Worship by Faith Alone
Thomas Cranmer, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Reformation of Liturgy
- Preaching & Worship
- Publisher: IVP Academic (InterVarsity Press)
- Published: 2023
FritzSearch.com earns a commission on purchases made through Bookshop.org links.
Publisher's Description
In every age, the church must consider what it means to gather together to worship God. If the church is primarily the people who follow the risen Christ, then its worship should be "gospel-centered." But where might the church find an example of such worship for today? In this Dynamics of Christian Worship volume, scholar, worship leader, and songwriter Zac Hicks contends that such a focus can be found in the theology of worship presented by Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury during the English Reformation. Hicks argues that Cranmer's reformation of the church's worship and liturgy was shaped primarily by the Protestant principle of justification by faith alone as reflected in his 1552 edition of the Book of Common Prayer, which was later codified under Elizabeth I and has guided Anglican worship for centuries. Here, we find a model of "gospel-centered" worship through which the church of today might be reformed yet again. The Dynamics of Christian Worship series draws from a wide range of worshiping contexts and denominational backgrounds to unpack the many dynamics of Christian worship—including prayer, reading the Bible, preaching, baptism, the Lord's Supper, music, visual art, architecture, and more—to deepen both the theology and practice of Christian worship for the life of the church.
Endorsements (4)
“The rediscovery of Thomas Cranmer's vision for worship, enshrined in the Book of Common Prayer, is one of the exciting developments of recent years. Zac Hicks takes us to the source of Cranmer's inspiration in the great doctrine of justification by faith alone, which he expressed in timeless prose. A must-read for everyone who wants to worship God in spirit and in truth.”
“In an era obsessed with questions of worship style or the worshiper's positive experience, Zac Hicks's study of Thomas Cranmer reminds us that the more critical issue is how worship proclaims and participates in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have long been concerned that much of the worship in this contemporary era has been ashamed of this gospel, not by overt rejection but by a more subtle—and equally disastrous—omission. Worship by Faith Alone through Cranmer's historical example shows how to avoid this drastic error.”
“Worship and trust go together, for good or ill. Zac Hicks shows how the Book of Common Prayer was shaped brilliantly by Thomas Cranmer to commend a deep trust in the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, in whom is all comfort and eternal life. Worship by Faith Alone shows us the richly Protestant nature of Cranmerian Anglicanism. Even more so, Hicks shows us how worship can convey Jesus Christ to us.”
“In Worship by Faith Alone, Zac Hicks brings together analysis of Cranmer's thought and Reformation liturgy with a deep concern for the health of modern worship. Useful to church leaders and students of worship and liturgy, Worship by Faith Alone offers readers a vision of worship that is gospel centered in word, action, and atmosphere, exemplifying the belief that history has relevance for the contemporary world.”
See something wrong on this page? Report a problem