Organizations Books

This book has a chapter about Goddard College, where I am a graduate student. This college (Goddard)is definately "Utopian" and progressive. These colleges have made higher education both interesting and challenging for individualized education. This book is helpful in focusing on this unique type of education.

As a young student in the late 70's, I attended what was then called an "alternative education" school for two years of my elementary education. The knowledge I learned in this progressive school is a valuable part of who I am and what I have become. My fondest learning experiences came from these two crucial years. I am a strong advocate for progressive education and feel that new methods need to be examined and implemented in order to give students a proper education; reading Constance Cappel's Utopian Colleges gave me a glimpse into some educational institutions that are doing just that. I found it to be both interesting and intriguing in showing how some colleges are trying to change how we educate young adults in our country. An easy yet informative read, Utopian Colleges will introduce students and educators to some alternative teaching methods and educational philosophies; more publications such as this should be offered so students can be aware of the different choices they have for selecting a college for their higher education experience.

Dr. Cappel's book addresses both the history of utopian education and its present incarnation in Utopian Colleges. Speaking from personal experience, I know many of the stresses that provide for both compromise and solidarity within a utopian educational community do exist and have been greatly affected by their manifestations. The underlying work ethic the author shows to be true in the diverse selection of educational institutions featured in Utopian Colleges is a very important aspect of education that is generally ignored in mainstream education. Utopian Colleges shows that the utopian ideal in American post-secondary education was not a counter-culture product of the 1960's, but a long-held tenet which has sought to nurture the creative and intuitive genius to be found within each willing student. The extensive background information provided as a prelude to the present-day and historical outlines of several utopian colleges, along with the discussion of the nature of "utopia" itself are of great enough value alone to offset the cost of this book. This is a great text with which to begin a critique of the American educational system.

At this time when large universities such as Harvard accept money from bin Laden, the need for smaller "Utopian Colleges" becomes evident. Not only are the missions of these colleges more ethical, but their history of progressive education and its values give hope to American higher education. This book examines these colleges that create independant thinkers rather than the corporate robots of the major U.S. universities.

Dr. Cappel's book provides a comprehensive glimpse into the higher education system at work in America today. She clearly explains what her criteria for a "utopian" environment are, and then goes on to describe how each of the chosen colleges reflects these. Her mode of investigation is fascinating, and it is apparent that she made the most of her experiences at all of the institutions she visited. This book proves that, even among the widespread mediocrity that has become evident in American colleges and universities today, there are a few schools out there that still insist on following a dream and a vision, and creating the perfect learning environment that provides students with the finest education possible.

In "Watching Weather," Tom Murphree, Ph.D. and Mark K. Miller hit a home run! They've succeeded where many scientific writers have failed; Murphree and Miller were able to translate this complex subject, i.e., atmospheric dynamics, into plain English. As an operational meteorologist and educator, I highly recommend this book. A must buy!

Mary K. Miller and Tom Murphree explain the science of weather in easily understood terms and concepts. There's nothing "accidental" about these scientists. Everyone who ever had a picnic ruined by a sudden rain storm should read this book.

Tom Murphree and Mary Miller have explained the facts about weather in an easy-to-read text with everyday applications addressed. This meteorological book would be beneficial to middle school through adult ages. The book encourages you to watch the weather daily and try your hand at being your own local weather forecaster.

"Watching Weather" is a wonderful introduction to weather. The authors explain the basics and build on it to cover "el Niño" and other contemporary events. The book is well designed with clear graphics and interesting sidebars. The "Rules of Thumb" are particularly helpful in gauging the weather in your everyday life. The book ends on a strong note with a sobering, but not hysterical, discussion of the Greenhouse Effect. This comes after an engrossing look at past global warmings and ice ages. The hothouse world of the dinosaurs and the glacial planet of the cavemen give you some sort of reference for modern changes. "Watching Weather" is a quick and entertaining primer if you want to start learning more about weather.

Tom Murphree and Mary Miller lay out valuable weather concepts in easy to understand terms. In fact, I've read several weather books and this rates at the top for ease of understanding, flow and entertainment...yes it's entertaining!

The graphics are very nice as well. They give it a "personally drawn" look!

