WORSHIP IN CHURCH HISTORY: 5. Post-Reformation (c. AD 1650–present)

Church History, Priority of Worship, Reformation, Revelation and Response, Theology and Doxology, Traditional/Contemporary Debate, Worship Wars

WORSHIP NOTESVolume 20, No. 2 (February 2025) Broad Movements This is a period with a great deal of different developments (including the modern missionary movement and the enormous expansion of Christianity worldwide);  this chart below traces some of the broader historical trends and compares their tendencies (chart adapted in part from Marva Dawn, How Shall We Worship?, 108–13):   This period is characterized by the multiplication of Protestant confessions and […]

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WORSHIP IN CHURCH HISTORY: 3. The Middle Ages (c. AD 400–1500)

Church History, Reformation

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 20, No. 1 (January 2025) Welcome to the 20th year of Worship Notes! After jumping ahead in our survey of Worship in Church History, in order to deal with the Protestant Reformation in October, and then focusing on Christmas after that, we go back to deal with the Middle Ages. Rise of Priesthood, Saints, Mariology The Patristic-Age debates concerning the true nature of Christ and the need

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WORSHIP IN CHURCH HISTORY: 4. The Protestant Reformation (c. AD 1500–1650)

Reformation

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 19, No. 10 (October 2024) NOTE: We are purposely skipping past the Middle Ages (3. in the series) until next month, because of the timeliness of dealing now with the Reformation (Reformation Day being October 31). The Beginning The beginning of the Protestant Reformation is usually traced to October 31, 1517, the date on which Martin Luther posted hisNinety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church

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“. . . of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38): THE REFORMATION

Reformation, Word and Worship

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 17, No. 10 (October 2022)   THE BEGINNING The beginning of the Protestant Reformation is usually traced to October 31, 1517, the date on which Martin Luther posted his “95 Theses” to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The 95 Theses were questions, points of disputation and disagreements that Luther had with the established church of his day. THE DEBT WE OWE The Reformers, at

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Words of Wisdom from Martin Luther

Reformation

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 15, No. 10 (October 2020) Reformation Day, October 31, is celebrated in Protestant Europe (and in many of our churches: see Worship Notes 2.10, 5.8, 11.10, 12.8, and 12.10) as the anniversary of the day in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, touching off what we now know as the Protestant Reformation. In honor of Martin Luther, who along with the other Reformers risked

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WITTENBERG REPORT: The Reformation at 500

Reformation

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 12, No. 10  (October 2017) I apologize that Worship Notes for October is so late; after taking part in World Reformed Fellowship’s conference “The Global Impact of the Reformation and its Relevance for Continuing Reformation” in Wittenberg, Germany, I continued on to Singapore for a non-stop week of teaching there. I would like to now share some reflections on my time in Wittenberg and on the 500th

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CELEBRATING REFORMATION 500: What, Why, How

Grace, Reformation

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 12, No. 8  (August 2017) “Reformation Day,” and “Reformation Sunday” on the Sunday immediately preceding, is celebrated every year in Lutheran and other churches in commemoration of Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg; this act is commonly seen as setting in motion the discussions, debates and conflicts that resulted in what we now call the Protestant Reformation. This year there

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The Reformation of Worship

Christ and Worship, Church, Gospel, Music, New Testament, Reformation, Salvation, Word and Worship

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 11, No. 10 (October 2016) We usually think of the Reformation of the 15th Century in terms of doctrinal renewal. The Reformers were not seeking to bring new or original truths to the Church; rather they were zealous to bring back to the Church the biblical/apostolic teaching concerning salvation, which had been largely lost to the Church. Hence their emphasis on justification by grace alone, through faith

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