Books of Note: Bob Kauflin's "Worship Matters"

I have recently come into possession of a number of new Crossway titles, several of which are well worth reading. The first is pastor and musician Bob Kauflin's book on worship, Worship Matters (Crossway, 2008). Here's a synopsis of the book from the foreword: "In Worship Matters, Bob leads us skillfully through the Scriptures and through his experiences to better understand the why and how of biblical worship, regardless of the style or form." (11) The point, then, is not to cover the exact shape that biblically informed worship will take, but the reasons for its existence.

The book breaks down into four main parts: the leader, the task, healthy tensions, and right relationships. There are all kinds of helpful points to be found in these sections, as one would expect from a book written by a former professional musician who has a great passion for God-exalting congregational musicality. On one page Kauflin gives suggestions for chord progressions; on another he writes about the proper balance between tradition and innovation. On relevance, for example, he writes that "we need to ask whether the songs, words, arrangements, visuals, expressions, and traditions we're using are saying the things we want them to say--and whether people actually understand what we're saying." (191) After all, Kauflin notes, "we want to proclaim the unchanging gospel in ways our culture can comprehend, ways that will make it easy for people to perceive who Jesus Christ is and how he has changed us." (191) This is an excellent point to highlight, for it shows how Kauflin combines freshness--which we desperately need--with faithfulness, which is obviously our greatest concern as worshippers of the living God.

I think that you should buy the book. Read it and get a better taste of what biblical worship stems from and looks like in the life of the local church. Learn from a man who has sung in the popular Christian a capella group GLAD, who leads thousands of worshippers each week at Covenant Life Church, one of my favorite churches, and who blends humble piety with wise reflection. If you're in a church, give it to your staff. Wayne Grudem, for his part, notes that "The next time I teach on worship, I plan to make this the required text." Bruce Ware says that "Kauflin provides an array of insights and instruction...all of which are wrapped in an overarching theology of the triune God, the gospel of grace, and the centrality of the cross."

Read it for the edification of your own spiritual life, and for the edification of the body whose central task is nothing other than worship of our majestic God.

Dispatches from T4G: Day Two--Cupcakes and Curses

Quick thoughts from another very long and very rich day.

1. The opportunity to connect with fellow like-minded Christians is simply breathtaking at a conference of the magnitude of T4G. If you have not attended a conference of this sort, I would encourage you to do so in the future. In the past few days, I have seen dozens of old friends. I've been able to talk with many people whose writing and work I admire. I've met total strangers who I had an instant bond with. Conferences of this sort (and the Gospel Coalition, among others) are a rich treat. Consider going to an event of this sort if you have not, even if you don't know many folks who will be going. It will be good for your soul.

2. R. C. Sproul gave a masterful talk on curse motif of the Bible. As a speaker, he understands how to use every word, and every one seems carefully chosen. He is one of a rare breed of speakers who does not simply convey meaty content, but who does so in a textured, almost narratival way such that truth is not simply caught but felt. When he was talking about the idea of the sacrificial scapegoat, you could almost see the goat trotting away to its death in the wild. I would recommend that everyone listen to this talk when it comes out on mp3. You will be stirred in a way that is rare in this age of dumbed-down, simplistic communication, when rhetoric (and theology-fueled rhetoric) is largely a lost art.

3. There is nothing like hearing 5000-6000 people singing "And Can it Be". Wow.

4. If you do not know much about Covenant Life pastor (and I Kissed Dating Goodbye author) Joshua Harris, you should. Simply put, he is perhaps the most humble, kind man I think I've ever met. I talked with him and a few others for a bit today, and he listened to me like I was telling him the secret formula for long life. Soak up whatever you can of his ministry--he is a man I think is marked by God for his humble piety.

5. The dark-chocolate cupcakes at T.G.I. Friday's are sensational. Thanks, Paul Curtis--it was great to devour them with you.

6. I don't want to make you jealous, but tomorrow morning I have the privilege of waking up and listening to 1) John Piper on sacrifice and 2) CJ Mahaney on pastoral ministry. Honestly, friends, this is slated to be one of the richest mornings I think that I (and 5000 of my closest friends) will see.

Now, if you add some cupcakes to said morning...

