Now available …
The Liturgy Trap
the Bible Versus Mere Tradition in Worship (3rd. Edition)
by James B. Jordan
From the Athanasius Press website:
“We hear all to often that someone has decided to leave the Evangelical Christian faith and to join the Church of Rome, or Eastern Orthodoxy, or High Anglicanism. The lure is liturgy and tradition, and since the Evangelical and Reformed churches so often have such poor worship, it is not hard to understand the pull exercised by those churches that have a heritage of formality, sobriety and beauty.
“This cure, however, is far worse than the disease. The answer to the weaknesses of Evangelicalism is not a turn toward the fallacies and errors of Rome, Orthodoxy and Anglo-Catholicism, but a return to Biblical patterns of worship.
“Just as there is true and false doctrine, so there are true and false worship patterns. In this book, James B. Jordan sorts out the true and the false in the area of worship practice, discussing the cult of the saints, the veneration of icons, apostolic succession, virginity and celibacy, the presence of Christ at His Supper, and the doctrine of tradition.”
The book is currently available for pre-order at 40% off the cover price. Buy it here. Be sure to check out the other books and resources available at Athanasius Press.
I wonder if it is updated at all?
Yes, this is a new edition, not simply a reprint. There are a few updates referencing recent developments and discussions.
DG
The Liturgy Trap? Check.
[…] 12, 2009 in Book Reviews, James Jordan The Liturgy Trap is a helpful introduction to Biblical worship. But it accomplishes more than a basic premise for […]
[…] The Liturgy Trap is a helpful introduction to Biblical worship. But it accomplishes more than a basic premise for Christian worship, it is also a helpful refutation to Roman, Orthodox and Anglo-Catholic forms of liturgy. Though Jim criticizes the abusive trap of three of the major Christian traditions, he also finds plenty of reason to criticize modern evangelical sloppiness in worship. According to Jordan “Christian worship…is not a technique for obtaining grace, but is a response to truth.” (xiii) […]
This book is an EXCELLENT treatment on the subject. Very concise, but still fairly comprehensive (and gracious); James Jordan did an excellent job with this.
I’ll be recommending it to a dear friend who recently converted to Eastern Orthodox.