Anyone in meteorology, or just wondering about weather should have this book on their shelf!

Received book in record time. It was in new condition as promised. Great Seller and would order from him again.

This is the third in a series of books the author has written. While some of the concepts in e-commmerce are outdated due to the dotcom crash, the architectures, data management and functional aspects are still useful for e-business and e-commerce. The author discusses many of the challenges in managing databases on the web and shows the need for this technology for web data management.

This is an excellent book on e-commerce and databases. However it is somewhat outdated as the book was presumably written during the dotcom boom. Nevertheless many of the ideas are still very useful. I would suggest that the author updates this book to reflect the recent developments.

The book covers a great deal and provdes a broad overview of web data management and e-commerce. It starts with a lot of background material on database systems, the web, data mining, etc. and then focuses on web data management technologies in Part II. Finally it describes how the technologies may be used for e-commerce. I like the writing style of the author, rather casual and takes a building block approach. He sort of tells a story about supporting technologies, web technologies and e-commerce. My one concern is that the book was written during the dotcom boom years. While the technologies are all still valid and useful, although they have advanced quite a lot today, the idea that the web and e-commerce will take over is long gone. At one time we may have thought that we will be doing all of our shopping even buying groceries on the web. But this has still not happened in large scale. Therefore, it may be time to take another look at the ideas and perhaps get another edition out reflecting what is real today. But then one never knows what the future will be. Maybe once the technologies mature and our approach to the web evolves, the dotcom ideas may take off again.

I found this book extremely useful. The author starts with some excellent background material on web data management and then goes into more details on architectures and models for web databases. Finally, she discusses their applications to e-commerce. At times I thought the book was too detailed (e.g., in data management) and at other times I felt that the book ought to have given more details (e.g. in e-commerce). Nevertheless the book emphasizes on web data management and all aspects of this topic. It was very easy to read and as a newcomer to the field I found it very thought provoking. I thought the author explained the security aspects extremely well, partly because she is an expert in database secruity. At times she dwelt more than it was necessary on security as the focus of the book was not on security. I would have liked to have seen more discussions on how specific organizations carry out e-commerce. Since the field is evolving so rapidly I would love to see a follow-on book giving details and examples on e-commerce and the applications of web data management to e-commerce. On the whole an excellent, easy to read book.

This book would be valuable for most Pastors to read because of its wisdom on the subject of worship. So often, the focus of the Pastor is on preparing and preaching the sermon. While this is a critical part of the worship service and should not be neglected, all of the essayists point to the need for well-planned services from start to finish. God-exalting, Christ-centered, Bible-based services are a worthy goal. This book should challenge Pastors, especially those from a free church background, to plan worship services in a more thoughtful way. The book is practical, with sample worship service outlines from different traditions. Highly recommended for all who want to honor God in corporate worship.

Introduction

What is worship? If worship in our daily lives means a consecrated lifestyle that aims to glorify God, how then should our corporate gatherings look like? And further, what makes our corporate gatherings any more worship than glorifying God in the other six days of the week? Worship by the Book is a compilation of essays that seeks to respond to such issues that concern today's church. By looking back into the past to see how previous generations have done corporate worship aright, the authors look forward into the future to what biblical corporate worship should look like.

Edited by D. A. Carson (research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), this book incorporates a biblical theology of worship in the opening chapter by the editor, which is then followed by three application chapters written by pastors from differing denominational backgrounds who set out to show how they have applied the principles of such a theology of worship in the practices of their local church. In unveiling the varying practices of different church traditions, what arises from the pages is a portrait of what worship by the Book looks like.

Summary

Chapter 1, "Worship Under The Word," D. A. Carson attempts to provide a theology of worship, despite the fact that there are many challenges in doing so. The author admits that worship has caused much heated debate in the contemporary church (11), that there are many diverse theologies of worship available (13), and that even though the word worship itself is found in Scripture (14), it is still hard to construct a theology of worship when biblical theology and systematic theology may give us different definitions. Be that as it may, Carson endeavors to examine the English word worship (18), as well as the underlying Greek and Hebrew words (19) and then follows with a brief examination of recent scholarship that show the challenges of writing a theology of worship (19). He gives respect to the work of Andrew E. Hill, and most adamantly confesses that the work of David Peterson's Engaging with God is the "volume that most urgently calls for thoughtful evaluation" (23).

