Learn About Worship

An important facet to observing and participating in a diverse collection of worship experiences is understanding the concept of worship itself. Worship is a term that is so incredibly hard to pinpoint and define. Indeed, this entire project was partially about trying to define the term.

Pastors and theologians will all define worship in different ways. Many claim that at its heart is reverence and community. James White discusses the ambiguity of worship:

“Worship itself is an exasperatingly difficult word to pin down. What distinguishes worship from other human activities, particularly those noted for their frequent repetition? Why is worship a different type of activity from daily chore or any habitual action? More specifically, how does worship differ from other recurring activities of the Christian community itself? What distinguishes worship from Christian education or works of charity, for instance? Is a ‘seeker service’ meant to be worship? And second, once we have made up our minds about what we mean by “worship,” how do we determine what makes such worship “Christian”? Our culture is full of various types of worship¹

The answer to these questions is not at all clear or simple, and to try to answer them would be an entire project on its own. So rather than trying to do something theologians have been trying to do for years, its more important to answer questions that are pertinent in regards to this project.

Therefore, this series of pages is dedicated to answering questions about worship as a whole:

What exactly is “Liturgical” Worship?
What is the difference between Traditional and Contemporary Worship?
What is the History of Christian Worship?

Sources

1. White, James F. Introduction to Christian Worship. Abingdon Press. pg. 17.