Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Bob Godfrey on worship: Contrasting the Reformed from Evangelical

In the Aquila Report, Dr. W Robert Godfrey has written an opinion piece contrasting the Reformed view of worship with the Evangelical view on two aspects: (1) The presence of God in worship, and (2) The Ministerial Office in Worship. An excerpt:

But are we Reformed really evangelical?

One area in which the differences between evangelical and Reformed can be examined is the matter of worship. At first glance, we may see more similarities than differences. The orders of worship in Reformed and evangelical churches can be almost identical. Certainly, both kinds of churches sing songs, read Scripture, pray, preach, and administer baptism and the Lord’s Supper. But do these similarities reflect only formal agreement, or do they represent a common understanding of the meaning and function of these liturgical acts in worship?

If we look closely, I believe that we will see the substantive differences between evangelicals and Reformed on worship. That difference is clear on two central issues: first, the understanding of the presence of God in the service; and second, the understanding of the ministerial office in worship.

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