Book Reviews

Worship with the Church Fathers, Christopher A. Hall, IVP Academic, Downers Grove, Ill., 2009, ISBN 9780830838660, 280 pages, $20.00, softcover.

As 21^st century Christians, we tend to think that our ways of “doing church” are either 1) the same as those of believers through the ages, or 2) somehow better than early Church practices. Most of us try very carefully to match our practices to Scripture, but 2,000 years of cultural baggage affects our understanding of what it means to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

In Worship with the Church Fathers (part of a four-part series on patristic teachings), Eastern University chancellor Christopher Hall digs into the writings of early Christian leaders (Ambrose, Athanasius, Augustine, Clement, Cyril, Irenaeus, John Chrysostom, John of Damascus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and others) to lay out something of an “early Church theology of worship,” drawing important themes and principles that modern believers would do well to understand and apply.

Hall grounds his discussion on worship in the early Church’s understanding of sacramentalism—that is, the use of physical elements to represent spiritual realities. He points out that the Church fathers used the Latin word “sacramentum” to translate the Greek word mysterion, which the New Testament writers used to describe the deep truths of the faith that transcend comprehension. The fathers, Hall states, passionately pursued the sacraments, seeing them as the opposite of dualism and Gnostic heresy. They saw them as reminders that God’s creation was important to Him, and viewed the symbolism of worship as a crucial continuation of the principle of the incarnation.

Hall devotes particular attention to the practice and significance of baptism (in which the water represents the cleansing and life-giving of the Spirit), the eucharist, prayer, and spiritual discipline (i.e. fasting, silence, etc.). His chapters on prayer are a powerful reminder of the centrality of prayer to the Christian life (and show an interesting perspective on the character of God), but his discussion of the eucharist, while helpful in articulating a Christocentric view of communion, goes too far toward the Catholic/Eastern Orthodox position of transubstantiation to be wholeheartedly recommended.

On balance, Worship with the Church Fathers provides evangelicalism with a needed viewpoint—that worship is neither wholly intellectual nor wholly emotional but grounded in the spiritual and physical reality of God’s presence. While Hall’s biases lie with the more liturgical traditions, his faithful study of the first generations after Christ is informative and instructive.

Justin Lonas

Target: All/Worship leaders
Type: Worship/Patristics
Take: Recommended 

The Bare Bones Bible Facts: A Quick Reference to People, Places, & Things, Jim George, Harvest House, Eugene, Ore., 2009, ISBN 9780736923590, 245 pages, $13.99, softcover.

Scripture is full of details—God weaves His story through specific people, places, traditions, rituals, and even foods. The details aren’t the point of the story, but they provide important background for interpretation and they remind us that the Bible is far too concerned with particulars to be a myth.

In Bare Bones Bible Facts, Jim George explores the major particulars of the Old and New Testaments from Aaron to Zion, giving readers a helpful overview without overwhelming them. Each of George’s profiles addresses the key facts surrounding the entry, the principle Scripture references where it is described, and the “big picture” of how it fits into the larger story of the Bible. He takes special care to point out the significance of Old Testament details (such as the priesthood, sacrificial system, and Jewish feasts) to the themes of the Gospels and Epistles. Many of the entries also contain a “Life Lesson” subsection to provide the reader with a takeaway for meditation and spiritual growth.

George’s book is neither exhaustive nor groundbreaking, but he does provide a concise, useful reference for believers to better understand God’s Word, reminding us that the most insignificant people, places, or objects when selected by God to be used to demonstrate His glory are given a place of honor.

Justin Lonas

Target: All
Type: Reference
Take: Recommended