The Rev. Dr. Lester Ruth returned to IWS to deliver the 2017 Commencement address on June 18, 2017. His message: let us not mistake the means and ministry of worship for its end—only one worship leader can make the Living God present to us!Read More
A few years ago I published in a couple of places a review that I had done about the Trinitarian quality of the most used contemporary worship songs in the United States. The study looked at the lyrics of any song that had appeared on one of CCLI’s twice-a-year list of the most used 25...Read More
The promise of God’s presence is fulfilled. According to Matthew, that is how the Gospel begins. In interpreting the meaning of the angel’s declaration to Joseph that Mary would bear a son to be named “Jesus,” Matthew states all this took place to fulfill the promise recorded in the prophecy of Isaiah: the one to...Read More
God spat. At first glance such an assertion might sound irreverent, even dangerously blasphemous. How dare I attribute such a disgusting act to the Divine! Yet in my mind I am following the lead of the Gospels, at least if we see the actions of Jesus as not only the ministry of a carpenter from...Read More
Let this piece serve as an earnest appeal to songwriters: please don’t lose the Trinity as you write songs! Why would I say such a thing? Because my study of the most used contemporary worship songs in the last fifteen years shows that there is a danger our songs reflect love for a god who...Read More
And Jesus said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24; NIV) Surely this divine desire has...Read More
How would you classify your worship service? It is “contemporary” or “traditional”? Are those terms too limited? Would the terms found in some recent youth ministry training materials be more helpful? In that case, would you classify your worship as “linear” or “organic”? Are you still at a loss for the right classification? Would these...Read More
