Christian Worship Early Christian Practices Essay

Zoryana Nichipor Christianity Western Culture Box #390 Word Count: Book Review of Ancient Christian Worship: Early Christian Practices in Social, Historical, and Theological Perspective Throughout this book, Andrew B. McGowan thoroughly informs us on each cultural background and formation of the different types of acts of worship throughout the early Christian church. We see through this information that the way the Church worships has evolved into something completely different from what it once was. In one form or another we are forced to appreciate how the early Christians worshipped and, I would even assert, are challenged to bring these traditions into our own mentality of worship. If we are to look to the New Testament and how worship is referred to, it is â€Å"a great deal about ethos or a Christian way of life, but relatively little about the specifics of distinctive liturgical practice or performance.† In chapter one of McGowan’s book, we see a compare and contrast given with how the early church worshiped more communally as opposed to how we worship today; which is more aesthetic and internal. McGowan reiterates numerously that worship in the New Testament is a subject of service, reverence and ethics. â€Å"They were not merely one sacramental part of a community or worship life but the central act around or within which others— reading and preaching, prayer and prophecy— were arranged.† The New Testament was in the setting of a very communal culture. AndShow MoreRelatedEarly Church Worship Practices And The Psalms929 Words   |  4 Pages3. Early church worship practices and the Psalms The purpose of this section is to clarify major historical foundations of Christian worship practiced by the early church and its relation to the book of Psalms. The primary objective is to explain the influence of the Psalms on the worship life of the early church. By analyzing the New Testament context, believers can have a clear perception of the meaning of the book of Psalms in the worship life of the early church. Therefore, scholars assume thatRead More Early Christianity Essay examples822 Words   |  4 Pagesdeath and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the Messiah, created a new ideology of worship. The Messiah is the savior for all people and of all sins. Paul carried the message of the Messiah to the Gentiles. His missionary journeys and establishment of churches enabled the spreading of the message throughout the Roman Empire. 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