Scripture is acceptable in worship=covenantal principle to replace Puritan RPW pg 140
by refusing to acknowledge the breathe of adiaphora leads to the worship wars over the circumstances pg 141
worship that is simple pg 143
worship in the New Testament is spiritual worship, which has direction and inner coherence pg 143-145
worship that is orderly, mirrors God, associated with man in creation and dominion, consistent with freedom pg 145-146
worship that is free: liberty of conscience, ecclesisatical freedom, accompanied by weighty responsibility pg 146-148
worship that glorifies and edifies: vertical and horizontal elements, first to glorify God, secondly edification of fellow believers but not entertainment, maybe enjoable but not only enjoyable pg 149
worship that is catholic: pg 152
worship that is culturally sensitive pg 153
a pilgrim people that recognize that the forms here on earth are not the final forms pg 154
worship that is balanced: between Word and symbol, between Word and Sacrament, avoid reductionism and materialism, intellectualization or emotionalism pg 156
worship that is Christ-centered:

conclusion:

the dynamics that gave birth to the Puritan principles pg 164
reaffirming the role for the adiaphora pg 164
covenantal faithfulness builds on Puritan model but goes beyond it to big principles pg 165



I ended up liking the book, for several reasons. One is that it is well documented, soundly reasoned and interesting, the other is that it works on issues, in particular the adiaphora that i have run across i the past and wish to understand better. First, what is it about? The big view is that it is a justification for changing the regulative principle of worship into something a bit broader or wider, the covenantal principle of worship, this is chapter 8. everything before it is history and analysis of why this change is a good, necessary, historically sound and above all- a Scriptural thing to do. Second, how to read the book? Skip all the way to the back, like when you first open a detective novel and read the 3 page conclusion, that will tell you "who dun it". Then move forward a few pages and read chapter 8, the heart of the book's recommendation, if you are not turned off and discouraged at this compromise with the evil world, buy the book and read it, twice. Don't take notes or mark it up the first time, this is a read lightly once, then study read again type of book, being the outgrowth of a seminary dissertation does that to a book *grin*. Try to keep your questions and objections to a minimum during this first read, they will interfere greatly with you understanding what the author is saying, it really isn't that radical or worldly or Puritan denying or the end of Presbyterian worship as we know it.

Gore does an absolutely horrible job with his treatment of the Regulative Principle of Worship. He tried to find this so called "balance" between legalism and the regulative principle and fails. He is very inconsistent from chapter to chapter, page to page, and even paragraph to paragraph! For instance, at one point in the book he claims the Puritans were sound in their exegesis of key texts, then on the very next page he states they were incorrect and didn't apply them properly. That is disturbing enough, not to mention the fact he refuses to look at the key texts concering the principle in the first place. He admits they are important, but are to vast for this seemingly pointed study. As one who claims to be reformed, shouldn't this be Gore's number one priority? It seems to me he's picking on the most extreme cases he could find of Puritanism, and calling the regulative principle worthless. Gore is another supposedly reformed author attempting to make a name for himself by ripping on the Puritans in hopes to "go against the grain" so to speak to prove that he doesn't worship the reformers. I'm reformed myself, and am tired of people who claim to be reformed attempting to prove to others that they don't worship the reformers themselves. If it's biblical, it's biblical, period. Gore's examples hardly demonstrate his point, and as I said before, he contradicts himself too often to be given the benefit of the doubt.

RJ Gore's Covenantal Worship is but the latest salvo in the ongoing assault upon historic reformed presbyterian worship - and one of the most sophisticated, although that is not saying much - conducted by those purportedly within the camp of the reformed faith. As such, it is a disappointment. As per the standard modus operandi by this time of Jordan, Frame, Schlissel and Leithart, Gore mischaracterizes the regulative principle of worship, ie. the good and necessary consequences of the Second Commandment: "Whatsoever is not commanded, - explicitly or implicitly - in Scripture, is forbidden in the worship of God," before he proposes his substitute for it. While Gore to his credit attempts to examine some of the primary sources of classic presbyterianism; not only the Confession of Faith but also the Directory for Public Worship of the Westminster Assembly of 1643-48 in London, ultimately, Cov. Worship is a confused and superficial analysis that fails primarily on four counts.

One, Gore is confused about what is "common to human actions and societies" of Westminster Confession Chapt. 1:6 regarding the indifferency of circumstances in worship as opposed to an commanded element in worship (see also Chapt. 21:1,5). From there he will quibble that the RPW is unworkable ecause of this confusion.

