Review of Susan J. White, Foundations of Christian Worship. Louisville, Westminster John Knox, 2006.

In Foundations of Christian Worship Susan White, now Emeritus Professor of Spiritual Resources and Disciplines, Brite Divinity School, has assembled a broad selection of tools to equip students of liturgy, worship leaders, and pastors to think rightly about Christian worship and doing a better job leading it. She begins by identifying four cornerstones of worship: theology, the Bible, church history, and the human sciences (anthropology, sociology, and psychology). All the worship practices and emphases found within various Christian traditions are said to have been built upon these. Having laid the foundations in the first chapter, White erects the building blocks, the essential features, of all forms of Christian worship: prayer, creeds and other affirmations of faith, music, time, ritual, and art and architecture.

The third and fourth chapters examine different ways in which the Christian life is nurtured through specific aspects of worship. As might be expected, the two worship acts recognized by most Protestants as sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, are given prominence of place. Christians are also said to receive nurture in several other ways. First, the Lord’s Day service unites believers through a general structure of preparation (gathering the assembly for worship), proclamation (through Scripture reading and sermon), and response (by prayer, singing, etc., and being sent to live out the faith in the world). Second, daily prayer, in spite of variant practices throughout history, has always been recognized as an essential part of the Christian walk. Third, due to the continuing problem of sin in the lives of Christians, penance and reconciliation have always been needed. And finally, ordination acknowledges that certain individuals, particularly deacons, priests, and bishops, have the gifts needed to serve as leaders.

In chapter five, White addresses a number of rites of passage that may call for special services. These include Christian marriage, thanksgiving for the birth or adoption of a child, anointing the sick, and Christian burial. She then, briefly raises the possibility of devising services to mark significant moments in the lives of people going through a divorce, those who desire “gay marriage”, those who are uniting as foster or step families, etc. Chapter six examines “Contemporary Challenges to Christian Worship,” including such issues as how to worship in an ecumenical setting or with believers from other theological traditions, whether or not to worship with people from non-Christian religions, inculturating worship rites so they will be acceptable in various cultures, using language in worship that is neither archaic nor offensive to those present, and the way the contemporary crisis of authority influences worship.

The final chapter challenges readers with twelve case studies of people facing complex life situations that require sensitive pastoral assessment and wise judgment of how these issues can be addressed in the common worship of the church. This chapter is such a gem that it alone makes the book worth its price to students of worship. Designed for group discussion, these case studies would make an excellent team assignment for a class or workshop on worship.

The book is enhanced by a series of four appendices which provide worship leaders with more tools to aid their service preparation — “Guidelines for Theological Analysis of Liturgical Texts”, “Helpsheet for Worship Observation”, “Religious Ritual: A Questionnaire”, “Helpsheet for Worship Planning”. A further glossary of liturgical terms introduces many of the important words used in worship studies. A select bibliography lists some general worship resources along with those that specifically relate to the topics addressed in the book’s various chapters so that students can expand their knowledge of the subject. This is followed by an index of biblical references and a general index that deals with topics and people.

As both the title and contents make clear, the book is designed to be a primer for beginning worship leaders. This aim produces both strengths and weaknesses. On the positive side, Foundations is a great place to begin studying worship. It is relatively brief in its coverage of the history and most of the necessary aspects of worship. It is accessible. It provides students with practical scenarios that can help them think about designing and leading worship. It was written for a broadly Christian audience, making it useful for people from most denominations. For these reasons I will recommend the book to my students and add it to my reading list.

Even so, the book reveals a number of weaknesses. The breadth evident in a book of this length necessarily limits its depth. The result is that many readers will find no need to return to it in the future. When tough questions arise, Foundations will remain on the shelf. This is particularly so because the book rarely informs readers whether the worship practices and issues raised — including some very controversial ones — are correct or incorrect, worth following or not, or where one can go to find more information on the subject. The book’s usefulness would have been greatly enhanced if more comments had been made about the relative worth of different forms of worship and more footnotes added to introduce sources that deal with historical and theological issues at a deeper level. This holds for age old issues such as transubstantiation and contemporary issues like worshipping with non-Christians, and inclusive language. (While withholding personal views on inclusive language, White claims not to use pronouns for God in the book [230, n. 6]. She does however refer to the Holy Spirit as “it” and “itself” [172] — pronouns that have been regularly rejected for hiding the personal nature of the Spirit.) Information about divergent practices is interesting, but students need to know whether all worship practices are equally acceptable. If they are, why were some rejected in the past and others now? Can old forms be appropriated again? What grounds can be used to come to such a determination? Does the right approach depend wholly on the denomination’s or the reader’s preferences? Nothing equips the reader to answer these questions.

Some of what has been said above is a result of the book being written for an ecumenical audience. While presenting Christian worship in a way that does not favor one tradition can broaden one’s audience, it can also cause people to lose sight of their own worship tradition. (To facilitate this need I require students to prepare an assignment identifying the distinctive worship characteristics of their own denomination or local congregation.) While there are signs that the future of worship is focusing more and more upon its ancient roots, many from free church and Pentecostal/charismatic backgrounds will find the liturgical approach introduced here to be outside of their present experience.

Limitations aside, Foundations of Christian Worship should find its way into university, seminary, and church libraries. It should also be considered as a text for introductory classes in worship.