Sympathetic to and borrowing from much of Peterson's biblical theology of worship, Carson then goes on to finally defining worship, and the rest of the chapter is a full explanation his definition. His attempt at a definition is a long paragraph whose opening sentence is the precursor for its expansion: "Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator-God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so" (26). Carson's citing of Edmund Clowney's list of corporate worship elements from the New Testament shows that he advocates for certain distinctive elements in corporate worship, though there is no biblical mandate for any particular ordering of these elements (48-52). The author concludes his chapter with some practical implications(58-63): the importance of avoiding misconceptions and hindrances of worship, authenticity for the sake of evangelism, the fact that we cannot incorporate all worship elements into one corporate gathering, and the danger of denominational hindrances to faithful worship.

Chapter 2, "Following in Cranmer's Footsteps," Mark Ashton (vicar of the Round Church at St. Andrew the Great in England) provides an overview of the Church of England's effort to remain biblical in all of its corporate worship gatherings, and yet faithful to the tradition that has been handed down through Archbishop Thomas Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer. While this central liturgy book of the Anglicanism has kept the church biblical since the mid-sixteenth century, Ashton confesses that there is no longer just one common Prayer Book in the Anglican Church. "There is an abundance of new liturgy, but no doctrinal consensus at its heart. This has created an identity crisis for Anglicanism" (66). In showing that Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer achieved a rare combination of being biblical, accessible and balanced (70-75), the author consequently calls for a renewal of such legacy and for the church to take responsibility to bring the Bible back to the center of corporate worship. Employing the standard that flowed from Cranmer's work, Ashton exhorts readers to examine if their worship services to see if it they are biblical, accessible, and balanced (80-88). He follows this analysis by looking at various aspects of Anglican worship services (88-103): variety of services, service structure, music, prayers, drama and testimony, leading the service, notices, size of congregation, length of service, and church building, furnishings, clothing, movement, as well as the church year. Ashton then concludes with a brief overview of particular services in Anglicanism, and the need to retain faithful worship in all of them (104-107).

Chapter 3, "Free Church Worship: The Challenge of Freedom," R. Kent Hughes (Senior Pastor Emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois) shows the reader how he came to his Reformed convictions without any denominational ties. He argues for worship that is more than just Sunday - "day-in-day-out living for Christ, the knees and heart perpetually bent in devotion and service" (140) - and how a life of worship enables Christians to worship freely and authentically in the gathered setting. After providing a brief look at the seven distinctives of worship in the Free Church tradition (preaching, Scripture, prayer, singing, sacraments, simplicity, and vestments; 142-46), Ashton then argues for six distinctive aspects of Christian worship that would foster mutual edification: worship is God-centered, Christ-centered, Word-centered, is consecration, is wholehearted, and is reverent (149-166). The author concludes his chapter with a brief how-to about corporate worship music, advocating six important factors: music serves preaching, develops maturity, is everyone's responsibility, that musical selection is important, that musicians must be prepared, and that the congregation is the chief instrument (166-172).

Chapter 4, "Reformed Worship in the Global City," by Timothy J. Keller (Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City) takes a detailed look at the worship wars that are plaguing much of evangelicalism today. Keller provides definitions of the two main sides at war, "Contemporary Worship" (194) and "Historic Worship" (195), and then posits that "we forge our corporate best when we consult all three--the Bible, the cultural context of our community, and the historic tradition of our church" (197). This three-pronged approach to worship provides the foundation for Keller's overview of worship in the Reformed tradition, favoring John Calvin's theology and liturgy of worship over and against the large variety of Reformed worship perspectives (199-208). The further author traces Reformed worship to its historical roots: simplicity as its voice, transcendence as its goal, and gospel reenactment as its order (208-217). Keller's three tests of Reformed corporate worship (doxological evangelism, community building, and character of service; 217-221) aim at determining if a corporate worship gathering is well-balanced in being both contemporary and Reformed (221). He also deals with the attitude and heart of those leading corporate worship (223), weekly preparation and planning that is involved (226), and the significance of having a guideline for choosing music for worship services (236).

