Pleasing God in our Worship: A Review

Godfrey, Robert. Pleasing God in our Worship. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999. 48 pages. $5.45.

While preparing for a series of adult Sunday School lessons on the subject of Worship and Music, this small booklet was brought to my attention. As I read it, I noticed a distinct difference between this book and others I have read on the subject. I have many books on my shelf decrying the dangers of rock music in the lives of Christians, calling for attention to be paid to the state of music in today’s churches, etc. While I agree with most of the conclusions that those books state, their presentation sometimes grieves me.

Frequently, books on this subject commit the error of circular reasoning, assuming the conclusion to be true before beginning to reach that conclusion logically. Other times, the tone of the writing comes across more like a rant than a well-defined argument. In my opinion, a rant gains little credibility with those whom we disagree.

Pleasing God in our Worship, however, is different. Tackling music only as a subset of worship, it lays a theological groundwork before making applications. Chapter titles include The Need for True Worship, The Character of Worship, Worship and the Word, Leadership in Worship, Music and Worship, Entertainment, Evangelism and Worship, and Worshiping with the Heart.

I found this approach very refreshing and balanced. If I had to find fault with this booklet, I would be to ask Professor Godfrey to make it longer, address some topics more in-depth and provide more application. However, as short as it is, it certainly provides food for thought.

Ashby Musical Enterprises currently stocks this publication. It is available from www.ashbyme.com.