The Week-est Link, March 7, 2008: Rap, and lots of Sovereign Grace

1. Sovereign Grace recently posted a review of what sounds like a terrific rap cd. It's by Tony Reinke, assistant to Sovereign Grace director C. J. Mahaney. I haven't heard the album in full, though I've heard it in parts, and I can say that Tony hits the nail on the head, and reveals that rap, though it may sound strange to some, can actually prove to be a very theologically friendly style of music. All the lines that rappers say (far more than most singers of other genres) provide Christian rappers with the opportunity to speak a whole lot of truth. Check out the cd Tony reviews and hear a few tracks from Shai Linne's "Atonement" (hint: click on the "boombox") (HT: Justin Taylor)

2. Here's another link related to Sovereign Grace: check out the welcome video from the denomination's flagship church, Covenant Life. Covenant Life is one of my favorite churches in the world. This video shows a few hints of why it's such a great church: the people are theologically concerned, the church is very friendly and joyful, and visitors are made to feel welcome even as they are instructed in truth. I am regularly encouraged by this church, and I would encourage you to check it out. You don't need to agree with all its doctrine to see that Covenant Life is a very healthy large church, something of a model for the rest of us.

3. CBMW just linked to a post I did on masculine provision. If you have already read the post, then use this link as an opportunity to tool around the site and see what else is there--they have a plethora of interesting, helpful resources.

4. A JC Penney commercial, of all things, tipped me off to this gorgeous song. It's by Allison Krauss and Robert Plant and it's called "Killing the Blues" from the Raising Sand album. I highly recommend it.

That's all for today--have a great weekend, everyone.

Sometimes, the Only Halo Related to the Youth Is a Game...

Well, I'm being a little fascetious there. But you can excuse me, I think--it was too fun to pass up.

This is a fun discussion, and I'm thankful for everyone who's chimed in. Very stimulating stuff. Essentially, I think that all who have commented essentially agree. No one really wants to slam a church youth group for playing Halo 3, while all are quick to affirm that the primary focus of the youth group and the church itself should be to ground students' lives in the Bible. On this point, Rick, Riley, Mary and Joseph (I didn't plan that, I swear) are in basic agreement. G. F., on the other hand, just wants to break it down.

In all seriousness, I concur with this consensus. If Halo 3 were horribly violent, then I would have a problem with a youth group playing it. But it's not Doom or Duke Nukem or--shudder--Postal 2. These games all have clearly sinful elements to them. Postal 2 apes the Columbine killers, for example, in certain gameplay elements. Youth groups should have no part of that. But with a game that is violent, yes, but is not horribly so, I think we can say that we're okay with youth playing such a game under supervision. We might not all use the game in the same way as the churches profiled in the NYT story, but I myself have nothing against a little combat-by-video-game. It can actually be pretty fun, though I prefer games in which the violence is not ultrarealistic. I feel better about "nuking" a funny little robot than I do a pixelated woman.

With all that said, we still haven't gotten to the heart of the matter. So here goes. If a church has a youth group, and that youth group is not a substitute for parental spiritual care of children but a supplement to it, I'm fine with youth groups. I'm especially okay with them when they don't major on silliness and hijinks but instead attempt to bring youth together in a fun and relaxed setting to communicate the eternal truths of God's Word. I know that Covenant Life Church in Maryland, for example, trains it students theologically using Wayne Grudem's book on systematic theology. Knowing CLC, I'm sure that they show their youth a good time, but the emphasis of their times together is the Triune God and the Word through which He has spoken. That sounds like a great operation to me, and I'm guessing that the youth benefit from their association as much as they enjoy it.

The primary resource for children, though, must be their parents. We must say that, highlight it, and live by it. Most churches do none of the three. We need a recovery of the role of the parents in the lives of their children. A dad and a mom are not advisors or buddies. They are a child's authority. Dad must be a strong, spiritual leader and mom must be a godly, gracious helpmeet, to use an old word. With this in place, we are poised to reach the youth who were not raised in Christian homes. It is great to invite an unsaved friend to a youth group meeting, yes. That may well have great effects and even lead youth to Christ. But it is far more important that our teenagers invite their lost friends to two other places: our churches and our homes. In the church, the youth will hear the gospel and see its effect as people of all different ages and types worship together in the name of Jesus Christ. In our homes, they will see the calculus of the gospel displayed, as husband and wife demonstrate and speak the gospel to their children. A great youth group is helpful to the witness of the Christian church. But a gospel-saturated church is calibrated to display the gospel in a way an age-segregated youth group cannot. In addition, a loving Christian home is foundational to our evangelism, as there youth will see the relationship of Christ and the church lived out between husband and wife. In our homes, the gospel is both spoken and demonstrated. When all of these parts work together, and the church is healthy and vibrant, then it is equipped to reach youth in a way that Halo 3 and its space combat cannot touch.