American Society for Church Growth - Book Review
Worship: A Way of Life
Staying true to his title, the author presents a book on disciplined discipleship, though he does not use those words as a theme. His main interest in writing the book, and stated several times in various parts of the book, relates to elevating the matter of private worship to at least equal status with the current emphasis given corporate worship.
Like some of the letters in the New Testament, he divides this book into two main parts: "Why Worship" and "How to Worship."
In the first section, he discusses differences in worship styles and prefers that we consider them as varieties of worship rather than a style to cause conflict. People do like or dislike certain songs. Let them be accepted as styles and not doctrinal differences.
The author describes worship as loving God first and others second. The activity of worship must mean spending time with God and building our relationship with Him.
Early in the book, Kavanaugh comes to his main purpose: worship can take place while doing ordinary tasks, it can be a lifestyle in everyday living as well as our regular worship day with others.
Several sections relate to the differences between Charismatics and non-Charismatics. He believes both can learn from each other in some basic principles he discusses.
His presentation on Christian music is a must-read section. He states the only thing that makes a song Christian is its lyrics.
I recommend the book for those interested in worship as a way of life, handling music wars, and also for those wanting to develop their personal devotional life.
Reviewed by Marlin Mull, President of Wesleyan Village, Brooksville, Florida, and formerly the General Director of Evangelism and Church Growth for The International Center of The Wesleyan Church, Indianapolis, Indiana.
This review was originally published in Strategies for Today's Leader.