The whole church belongs to God, and not just part of it. We need to see the particular emphasis of our own subculture as well as that of others as a necessary and vital part of the whole. True spirituality is inclusive, not exclusive. -Robert E. Webber, Common Roots: The Original Call to an Ancient-Future Faith (Grand...Read More
The incarnational approach to truth affirms that truth is beyond our comprehension but within our grasp. To assume we know it all is not spiritual. To assume we know nothing is not spiritual. . . . We must learn to test our ideas and subjective notions by good exegesis and the tradition of the church....Read More
The final installment of IWS President Jim hart’s interview on the Provoked to Newness podcast addresses several possible trends or future considerations in the areas of Christian worship and higher education, the consumer orientation of the North American church, the need to change how worship studies are applied, the importance of balanced accounts and accountability...Read More
We must restore the incarnational understanding of worship—that is, that in worship the divine meets the human. God speaks to us in his Word. He comes to us in the sacrament. We respond in faith and go out to act on it! -Robert E. Webber, Common Roots: The Original Call to an Ancient-Future Faith (Grand Rapids, MI:...Read More
In this third of four episodes, Jim discusses the intentionality behind IWS’s mission statement, the definitions of worship and Christian renewal, the value of Biblical, historical, and cultural grounding in renewal, the challenges of taking different cultural groundings into account within IWS’s context and the realities that many students face upon leaving the school. You...Read More
An incarnational understanding of spirituality affirms that Christ is our spirituality. It is his life, death, and resurrection that make us acceptable to God. We cannot love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind. But Christ can and has. We cannot love our neighbors as ourselves. But Christ can and has. -Robert E. Webber, Common...Read More
In this second installment of IWS President Jim Hart’s interview for the Provoked to Newness podcast, Jim talks about what it felt like to become president of IWS, special memories of Robert E. Webber (his friend and predecessor), Bob’s tendency to listen and ask questions, Bob’s influence in the lives of others, and his greatest...Read More
The constant reminder of time revolving around the life of Christ . . . will serve to break down those unhealthy distinctions we make between the secular and the sacred, causing us to realize that all time belongs to the Lord who has created it, redeemed it, and will consummate it in his coming. In...Read More
Mere memorialism is as much a departure from the early church as is transubstantiation. Leaving both transubstantiation and memorialism behind, we should seek to understand what seems to be the historical view of the presence of Christ in the sacrament. -Robert E. Webber, Common Roots: The Original Call to an Ancient-Future Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,...Read More
The basic structure of early worship revolved around Word and sacrament. . . . By Word and sacrament God has made known his plan of redemption. The Word proclaims it and the sacrament reenacts it and both Word and sacrament, by the power of the Holy Spirit, bring us the grace of God, the benefits...Read More
Join us for inspiring and informative sessions on the ministry of worship. Main sessions will include modeling a variety of worship styles (traditional, contemporary, ancient), the use of media, great teaching and time for reflection. Workshop topics include: Using Technology to Our Advantage Employing Media Properly Designing Worship Services Building a Praise Team Theology of...Read More
We should . . . recapture the conviction of the early church that the corporate action of worship is a rehearsal of God’s plan of redemption. Worship sets forth the gospel. It proclaims the entire faith of the church. -Robert E. Webber, Common Roots: The Original Call to an Ancient-Future Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009),...Read More
Pentecost Sunday ends the extraordinary season that began on the first Sunday of Advent. In approximately six months the church has been carried through all the saving events of God—his incarnation, manifestation to the world, life, death, resurrection, and ascension as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit. All these crucial events form faith...Read More
The climax of worship is the Eucharist, for the symbols of bread and wine are the material objects that in a mysterious manner are connected with the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ, through whom [one] worships the Father. For this reason the early church had a high view of the symbols of...Read More
