David G. Peterson - Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship

Christians are adept at the loose use of language. What exactly does bless mean? And what is the purpose and character of the type of Christian meeting that we call a service? In this book David Peterson addresses himself to the latter of these two questions and he does a notable service for his readers. He rightly recognizes that to call a Christian meeting worship gives a one-sided impression of an occasion on which we do something, and that we need to realize more and more that it should be an engagement with God, in which he acts towards us and we act towards him in the context of a fellowship or mutual bond between the various people taking part.

All this is dealt with in a manner that is biblical, comprehensive, practical and simple. That is to say, the author cuts back through the undergrowth of our inherited traditions to the clarity and straightforwardness of the biblical teaching and lets it challenge us. He gives an overview of Scripture teaching as a whole, which brings out the varying accents of its different parts and which will provide a valuable aid for the more academic study of the topic: the book reflects a thorough knowledge of the scholarly literature on every page. He writes, however, with a practical bent to help Christians today to retrieve the richness of biblical worship, so that the church can be built up and become more faithful to its intended pattern. And, despite the scholarship behind it, all this is done with a beautiful simplicity and clarity that makes the book readily available to a wide circle of readers.

Here, then, is the guide to the biblical teaching on worship which has long been needed. It needs no recommendation from me, for its virtues are manifest, but I am glad to introduce the author to a wider public. David Peterson is a lecturer at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia, and already the author of a major work on Hebrews and Perfection (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982). This new book will further enhance his reputation as a fine scholar with a lively concern for the life of Gods people.

I. Howard Marshall