In April, I enjoyed presenting this two-part seminar in Louisville, Kentucky. Below are the videos of the seminar including full-screen PowerPoint.

Seminar Overview: We are created in the image of God to glorify and delight in Him—to worship Him. Fulfilling this purpose requires the total commitment of our heart. Scripture teaches that the heart is composed of the intellect, the affections, and the will. As such our heart is intimately entwined with our worldview. This means that after we come to Christ for salvation, a large part of reaching maturity as Christ’s disciples comes through the transformation of our worldview from that which is secular to that which is fully Christian. As imitators of God, Christians need to evaluate arts and culture through the lens of the Christian Worldview—particularly the arts we employ in corporate worship. As Scripture attests, God has designed worldview, worship, and the arts to work together according to the unity of truth.

Part One: We explore the critical difference between the truth claims of the Classical/Biblical Worldview and the dominant Secular Worldview in Western culture. Furthermore, we explore how Scripture reveals the heart as the expressive vehicle of worldview in the life of the Christian, emphasizing that our heart’s view of reality needs to align with God’s view of reality.

Part Two: We explore how our worldview is connected to a Biblical understanding of worship. We examine Scriptural definitions and models of worship, noting that God has designed all forms of communication in worship to work together as a holistic unity. Finally, we discuss implications that this has for corporate worship, discipleship, and God-centered living.

In 2009, Baker Academic published Bryan Chapell’s widely acclaimed book, Christ-Centered Worship, Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice. Central to the book is that although the bible doesn’t prescribe an order of worship, the patterns of worship in Scripture and as held by the major historic liturgies display the gospel message in their shape. Following this pattern allows churches to proclaim the gospel message each week no matter what other themes are present. Aligning with this perspective, Scott Aniol recently published an excellent video in which he clearly illustrates how pastors may plan “Gospel-Shaped Worship Service[s]” with variety each week. The video walks the viewer through the computer planning and organizational tools that Aniol uses. It gives you an open window to what Aniol sees on his computer as he plans. Although there are many ways to plan services, how we plan is important because as Aniol says, worship shapes us. Just follow this link to see the video: http://religiousaffections.org/news-reviews/how-to-plan-a-gospel-shaped-worship-service/

Sources:

Chapell, Bryan. Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009.

Aniol, Scott. “How to Plan a Gospel Shaped Worship Service.” Religious Affections Ministries. Accessed November 30, 2009. Available from http://religiousaffections.org/news-reviews/how-to-plan-a-gospel-shaped-worship-service/; Internet.