Critical Evaluation

Engaging With God is a unique book on Christian worship in that it presents a well-organized analysis of how three different church traditions have sought to put the principles of a biblical worship theology into practice. Each of the three extensive chapters that follows Carson's chapter on worship theology include appendices that give the reader a behind-the-scenes look at how the author's church has planned their corporate worship services, as well as additional articles that are incorporated within the corporate worship gathering. This allows the reader to not only see theology in practice, but it gives worship leaders and music ministers examples of biblically faithful worship liturgies to incorporate into their own church setting.

For example, Keller includes liturgies within his chapter that his church has used in the past, ones for classical and contemporary worship services, ones that are more Calvinian in manner and ones that are less; his appendices include a full worship service outline (240-248) and prayers his church has used for leading those not taking the Lord's Supper (249). Hughes' appendices should also be very helpful to readers, as they not only include his Free Church's liturgy and worship service outlines from morning and evening services, but also detailed commentary for each, and three helpful articles on the wonders of worship (189), reading the Word (190-191), and the danger of equating music to worship (192). Mark Ashton's appendices similarly provide extensive commentary to the worship service outlines that he includes (109-135), but from the Anglican church he oversees.

While these appendices are the muscles that allow this book to stand out from amongst the plethora of books on worship available today, it would have been more helpful to see a wider range of church traditions represented, like churches from the Baptist tradition, the flourishing Reformed Charismatic family of churches from Sovereign Grace Ministries, or the third-wave Pentecostal Hillsong Church from Australia. Such may extend the length of the book to be too long for one volume, but it would be greatly beneficial to see Carson's theology of worship at work in other diverse church traditions.

Of a minor note, Mark Ashton's chapter employed some archaic vocabulary that may be unknown to non-Anglican or lay readers, and British idioms that would be unfamiliar to an American audience. For example: hobby-horses (84), interlopers (86), emendation (91), vetted (94), vestry (96). It would have been beneficial to see those terms edited out or explained, especially Anglican Church terms like "collects" and "notices" which are termed differently in North America.

Conclusion

In spite of these minor faux pas, Worship by the Book is both convicting and uplifting. It is a book that will convict senior pastors, music ministers, and worship leaders alike to evaluate and re-examine their corporate worship services for their biblical faithfulness, evangelistic effectiveness and mutually edifying abilities. By providing a theological framework of worship and practical examples of churches that worship by the Book, it uplifts the reader to find hope in and through corporate worship gatherings that center around the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ. Churches in need of worship recovery, as well as those simply looking to refresh their service liturgies, will find plenty of biblical insight here to sustain them into the twenty-first century.

I appreciate the comparison and contrast found within this book of the various worhip styles and the philosophy behind each one. Such exposure only makes it obvious where our commonalities lie, and what is at the heart of true worship. Each contributor does a fine job in this regard, but such an approach has its drawbacks. The temptation to become syncretic is always here with us as we search for a way to worship- we might succomb to pick and choose what appeals to us, rather than what would please God. We often do this without any realization of the "why" of what is being done, and thus lose our way, so to speak. These authors are deeply steeped in their traditions, and are less likely to fall into such a trap, but those who are reading such brief, though well written overviews, suffer from a lack of background that is important for such wanderings.

Too often, when Christians discuss worship, they go little further than arguments about styles of music. The "worship wars" that have plagued the modern church are a prime example of this. Many churches have fallen apart and many Christians have been deeply hurt over styles of music. Churches that have sought to be progressive and contemporary have often done away with hymns, throwing away hundreds of years of Christian tradition in the process. Other churches have refused to sing any song written in modern times, indicating an irrational bias towards days gone by. In the process worship has come to be nearly synonymous with music. Church services are often structured around a time of worship, led by a worship pastor, and this is followed by a time of apparently non-worshipful teaching led by a teaching pastor.

These worship wars are a terrible distraction, for as believers who have access to the New Testament we know that worship extends far beyond music. Worship is to encompass all of life rather than only select parts. Worship by the Book is an attempt by four men, D.A Carson, Mark Ashton, Kent Hughes and Timothy Keller, to unravel the meaning of worship as well as to suggest ways that corporate worship, done as the church gathers together, can be most meaningful and most faithful to Scripture.

