A Primer on Worship and Reformation: Recovering the High Church Puritan perhaps isn't the snappiest title for a book, but when you find the author is Douglas Wilson it starts to get a bit more interesting.
Doug Wilson is Pastor at Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho, and controversy has followed him through much of his ministry, both in Federal Vision/Auburn Avenue theological controversies and within the community of Moscow. He is an atypical man in an atypical church, and when he says something unusual, you can't help but listen.
A Primer on Worship and Reformation (APOWAR from now on) is published by Canon Press, and like a number of their books features a photo of a window on the front. Adele pointed this out when looking at our copies and it begs the question: are they subliminally advertising a well known operating system? We'll be the first to let you know if we find out.
So what exactly is the book about? Christians are always talking about renewal and reformation, and rightly so given the state of the church and countries (U.S. and U.K. in particular). Every good Calvinist knows that only God can provide it, but different answers are given about how we're going to get there.
Mark Driscoll and the marketeers (this seems to be the main distinction for these churches, as they're halfway between emerging and seeker-sensitive) wrap up the gospel and old, reformed theology in pop culture wrapping paper. Others are more of the 'sit in the church and wait' school of thinking.
Wilson, in APOWAR is looking to provide the Biblical answer. Reformation, like judgment begins with the House of God. Wilson assesses the state of the church these days and advocates High Church Puritanism as the answer.
High Church Puritanism? Yes, that's what he wrote. As Wilson says:
"Because the word [puritanism] by itself has been so badly handled, it is impossible to say Puritan without qualifications and still have any hope of being understood. Because he is high Church, he does not behave like a schismatic, separatist, independent, or individualist. He has a high view of the covenant, and of our corporate identity with one another. Because he is a Puritan, he intends to be a theological cavalier, and he fights for the integrity of obedience."
The rest of the book lays out what this means, practically. I'll spare you the details, but the subjects covered include Covenant Renewal, Psalm-singing (a pet issue of mine), and Feasting and the Sabbath. These sections tend to read like independent articles, varying in length, and have probably popped up in Credenda Agenda somewhere along the line.
Wilson is never boring to read, so let me serve you with a few tasty morsels from the book.
On Christian Schlock:
"...in the conservative and evangelical wing of the Church, vibrancy and activity always seem to cluster around cash registers."
On Veggie Tales:
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, including all moral wisdom, and that fear cannot be effectually made obsolete by means of cute cartoon characters."
On schismatism:
"Presbyterians adjudicate every dog fight up to the General Assembly, followed by a church split, while the Baptists are far more efficient and have the church split right away, and with far less paperwork."
On hermeneutics:
"The New Testament creates a dilemma for the tight exegesis of scientism. As conservative ministers of the Word, we are fond of affirming the sufficiency of the Word for all things, and in all things. We do not need supplementary help from secular psychiatry, secular astro-physics, or any other branch of secular whatever in order to supplement the scriptures. The problem is that we abandon this admirable stance when it comes to our method of getting at the Word of God."
The book is short, but there's plenty to digest here. It is only a primer, so if you've read The Lord's Service by Jeffrey Meyers you'll be mostly treading old water. The target audience is people with theological training, and some paragraphs collect 4+ syllable words like a philatelist collects stamps. If that puts you off, don't worry; these are always followed by clearer explanations that can be followed without too much difficulty. (Adele says: If I can follow them, anyone can...)
Wilson is also writing primarily to an all-American audience, so as a member of the Church of England, applications can differ at times. Very few of us evangelical CofE types are schismatic; or else we would be long departed from the CofE. We have a hard task of figuring out exactly where that line is, and if we're already past it. Nevertheless, the book still has a lot of value for U.K. Christians.
APOWAR is a great book for those who are new to, or curious about Wilson's theology or Covenant Renewal Worship. He accurately diagnoses several problems with the state of Christian culture today, and is convicting at times. Adele has been greatly helped by the chapter on weekly communion. As a historic optimist (more on that in my next review of his book Heaven Misplaced) he also holds out great hope for the future of the church, with faith that Jesus is reigning over earth, and will make his enemies his footstool.
All in all, a very helpful book that I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in the church and reformation, as an introduction to these issues. This book is two thumbs fresh.
Buy it from: Amazon UK - Amazon US - Canon Press
Thanks to Canon Press for the review copy and to Adele for her contributions.
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