Exploring Worship: Catholic Evangelical and Orthodox Perspectives

How we worship determines what we believe. Prosper of Acquitane a disciple of Augustine once wrote ut legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi the law of prayer determines the law of belief. This is significant for it expresses that how we pray determines what we believe. Exploring Worship engages in a comparative study of Catholic Evangelical and Orthodox teachings on corporate worship and suggests classic practices that help deepen the understanding and experience of worship. This is significant in at least four ways. Theologically it contributes to the important and continuing trialogue among Catholics Evangelicals and Orthodox. Historically it highlights the integrative potential between these three groups contrary to its history of distrust and outright animosity. Spiritually many Christians are seeking a deeper devotional expression. Exploring Worship provides an examination of worship rooted in the rich history and traditions of the Church. Pedagogically this will suggest practices that help deepen the understanding and experience of worship. Exploring Worship invites us to more critically intentionally and sympathetically reflect on the ways we worship and its place in our churches. [Designer... please just use first 2 of these 5 endorsements. CA] All Christians worship God but they do so in mystifyingly different ways in a variety of languages liturgies theologies ecclesiologies and pieties. By examining the worship patterns of Catholic Evangelical and Orthodox communities of faith this comparative study helps us to see the unity that marks the universal Body of Christ scattered throughout time as well as space. It also allows us to consider with candor the distinctive traits of these major faith families and the numerous demarcations within each. A welcome addition to the growing literature on worship! --Timothy George Founding Dean Beeson Divinity School As interest in liturgical forms of worship continues to grow in Christian circles the need for accessible and reliable guides to this territory is urgent. Arzolas book is just such a resource. It provides a clear introduction to Catholic Evangelical and Orthodox perspectives on worship and encourages mutual respect between them. It also offers practical advice to those seeking deeper devotional expression. This is a timely and helpful book that deserves a wide readership --Justyn Terry Dean President and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology Trinity School for Ministry. Arzola writes from his educational perspective a basic comparative study of the worship streams of Catholic Evangelical and Orthodox Christian traditions. He insightfully advocates for the recovery of essential worship practices that hold the potential for educational integration with lectionary based catechesis. Following Robert Webbers work he seeks to revive a sense of wonder and mystery in worship for which many hunger today. --Robert W. Pazmino Valeria Stone Professor of Christian Education Andover Newton Theological School Arzolas book represents a primer on worship from four perspectives: Catholic Orthodox Evangelical and what he calls a Historically Orthodox Evangelical perspective. Sketching each with broad strokes it performs a useful service in arguing for a recovery of the Churchs traditional lex orandi or order of worship while incorporating insights from each tradition. --Thomas P. Rausch T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology Loyola Marymount University Not only has Fernando Arzola shown that there is much that Evangelicals could learn from worship traditions other than their own he has also offered a practical way of appropriating the liturgical resources of these traditions. It is especially useful for Evangelicals looking for something more substantial in their Sunday worship. --Simon Chan Earnest Lau Professor of Systematic Theology Trinity Theological College in Singapore In Church hi