The book begins with an essay by Carson entitled "Worship Under the Word" in which he builds a framework around which each of the other authors will write. The heart of the essay is a lengthy definition of worship and a twelve-point examination of this definition. It is an unusually long and detailed definition of worship, yet one that for precisely those reasons is exceedingly useful.

Following Carson's introduction, each of the three co-authors is given one chapter to provide insight about worship within their tradition. The first of these is Mark Ashton, who is vicar of the Round Church at St. Andrew the Great in Cambridge, England. His essay is entitled "Following in Cramner's Footsteps" and he proposes that the Anglican Church recover the principles Cramner used to draft the Book of Common Prayer. He suggests each aspect of a worship service needs to meet three criteria: is it biblical, is it accessible and is it balanced? Despite coming from a tradition that seems far removed from mainline evangelicalism, I suspect the bulk of believers with agree with most of what he writes, at least until the final paragraphs where he writes about infant baptism and presumptive regeneration. I was a little bit concerned about a vague, underlying spirit of pragmatism that seemed to lie under the surface of some of what he wrote. Within the sample services, for example, is an outline of a guest service in which they have dumbed-down their Bible translation, opting for the Good News Bible in place of the New International Version. Despite this, there was much within his essay that was of practical value.

The second essay was written by Kent Hughes, pastor of the College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. At the heart of Hughes' essay, "Free Church Worship," were his six distinctives of Christian worship: it is God-centered, Christ-centered, Word-centered, consecration, whole-hearted and reverent. I especially appreciated his emphasis on reverence, as this is sorely-lacking in many contemporary churches. He closed with some useful thoughts on music in corporate worship.

The final essay was written by Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in New York City. Keller is seen as a trend-setter within the Presbyterian Church of America, so I looked forward to his essay which was entitled "Reformed Worship in the Global City." Keller contrasted and compared contemporary worship and historical worship and proposed a middle-ground, but not one as simple as an even distribution of elements from each. His essay was built around an examination and defense of the Reformed worship tradition. He examined its variety, sources, balance, core, traits and tests. I particularly enjoyed his explanation of the service structure at their church and the cycles of praise, renewal and commitment.

While it was generally a strong essay, it seemed to come apart a little at the end. The author wrote about the importance of including unbelieving musicians in the worship team as a way to evangelize them, arguing that God's common grace given to musicians brings as much glory to Him as do believers using their talents in His service. I much preferred Kent Hughes' take on this same issue. In the previous chapter he wrote "Musicians must see themselves as fellow laborers in the Word and must lead with understanding and an engaged heart. Those who minister in worship services must be healthy Christians who have confessed their sins and by God's grace are living their lives consistently with the music they lead. The sobering fact is that over time the congregation tends to become like those who lead." I was also a bit disappointed by the content of the bulletin inserts of Redeemer Church that were included within this essay as they seemed to favorably quote Mother Teresa, writing that the most important need of the poor is to be wanted.

Despite a few small missteps, I found this book fascinating and convicting. I would encourage any pastor or worship leader to buy this book and to read it through at least a couple of times. It will provide valuable insight into planning worship services that will lead believers into a time of worship that goes far beyond the music. Worship like these men describe is becoming increasingly rare. I hope this volume can help many churches recover worship that is done by the Book.

This book is worth buying for the insightful introductory article by Don Carson. He argues that there is a place for corporate worship and that church is more than sitting in a holy building and having my own little quiet time with God, or only meeting for teaching or encouraging others. In his theology of worship, he guards against some of the extremes we find in evangelical churches today. The reflection on David Peterson's "Engaging with God" is stimulating. Some have used Peterson's book to argue that in the New Testament meetings were not for the purpose of worshipping God. Carson points out that though the book shows that worship in the New Testament is meant to be a whole of life thing, and not just something Christians do on Sundays, Peterson still "wants to talk about ... corporate worship in the regular 'services' of the church."
The main sections of the book are written from a variety of perspectives, from formal to fairly free, from liturgical to extemporary.

