Category Archives: Worship

Interview: Is the church a house of worship?

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Amidst the mist and cold and rain of Katoomba at Easter, I sat with Don Carson in the warmth of the CMS Speaker’s Lodge. His series on ‘Turning points in the history of salvation’ had been the highlight of the Easter Convention for many. I was now inviting him to train his formidable theological weaponry on the subject of ‘worship’. What would ‘the Don’, as we deferentially like to call him around the office, say on this pressing question?

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The One True Worshipper

Thought

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Worship is sometimes described as the missing jewel in the evangelical crown. It has become perhaps the major focus of a majority of Christian churches in the second half of this century. But once again, our focus reveals our sinfulness. By placing our own activities in church under special focus, we have grabbed the wrong end of the worship stick. In our concern for relevant ‘worship’ we have reversed the Bible’s concerns. For in the New Testament, worship is not so much something we do, but it is first of all and mainly something Jesus Christ does for us!

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Jesus, the name high over all

Life

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Charles Wesley was born in England in 1707 during the rule of Queen Anne. After a lifetime spanning the complete reigns of George I and II, he died ‘full of years’ during the reign of George III in 1788.

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Singing is a fellowship hazard

Everyday Ministry

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A significant percentage of the Australian population cannot sing. We can’t carry a tune to save our lives. How many of us are there? Based on the singing voices I hear around me in church, I would guess we account for at least half the population.

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Confessions of a teenage praise junkie

Life, Sola Panel

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The scene remains vivid in my memory, though it is nearly 20 years ago now.

I am sitting in my bedroom at the side of our big old farmhouse, a teenager, listless at that time of the evening when anything is better than homework. It is a warm summer night and the cicadas are belting out their chorus like an army of protesters with whistles. Into my little Sanyo cassette player I insert a tape borrowed from a friend. The latest Christian singer-songwriter—well, ‘latest’ as far as Lismore was concerned anyway— Keith Green.

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Worship and the didgeridoo

Life

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As a proud didgeridoo player, I am keenly aware of the attraction of pagan worship forms.

There is nothing quite like sitting peacefully in the bush blowing intensly down a long hollowed log. The earthy sound of the didg, combined with the backup vocals of the kookuburras, and the hyperventilation of circular breathing, creates a kind of spiritual experience in a matter of minutes. It is no wonder Aborigines traditionally believe that the didgeridoo is a religious instrument; that it rouses the spirit world.

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Published Abroad: Why, where, and how should Christians meet?

Pastoral Ministry

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Reproduced from Evangelicals Now, February 1993. Used with permission.

With its building desperately over-crowded, the Round Church had to rethink from the Bible such issues as the purpose of a building, the meaning of worship, the purpose of meeting—and the nature of the church. This is more than the story of one church; it has lessons and relevance for every church.

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Are You Ready, Mr Music?

Everyday Ministry

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As I move from conference to convention, from houseparty to church, and as we try and select music for our own church meetings, I am consistently left with a sense of dissatisfaction about our present music.

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