Christian Worship
The History and Development of Contemporary Worship
Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship
The New Testament is, in many ways, the ultimate expression of Christian worship because the Gospels detail the life and teachings of Jesus Christ within the context and community of individuals who believed in Christ even in the midst of persecution. However, to understand the biblical foundations of Christian worship, it is important to first examine the Old Testament. The Hebrew Bible contains the most fundamental "norms of worship," for Christians, even if different churches develop unique patterns of worship consistent with their interpretations of scripture (Segler and Bradley 2006,11).[footnoteRef:1] [1: Segler, Franklin M. And C. Randall Bradley. 2006. Christian Worship: Its Theology and Practice. B&H Publishing Group, p. 11]
Old Testament worship was primarily concerned with differentiating Jewish worship from pagan and polytheistic worship (Segler and Bradley).[footnoteRef:2] Worship is the primary way believers assert and avow their faith in God, and keep their covenant with God. The God of the Old Testament not only solicits but demands worship as proof of special faith that distinguishes the faithful from the pagan. Worshipping God by eschewing other gods proves one is holy and righteous: "You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me," (Exodus 20:5).[footnoteRef:3] [2: Segler, Franklin M. And C. Randall Bradley. 2006. Christian Worship: Its Theology and Practice. ] [3: Bible: Exodus 20:5]
The various and often complex practices, rites, and rituals that comprise Jewish worship evolved over time and were not static (Segler and Bradley; Bradshaw and Hoffman).[footnoteRef:4] The Old Testament frames worship as communication with God, and engaging in an ongoing relationship with God. For example, Genesis describes the two-way communication between God and Adam; between God and Cain; between God and Noah. As Segler and Bradley put it, an "atmosphere of worship pervades the whole Pentateuch," through heavy use of religious symbolism and specific responses such as building altars and dedicating both objects and places to the Lord (13).[footnoteRef:5] The story of Abraham and his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac represents the culmination of worship in the Old Testament: "When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son," (Genesis 22:9-10).[footnoteRef:6] [4: Bradshaw, Paul F. And Lawrence A. Hoffman. 1996. Life Cycles in Jewish and Christian Worship. Notre Dame: Notre Dame University Press.] [5: Segler, Franklin M. And C. Randall Bradley. 2006. Christian Worship: Its Theology and Practice, 11] [6: Bible: Genesis 22:9-10]
Although there are plentiful references in the Old Testament about personal or individual worship, there are also ample references to collective and communal worship. Exodus 25, for example, details God's wishes for the construction of the Tabernacle and Arc of the Covenant, which are central for communal worship. The construction of the Temple of Solomon represented the "climax" of Jewish public worship, which is one reason why the destruction of the second Temple was such a momentous period in Jewish history and led to the diaspora (Segler and Bradley).[footnoteRef:7] [7: Segler, Franklin M. And C. Randall Bradley. 2006. Christian Worship: Its Theology and Practice, 12.]
After the destruction of the second Temple, Jewish worship shifted to smaller and simpler spaces known as synagogues. Gathering in synagogues would characterize Jewish worship subsequent to the destruction of the temple. Moreover, synagogues as gathering places provided the model for Christian worship. Synagogues were the gathering places for early Christians, as Jesus too worshipped and taught in synagogues, which were traditional domains of spiritual teaching. "On the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,'" (Luke 4:16; 20-21).[footnoteRef:8] [8: Bible: Luke 4:16; 20-21]
When Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem was in full swing, forms of worship included "music, solos, anthems, shouting, dancing, processions, playing instruments, preaching…sacred recitations of the stories of Israel…interspersed with petitions, prayers, vows, promises…and washings," (Segler and Bradley 2006,16).[footnoteRef:9] Sacrifice was, during the Old Testament period, "a necessary condition of effective worship," (Segler and Bradley 2006, 16).[footnoteRef:10] Such practices,...
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