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Any books or just blog posts?Scott Clark is the biggest name that I know of.
I read this book a few years back. It's very brief and teaches the regulative principle. Our pastor would encourage members to read it to understand why we worship the way we do. Even at its most basic definition, I think the RPW is still so difficult for Christians who are not familiar with it because it is such a foreign teaching in our culture. It's like the mind needs to be reprogrammed to comprehend it.A bit off the specific topic...but I have often wished that there was some type of RPW apologetics book that was brief and written specifically for a layman/unacademic audience. Just something very basic and high level that I could give to family, friends, other church members to help them understand the RPW and how it applies to holidays, EP, instruments, special music, choirs, wine vs grape juice, images of Christ, etc. So...when they look at me like I'm from Mars because I just told them that Christians should not observe Christmas, or have choirs or use grape juice, etc...I can give them a brief defense of those views to read. There are Puritan works and lengthy, scholarly essays - such as the CPJ article that Chris referenced above which is an excellent resource - but these are not something that my 87 year old mom, or a young college person, or even some of my friends would be willing to devote the time to reading. If anyone knows of a resource like this, please let me know. If not, I'm sure there are some men on these board who could write one.
Does he get into specifics like what @CGS mentioned? Holidays, EP, choirs, etc?I read this book a few years back. It's very brief and teaches the regulative principle. Our pastor would encourage members to read it to understand why we worship the way we do. Even at its most basic definition, I think the RPW is still so difficult for Christians who are not familiar with it because it is such a foreign teaching in our culture. It's like the mind needs to be reprogrammed to comprehend it.
Reformed Worship: Worship that is According to Scripture (new 2010 reprint): Terry Johnson: 9780980037098: Amazon.com: Books
Reformed Worship: Worship that is According to Scripture (new 2010 reprint) [Terry Johnson] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Reformed Worship: Worship that is According to Scripture (new 2010 reprint)www.amazon.com
I wish I could be of more help, but I can't remember. I think I own it, so if I find time I'll try to look at it and get back to you. Grace and peace to you.Does he get into specifics like what @CGS mentioned? Holidays, EP, choirs, etc?
Yes, this is the problem I have found with most of these introductory type RPW books. They do a pretty good job of defining the RPW, but then are terrible on the application of it. Another recent example is Derek Thomas's book on Reformed worship. He claims to follow the RPW, but then his church uses uninspired hymns, has an organ, choir, observes pretended holy days, etc. And then there's Sproul. I hear that alot. "Well...if Sproul said Christmas is the holiest of days and he had images of Christ in his church, then how can it be a violation of the RPW?" I have found a few good older articles from Blue Banner, G.I. Williamson, etc. in regards to "holy days". I will post links to them later when I have more time.Dr. Johnson is not EP so don't think he goes there; being against the old pretended holy days is also so minority the general type rpw works don't go there. One of the better general and brief pamphlets is the late Dr. Bogue's but again, does not go there. https://www.all-of-grace.org/pub/others/lawworship.html
Agreed...good reminder and point of clarification. Thank you.As I routinely comment in these threads because it is such a common mistake, the RPW tells you nothing about the content of worship, any more than the inerrancy of Scripture tells you about the deity of Christ. The RPW as such just tells you that we should only worship in ways commanded (directly or by good and necessary inference) from the Word. What the Bible teaches about worship has to b determined by proper exegesis of the relevant passages. That is why you can have a variety of people who sincerely hold to the RPW but worship in very different ways. What you are looking for is books that do exgesis of Scripture on the topic of worship, not books about the RPW (though there could be an overlap).
What other works do you have in mind please (aside from Gillespie)?There is a whole class of Reformed and Presbyterian works against worship abuses generated during the Puritan era, such as Gillespie's Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies, and of course at controversies that have successively come up as folks introduce innovation, Watt's imitations, the organ controversy, the renewed interest of the church calendar, though' the last seems to have washed in with little resistance in what Dabney would call an "advancing wave of worldliness and ritualism in the evangelical bodies."
I'm thinking of works by Calderwood (perth assembly and perth re-examined), and Ames (fresh suit against the ceremonies). All had to be printed on secret or continental presses and smuggled in.What other works do you have in mind please (aside from Gillespie)?
Megs, If you still have it, could you give a list of the tiles you collected?Not a big name (?) but Brian Schwertley's "The Regulative Principle of Worship and Christmas" helped me understand the RPW when I was trying to wrap my head around it. It doesn't look like it's available free online anymore.
At one time, I actually printed out tons of articles on the RPW and Christmas and bound them because it took a while to wrap my head around the doctrine (I was raised Anglican). Unfortunately, most of those articles are no longer even on the internet!