Generations of Praise: The History of Worship
Overview
In Generations of Praise, authors Bruce Shields and David Butzu explore the history of worship from ancient Israel to the present and analyze how worship has evolved in various cultures. The hope is that present believers, as well as future generations, will have a deeper understanding of God and experience an unhindered worship of our Creator. This volume is helpful if you’re a worship leader or an active member of church worship ministries looking for ways to develop a worship service suitable for twenty-first-century congregations.
Logos Bible Software dramatically improves the value of this resource by enabling you to find what you’re looking for instantly and with remarkable precision. As you’re reading Generations of Praise, you can easily search for any Scripture reference or topic—for example, “worship” or “prayer.”
- Provides a comprehensive history of worship
- Offers insight for preparing your next worship service
- Worship in the New Testament
- The First Three Centuries
- The Empire: 312–600
- Worship in the Eastern Churches
- The Western Church in the Middle Ages
- Worship Reformations
- Post-Reformation Developments: 1600–1800
- The Nineteenth Century
- The Twentieth Century
- The Present and Trends
Top Highlights
“The major elements of worship in ancient Israel appear to be praise and prayer, connected after Moses (see especially Exodus 19–24) with holy living.” (Page 16)
“The third element of synagogue worship was and is the recitation of the Shema.” (Page 23)
“The fourth element of synagogue worship was and is the prayers” (Page 24)
“There is now no known evidence that even the Psalms were sung in synagogue services. Music was certainly part of Jewish life in first-century Palestine—both at the Temple and in family and community celebrations; but the sources are silent about music in the synagogues.” (Page 29)
“The second element of synagogue worship included targum. Synagogue leaders developed the practice of orally translating the readings into the local languages. These translations were called targumim.” (Page 23)
- Title: Generations of Praise: The History of Worship
- Authors: Bruce E. Shields and David A. Butzu
- Publisher: College Press
- Publication Date: 2006
- Pages: 351
Bruce E. Shields has served as the professor of Christian ministries at Emmanuel School of Religion since 1983. He received his BA from Milligan College, BD from Princeton Theological Seminary, and DTh from the University of Tubingen. Shields has been published in several journal articles and numerous books.
David A. Butzu serves as the worship minister at Hopwood Memorial Christian Church in Milligan College, TN. He is a part-time instructor at Milligan College and Emmanuel School of Religion. Butzu received his BMus from the University of Michigan and MDiv from Emmanuel School of Religion, and has finished postgraduate coursework in historical theology from the Catholic University of America.
Reviews
5 ratings
MJ. Smith
11/30/2023
The authors appear to know their material and cover all the highlights. However, to support their own beliefs they often compare apples to persimmons e.g. the number of times communion is offered (4 times a years) vs. the number of times it is mandatory (once a year) ignoring the availability of daily and the regional differences. Or, in the development of the church calendar, ignoring the influence of the Jewish feasts on the early Christian church. There is a consistent acceptance of the position described by Luther and Calvin as if the problems they saw with the services in Germany and Switzerland, represented problems universal in the entire church ... without recognition that they are not even describing the practices of the entire Western Catholic church. One cannot provide a history of worship that ignores two out of three of the three branches of Christian worship - the branches rooted in Latin, Greek, and Syriac. While it covers a narrower time period González, Justo L., and Catherine Gunsalus González. Worship in the Early Church. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox, 2022. is a better introduction to the history of Christian worship.
Michael Herbert, M.Div., Pastor
4/8/2014
Bill Shewmaker
10/8/2013
Phil Niebergall
7/30/2013
John Vignol
7/12/2013
