The Worship Quote of the Week for (11/09/2004):

We Need Doctrine Is our regular practice of Christian worship fueled more by facts or by feelings? Today’s WORSHIP QUOTE helps us to see the importance of right thinking in worship. WE NEED DOCTRINE [T]he place of doctrine within Christianity is absolutely vital. Christians are not defined by skin color, by gender, by geographical location, or even, shockingly, by their good behavior. Nor are they defined by the particular type of religious feelings they may have. They are defined in terms of THE GOD THEY WORSHIP. That’s why we say the Creed at the heart of our regular liturgies: we are defined as the people who believe in this god. All other definitions of the church are open to distortion. We need theology, we need doctrine, because if we don‘t have it something else will come in to take its place. And any other defining marks of the church will move us in the direction of idolatry. — N. T. Wright, FOR ALL GOD’S WORTH: TRUE WORSHIP AND THE CALLING OF THE CHURCH. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997, p. 28. ISBN 0-8028-4319-0 ========== WQOTW FAVOR: If you are a pastor, church musician, church choir member, or worship leader, please consider taking fifteen minutes to fill out a survey (www.calvin.edu/worship/survey/index.htm) from our friends at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. The goal is to help in the important task of training worship planners and leaders for service in the local church. I hope you will do it. ========== Have a great week, Chip Stam Director, Institute for Christian Worship School of Church Music and Worship Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky carlstam@aol.com www.carlstam.org www.sbts.edu/icw =========================== WORSHIP QUOTE OF THE WEEK: To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view a complete index of worship quotes, please visit http://www.wqotw.org ===========================