Two, Gore is confused about the substance of the difference between Anglicanism and Puritanism. Contra the repeated comments of Davies in his Worship of the English Puritans (rpt. 1997) which Gore only selectively quotes from (p.84), Gore claims that the Anglicans were closer to Calvin than the Puritan Presbyterians who wrote the Confession. Rather, the Puritans were closer to Calvin in principle than the Anglicans. Both saw the Bible as normative - not only for doctrine, as per Luther/Anglicanism - but also the worship and government of the church. Gore fails to note the distinction, if not turns it upside down.

Three, Gore is confused about the existence of the synagogue because there is no explicit scriptural command for it. And since Christ worshiped at the synagogue, he "violated the Puritan formulation of the Regulative principle of worship (p.106)." Therefore the same principle is obviously unBiblical. Yet he ignores the testimony of the Minutes of the Westminster Assembly (rpt. SWRB, 1991). Just as there is no explicit command regarding the the change from the last to the first day of the week vis a vis the Fourth Commandment but only the example of Christ and the apostles, so too, the Assembly divines said there was cause to believe that the patriarchs had a command from God for those things like the synagogue in Scripture where no command is explicitly mentioned, but which posterity afterward practiced.

Again, though Puritanism at times went too far in restricting the RPW to explicit commands only, this was not the real position of the Assembly or the Westminster Standards, not to mention if Christ can fault the Pharisees for teaching for God's doctrine, "the commandments of men" (Matt. 15:13) and the synagogue was uncommanded and instituted by men as per Gore, it too would have fallen under Christ's condemnation. Yet it did not.

Four, Gore is confused about Purim and the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22 ). He wants to say both are uncommanded as well as approved, with Christ attending on the last. Yet as McCrie notes in his commentary on Esther, if Mordecai was a prophet, he could lawfully institute a day such as Purim. As for the Feast of Dedication, Thomas Cartwright, the great Elizabethan Puritan, a generation or two prior to the Westminster Assembly, answered the Roman glosses of the Rhemist translation of the New Testament. He noted the claims of the papacy to find justification for their own uncommanded inventions in worship, such as praying for the dead, in the passage, in that Rome believed that something may be instituted in the worship of God without any commandment at all in Scripture.

Granted, Gore doesn't want to go as far as Rome on the question, but he opens the door in principle if what is uncommanded is lawful in the worship of God. Yet all Scripture tells us is that Jesus was present in Jerusalem at the time of the feast, not that he participated. Consequently it is a non sequitur for Gore to claim that Christ having previously approved by his presence an uncommanded institution in the synagogue, now approves by his presence an uncommanded feast and thereby the RPW is assumed to be overturned. Rather Mr. Gore's fundamental assumptions about the Feast of Dedication are confused. Likewise what flows from them regarding the RPW.

As opposed to his concluding vague generalities about "Biblical, covenantal worship (pp.137-62)" which Gore would substitute for the historic presbyterian worship, the Confession in 21:5 acknowledges the reading and preaching of Scripture, the singing of the O.T. Psalms of Scripture, prayer and the visible word of the two sacraments, baptism and communion, as the ordinary commanded elements of worship according to the RPW of 21:1. Gore's Covenantal Confusion in Worship is not an improvement on this same classic reformed presbyterian worship and doctrine, however much he may think or say so. Rather it again confuses, much less assaults, the historic confessional view of what is lawful/required in the public worship of God. Therefore it is not to be recommended, however much of an innovation and an insight it might appear to be to those who bring nothing to the discussion other that what Gore presents/asserts.

Even further, let the reader beware. If John Owen, a Puritan who helped pen the congregationalist version of the Westminster Assembly's Confession of Faith ten years later in 1658, could say that all occasions of false worship follows upon the ignorance, neglect or weariness in the exercise of true faith in divine worship (Works 5:437), it ought to be no surprise that some of those who have attacked the reformed doctrine of worship these days on various trumped up and supposedly "covenantal" grounds, are now also attacking the doctrine of justification by faith based on the same type of shallow and superficial arguments and misrepresentations. Gore at least, still belongs to the first part of the trend and as poor as his book is, let us hope he goes no further.

I can honestly say that I did not like this books. See, is one of those books which makes you think and I don't like to think. After all, why waste your time with Gore's dry,shallow, boring, treatment of the regulative principle, when you can read Max Lucado? I say, let us use our money in something worthy!!!