Interestingly, the article by the minister from the more liturgical background, Mark Ashton, argues from his knowledge of Cranmer [the creator of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer] that churches should have more flexibility and freedom. And the articles by those from a less structured eccesiology argue for the use of some liturgy!

And Carson suggests we should be using the best of the ways of worship from our brothers and sisters around the world, without becoming self-consciously Multicultural for the sake of it.

Highly recommended.

I am taking my worship team through Worship Matters right now. Those who are reading it are really enjoying it. Bob Kauflin's succinct and powerful way of presenting his points keeps the reader interested. He really relates well with worship leaders because of his vast experience as a worship pastor over many years. His emphasis on the importance of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit in leading worship is alone worth the price of the book. But Kauflin also delves into many more "nuts and bolts" topics that worship leaders and teams need to understand and apply. I recommend this book everywhere I go! --Dwayne Moore, author of Pure Praise: A Heart-focused Bible Study on Worship (Group Publishing, 2009)

I am not a worship leader. I'm a pastor. No, wait - that makes me a worship leader, just not in the realm of music. That's an important distinction to make, and one which Bob Kauflin makes in this valuable book: "Anyone who encourages others to praise God can be referred to as a 'worship leader.' Worship can involve music, but it can happen without it as well." Careful thinking like that make this book a treasure-trove of biblical wisdom and practical insight on worship.

Kauflin unpacks what a worship leader does (see other reviews for the definition - I don't want to be needless repetitive), discusses healthy tensions in our theology and practice of worship, speaks specifically to the relational dynamics in which every worship leader is involved (with the church, the team, the pastor), and more.

The book is rooted in the Gospel, robust in theology, and well-written. I was encouraged and instructed. And I'm committed to making sure every present and future member of our church's worship team gets a copy. This is a great book for pastors, worship leaders, and worship teams. In fact, it's a great book for any one who wants to worship God in spirit and truth. It is practical enough to be of real use to musicians and leaders, but it is general enough to encourage and help any believer.

Spread the word. This is a great book on worship! Thanks Bob Kauflin for serving the church with this book.

Worship Matters is an exceptional book for worship leaders, pastors, musicians, and everyone in between. Only two chapters into the book I had recommended it to other worship leaders. Filled with experience and insight, Kauflin uses scriptures and references to back up all that he explains. He is not afraid to tackle the issues that we, as worship leaders, deal with constantly yet are afraid to admit. Every chapter is unique and contains another heart issue to consider.
Worship Matters will cause it's reader to want to rise to the next level; to reach beyond themselves and what they have settled for; to expand their faith and reach for the high calling of Christ and all that it entails.

Regardless your position on Church corporate worship is, contemporary worship (CW) or Historical Worship (HW), Bob Kauflin addresses the principles of Holy Scripture dealing with the important aspects on worship: Your love to God, your believes in sound doctrine, your way of life aiming for obedience to God, and your role modeling as a Christian leading others to worship God through Christ with spiritual music in your local church. Personally, I was impressed by the honest approach the author observed along the book realizing his own church weaknesses and acknowledging the learning he could find in other historical/traditional churches. What I liked the most, was what he called "Healthy Tensions" in worship: "Transcendent and Immanent", "Head and Heart", "Internal and External", "Vertical and Horizontal", "Planned and Spontaneous", "Rooted and Relevant", "having in mind believers and unbelievers", etc. I think these healthy tensions give you the key secret for musical ministry in the church that will be pleasant to God and his creatures.

I can't say enough about this book, and at the same time I can't say too much. As I've attended and served in a Sovereign Grace Ministries church for the better part of the decade, I've had the benefit of Bob Kauflin's teaching on worship filter down to me in my capacity of intermittent worship leader (and more importantly as a worshiper) in many ways: articles and columns, messages on mp3 and CD (the "Theological Foundations for Worship" and "Practical Foundations for Worship" series), and even by word of mouth from my own pastor and worship leader. Enough about me. Bob wrote the book - and contrary to reviewing practice, I cannot bring myself to refer to him as `Kauflin' - and so to Bob we turn.

