“A worship that will have staying power is a worship that is firmly grounded in the old, yet aware of and concerned for new ways to respond to the old, old story.” In the first edition of Worship Old and New, Robert E. Webber introduced an approach to worship that blended historical and traditional practices with contemporary elements. Since then, the spreading fires of worship renewal have provided opportunity for fresh consideration. This significantly revised edition is the result of Webber’s interaction with current worship trends. It is intended to be used both in the classroom and by those who want to improve worship in the local church. Reformatted for an easier, logical approach to worship theology, this revised edition of Worship Old and New is divided into four major sections, addressing the biblical foundation of worship, its theology, its history, and its practice. New information has been incorporated into each section to give the reader a better grasp of the biblical themes of worship, a deeper understanding of Old Testament customs, and a solid grounding in modern-day renewal movements. Especially significant is a reexamination of the actual practice of worship that goes beyond the merely academic to provide a practical perspective through the eyes of the worship leader and worshipers. Well-versed in the best of both past and present, Worship Old and New is a scholarly, up-to-date, and thought-provoking resource for those serious about exploring worship.
Robert E. Webber (1933 - 2007)
was an American theologian known for his work on worship and the early church. He played a key role in the Convergence Movement, a move among evangelical and charismatic churches in the United States to blend charismatic worship with liturgies from the Book of Common Prayer and other liturgical sources. Webber began teaching theology at Wheaton College in 1968. Existentialism was the primary focus of Webber's research and lectures during his first years at Wheaton. However, he soon shifted his focus to the early church. In 1978 he wrote Common Roots, a book that examined the impact of 2nd-century Christianity on the modern church.In 1985 Webber wrote Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail: Why Evangelicals Are Attracted to the Liturgical Church, in which he described the reasons behind his own gradual shift away from his fundamentalist/evangelical background toward the Anglican tradition. Webber faced an enormous amount of criticism from evangelicals in response to this book. Nevertheless, his work was highly influential, and his ideas grew in popularity in evangelical circles. During the latter half of his life, Webber took a special interest in Christian worship practices. He wrote more than 40 books on the topic of worship, focusing on how the worship practices of the ancient church have value for the church in the 21st century postmodern era. Among his books are Ancient-Future Worship, Ancient-Future Faith, Ancient-Future Time, Ancient-Future Evangelism, The Younger Evangelicals, and The Divine Embrace.
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