Review: Singing the Congregation

Regrettably, as a result of the so-called "worship wars," music and worship have become conflated within evangelical circles. A performance mentality has led to participation in worship as a distinct social activity. In Singing the Congregation (Oxford, 2018), ethnomusicologist Monique Ingalls explores how singing contemporary worship music forms evangelical worshiping communities. Ingalls targets five distinct ways in which evangelical worshipers conceive themselves: concert, conference, church, public, and networked congregations.

Each chapter is devoted to a different model; Ingalls probes how concert congregations seek to lift Jesus' name, how conference congregations seek to form an eschatological community, how church congregations seek to create a distinct worship voice, how public congregations seek to take religion outside of the church, and how networked congregations seek to build community outside of the church walls. Her research is certainly thorough, based on new, empirical research and deep interaction with the scholarly corpus. Making music together, claims Ingalls, is a primary way of forming evangelical worshiping communities.

Ingalls stands out as one of the leading church music scholars who is able to speak of contemporary worship music in theological and sociological terms. Insights abound in this interesting read for worship scholars and leaders. With this book, Ingalls begins to fill a lacuna of literature surrounding the growing contemporary worship movement. Her five modes of congregating is an essential foundation for talking about evangelical worship with cogency. It is certain that this book will become one of the most important sources for understanding the sociology and spiritual formation of contemporary evangelical worship experiences.

(A complimentary review copy was given in exchange for an honest review.)

Comments

Product Review: LL Bean Extra-Large Rolling Adventure Duffle

Overview When adventure strikes, the right bag makes all the difference. Too often, however, luggage bags are either large, ponderous suitcases or small, flimsy duffle bags. I have traveled to Central and South America multiple times with terribly large suitcases. It added extra complication to my trip—especially lugging the bag up the steps! This is the problem which LL Bean seeks to rectify in the LL Bean Extra-Large Rolling Adventure Duffle. With a 137-liter capacity, this duffel is able to hold the items of the biggest pack-rat while being easy to transport. It features a telescoping handle, smooth-gliding wheels, and cinch straps. Specifications Capacity: Approx. 8,350 cu. in., 137 L. Weight: 9 lb. 3 oz. Dimensions: 17"H x 34"W x 15"D. Highlights This bag is sturdy. Not only is it capable of holding many items, but it is incredibly durable. It has a reinforced nylon bottom and a thick plastic frame so that the bag does not sag or become weak.

Review: Pastoral and Spiritual Care in a Digital Age

The advancements of technology and social media are changing what it means to be human, yet religious studies rarely tend to intersect with technological and neurological sciences. In Pastoral and Spiritual Care in a Digital Age: The Future is Now (Lexington Books, 2018), Kirk A. Bingaman ventures into how technology informs spiritual care. Himself a professor of pastoral care, Bingaman claims that humans are becoming techno sapiens. Rather than retreating from technology, Bingaman sees the unavoidable development of technology as part of God's ongoing work of "doing a new thing." Consequently, he sees positive means for artificial intelligence that can be embraced in pastoral care. For Bingaman, pastoral and spiritual care in a digital age requires preserving humanity through contemplative spiritual practices, preventing technology from overtaking human identity. Bingaman's book is important for many reasons. First, he asserts that technological change is unav

Review: The Four Pages of the Sermon, Revised and Updated

Paul Scott Wilson's celebrated preaching text, The Four Pages of the Sermon (Abingdon, 2018) is now available in a revised and updated edition, with additions that reflect advancements in homiletical scholarship and cultural dynamics. First published in 1999, Wilson challenged the New Homiletic movement to emphasize God's gracious activity within the text and to let it saturate the entirety of the sermon—not to use the Gospel as a tantalizing treat at the end of a well-crafted plot. Today, this text stands as one of the most respected and accessible works for preachers at all stages in their ministry. Wilson argues that there are four main moves, or "pages," in a sermon: the problem in the text, the problem in the world, the grace in the text, and the grace in the world. Like Eugene Lowry's "homiletical plot," Wilson's sermon upsets the listener by exposing a human need and then moves toward resolution through the power of the Gospel. These page

Leitourgia

Search This Blog