Bob's heart for biblical, passionate worship pervades every page of this book. His writing is littered with Bible, especially the psalms, that manual of Old Testament worship. But this isn't merely a devotional on a few aspects of worship. No, this is a handbook about how to pursue more biblical, more humble hearts in the midst of a task pregnant with tensions. Earlier in this review I said that I can't say enough about this book; that's because it accomplishes what it sets out to do in a biblical and humble manner. It practices what it preaches. I also said I can't say too much about it; that's because it is a wide-ranging and valuable lay-of-the-land guide with far too much content to convey in a mere review.

There are four main sections in the book:

1: The Leader

2: The Task

3: Healthy Tensions

4: Right Relationships

Following a foreword by über-worship leader Paul Baloche, Bob begins his discussion of worship by honing in on the worship leader's heart, mind, and life. All of this flows out of a leader's devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the second section Bob unpacks the following working definition of worship, constructed with aid from his good friend Jeff Purswell. The definition is not only written in verse form to effectively highlight each line, but because each subsequent chapter in this section explores a fragment of the definition.

Simply reiterating this definition arouses my soul in worship of God through Jesus Christ:

A faithful worship leader
magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit
by skillfully combining God's Word with music,
thereby motivating the gathered church
to proclaim the gospel,
to cherish God's presence
and to live for God's glory

Section three wades into the most fraught of all church matters: reconciling seemingly opposing preconceptions of worship. Again, this review does not warrant an exposition of the book's teaching on these areas. Suffice to say that Bob advocates the need to hold many, if not most, of these areas in healthy tension. Like J.I. Packer, he seems to dislike the term `balance,' so misused for so many years.

Finally, the fourth section explores the common cause of the tension in the third section: people. More specifically, people with ideas rubbing up against people with different ideas. A pastor himself, Bob recognizes the tensions that can arise on both sides of the pastor-worship leader relationship, and provides many suggestions for an improved and thriving relationship.

This book is primarily intended for worship leaders, but is also directed at pastors - even unmusical ones. No matter which tradition you practice, liturgical or free-flow (to use Bob's nomenclature), charismatic or somber, Bob's wisdom will benefit. Worship team members will profit from every page, and pastors and worship leaders may consider employing the copyright fair use policy (within reason) to disseminate relevant pages among their congregations at key junctures in the process of building a worshiping community. Worship Matters should also probably become requisite reading for all worship studies programs in North America, and I daresay should displace some, if not most, of the current primary textbooks in those programs.

I've never seen a book on worship featuring such a mix of god-glorifying theology and biblically-sound methodology. I have a feeling this is Bob's magnum opus, and every pastor, worship leader, and worship team member must invest in a copy, to read over and over and over. Because...worship does matter.

I just wanted to ask whether people think this book would be helpful to teachers at the secondary level. I mostly teach language arts for kids with mild to moderate learning and behavioral impairments.
I want to improve in the ways I managing planning, grading and classroom behavior.

Thanks!

(I had to add stars in order to post, apparently, but as I've never read this book obviously they don't mean anything!)

I wish I'd had this book before I started my first year as a teacher! It provides incredibly useful ways to organize and keep track of classroom activity - from the big picture of planning (and changing) curriculum throughout the year, to the minutia of how to arrange the steats or what to do with all that paper that accumulates. I've been teaching for 7 years, and recently borrowed this book from a colleague, and learned many new tricks, like how to re-think my classroom setup and how to keep an eye on long-term goals, while maintaining order in the day-to-day workings of my classroom.

I particularly love how the author stresses the value of students' sense of responsibility in the classroom - this has been my experience too. The more students invest in their work environment, the better they will take care of it, and if we make it an easy space in which children can learn and use materials independently, they will certainly do this! It makes everyone's job easier to work in an organized space.

I am going into my 2nd year of teaching and have found this book to be immensely helpful. I taught a split grade my first year and struggled with organizing all of the curriculum information and keeping my plan book organized in a way that helped keep me on track for the year.

This book by Shoshana Wolfe is awesome for getting organized. She shares her own story of these strategies helping her as she had to move her class multiple times after 9/11. From setting up a year-long curriculum goal sheet for each subject area, to planning monthly calendars to serve as the foundation for all planning and teaching, to the artifact binders and homework notebooks, this book is packed with refreshing ideas that new and veteran teachers alike can benefit from.

