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Even as worship wars in the church and music controversies in society at large continue to rage, many people do not realize that conflict over music goes back to the earliest Christians as they sought to live out the "new song" of their faith. In A New Song for an Old World Calvin Stapert challenges contemporary Christians to learn from the wisdom of the early church in the area of music. Stapert draws parallels between the pagan cultures of the early Christian era and our own multicultural realities, enabling readers to comprehend the musical ideas of early Christian thinkers, from Clement and Tertullian to John Chrysostom and Augustine. Stapert's expert treatment of the attitudes of the early church toward psalms and hymns on the one hand, and pagan music on the other, is ideal for scholars of early Christianity, church musicians, and all Christians seeking an ancient yet relevant perspective on music in their worship and lives today.
Handel's oratorio Messiah is a phenomenon with no parallel in music history. No other work of music has been so popular for so long. Yet familiarity can sometimes breed contempt and also misunderstanding. This book by music expert Calvin Stapert will greatly increase understanding and appreciation of Handel's majestic Messiah, whether readers are old friends of this remarkable work or have only just discovered its magnificence. Stapert provides fascinating historical background, tracing not only Messiah's unlikely inception but also its amazing reception throughout history. The bulk of the book offers scene-by-scene musical and theological commentary on the whole work, focusing on the way Handel's music beautifully interprets and illuminates the biblical text.
My Only Comfort uniquely reconnects modern listeners with Bach's music, enabling them to listen to Bach with renewed understanding and appreciation."--BOOK JACKET.
Handel s oratorio Messiah is a phenomenon with no parallel in music history. No other work of music has been so popular for so long. Yet familiarity can sometimes breed contempt and also misunderstanding. This book by music expert Calvin Stapert will greatly increase understanding and appreciation of Handel s majestic Messiah, whether readers are old friends of this remarkable work or have only just discovered its magnificence. Stapert provides fascinating historical background, tracing not only Messiah s unlikely inception but also its amazing reception throughout history. The bulk of the book offers scene-by-scene musical and theological commentary on the whole work, focusing on the way Handel s music beautifully interprets and illuminates the biblical text. For anyone seeking to appreciate Handel s Messiah more, this informed yet accessible guide is the book to have and read. (Handel s Messiah: Comfort for God s People is the newest volume in the flourishing Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies Series, edited by John D. Witvliet.)
We Have Seen His Glory sounds a clarion call to worship in light of the coming Kingdom. Ben Witherington here contends that Christian worship cannot be a matter of merely continuing ancient practices; instead, we must be preparing for worship in the Kingdom of God when it comes on earth. The eight chapters in this thought-provoking book each end with questions for reflection and discussion -- ideal fare for church study groups. "In this study I hope to tease some minds into active thought about what worship should look like if we really believe that God's Kingdom is coming. . . . It's time for us to explore a more biblical and Kingdom-oriented vision of worship." -- from the prelude
Few modern figures in the Reformed tradition are as widely influential as Abraham Kuyper, whose views on theology, politics, and Christian culture are renowned. His writings on worship, however, are not as well known. This new English translation of Onze Eredienst fills that gap, offering Kuyper s clearest thinking on worship and liturgy. Though written nearly a hundred years ago, his perspectives on worship are amazingly relevant to our time. / In a substantive introduction Harry Boonstra outlines Kuyper's life and the historical context in which he wrote. Adding even more luster to the volume are concluding essays by John Bolt, Bryan Spinks, Geoffrey Wainwright, and Nicholas Wolterstorff.
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 1809) has been called the father of the symphony and the string quartet. A friend of Mozart and a teacher of Beethoven, "Papa" Haydn composed an amazing variety of music -- symphonies, string quartets, concerti, masses, operas, oratorios, keyboard works -- and his prolific output celebrates both the heights and depths of life. In this fascinating book Calvin Stapert combines his skills as a biographer and a musicologist to recount Haydn's steady rise from humble origins to true musical greatness. Unlike other biographers, Stapert argues that Haydn's work was a product of his devout Catholic faith, even though he worked mainly as a court musician and the bulk of his output was in popular genres. In addition to telling Haydn's life story, Stapert includes accessible listening guides to The Creation and portions of other well-known works to help Haydn listeners more fully appreciate the brilliance behind his music.
We Have Seen His Glory asks and answers the question of what worship would and should look like in light of the eschatological future, of kingdom come. Ben Witherington here contends that it cannot be a matter of merely continuing ancient practices. Instead, it must also be a matter of preparation for worship in the Kingdom of God when it comes on earth. / I am convinced that one of the great problems to having a more reflective and more Christian approach to worship is that even many of our ministers and worship leaders have very little understanding of what the New Testament actually says about worship, what it is meant to be, what it entails, and what we ought to do. In this study I hope to remedy some of that problem and tease some minds into active thought about what worship should look like if we really believe that God s Kingdom is coming. . . . It is time for us to explore a more Biblical and Kingdom-oriented vision of worship. / Ben Witherington, from the prelude
This book samples the rich variety of worship practices in American history to show how worship can be a fruitful subject for historians to study and how past cases can enrich our understanding of worship today. By the Vision of Another World gathers highly regarded historians who usually are not read together because of the widely different subjects on which they typically work. Yet their essays all fit together here as they address how worship, work, and worldview converge and reinforce each other no matter what particular place, era, denomination, or ethnic/racial group is under consideration. The variety of methodologies and voices will appeal to a breadth of critical interests, while the consistently high quality of historical narrative will keep readers engaged.
Missiology "A robust and practical theology that integrates worship and mission into a seamless whole." Anglican & Episcopal History "A very useful and insightful text. . . . A remarkable synthesis of most of the best insights liturgical scholars and missiologists have gained regarding the relationship between mission and liturgy over the last decades." George R. Hunsberger — Western Theological Seminary "Ruth Meyers brings a deep grasp of what's at stake in the rediscovery of mission as the essence of the church, together with a generous mastery of liturgical traditions, to provide vision for seeing these two dimensions of the church's life as one. . . . This is the handbook that should a...