I am so glad I purchased this book. I will definitely be using a lot of these strategies this year with my new class.

Your Best Year Yet offers great suggestions on how all teachers can make the most of what they have, no matter what their situation. It teaches that children are viable resources for creating and sustaining an organized classroom community. It is extremely well-written with great models, templates, photographs, sample student and teacher work, and, most enjoyably, first-hand accounts of the author's own experiences as a school teacher. As a teacher in an integrated classroom, I have found this guide to be very helpful!

This book takes all the great ideas for teaching kids to be independent in the classroom and puts them together in one place. After teaching middle school for 7 years, there are things in here that I have done, and things I wish I'd thought about sooner. It gives you plenty to think about and many ways to enter into the process of streamlining the routines in your classroom making it a better place for both student and teacher.

This book really impacted me and the direction to go in my administration and teaching roles! I am a better leader and teacher b/c of the principles taught in this book! Gives a great approach on how to inspire others to accomplish more and succeed. Easy book to read! It is set up in a fictional story. The story was slow to grasp at first because I kept saying, "get to the point". Once the story was set up it began to pour out applicable information that the fictional story really brought out insights into. I really liked it after that. that is why i recommend this book to all educators. It doesn't make you feel like a failure. We are just normal and trying to do the best we can and wonder why everyone seems so exhausted and bored in schools. This book gave me a great approach to create energy within others! And it is a very simple approach.

Note: This book doesn't really talk about discipline or methodologies or theories, but provides a practical approach of how to improve the quality of instruction, and increase student and teacher satisfaction. Through the fiction side of the book it allows you to observe a successful school and one that is failing and how the failing school becomes a success! I now am going to take my classes to a new level of energy b/c of this book!

Easy read! At first it doesn't seem like it is going to apply b/c it is building the story. Then it catches steam and flows with good stuff.

Clearly, one of the best books I've ever read regarding education. This book was a required reading for a graduate course, but it should be required for any educator who truly wants to help make children more successful. It made me examine how I have been ZAPPING (encouraging, motivating) students and colleagues and SAPPING (demotivating, discouraging) students and colleagues. Although I can't go to the 12th dimension with Ralph, I'm hoping I will look at my students, my school in a way that will allow me to be more of a ZAPPER and less of a SAPPER.

This easy-to-read book sends a powerful message concerning the importance of empowerment and ownership in education. The lessons that can be learned from this publication will remain beneficial as long as education is an existing institution. Everyone should place himself/herself in the shoes of Joe Mode and see how the empowerment process can and should be implemented. To see firsthand how empowerment can improve teacher and student performance is totally astounding.

This book should be required reading for every school administrator starting with the State Commissioner of Education.

This book is light-hearted and easy to read. It provides the reader with a real sense of how to empower employees to create the best school possible. After reading this book, you will feel empowered to make a difference in your school. A must for all practicing school administrators.

Zapp! should be required reading for every educator in the USA. Its an easy read and an inspirational account of a principal who wants more for his students, staff and himself. The power to empower is underestimated in our schools today. Zapp!could change any educaator with the desire to grow.

Bice is masterful. In my career as a lawyer and writer, I have come to loath many written works in this arena because they are simply to convoluted to endure. Bice's writing style is clean, witty, incisive and to the point. He also makes so much sense I found it hard to drop his book, even at 2am!

Michigan State University's John Bice provides one of the most compelling voices in the "new atheist" movement in America. His columns, collected here along with additional edits, are thought-provoking, well-researched, and meticulously annotated. And did I mention that his columns are frequently full of black humor in the style of Mark Twain and George Orwell? As James Randi says on the back cover, "This will provide you with many arguing points..." While atheism isn't likely to win many converts in "Medieval America" (as Bice puts it), this is a book that will help many atheists articulate their positions and find their voices.

Brilliant. John Bice is able to succinctly state things in a way that makes total sense. Essential reading for anyone concerned with the illogic and moral wrongness of church involvement in politics.

Good writing needs clarity and passion. These essays by John Bice have both in abundance. Whether he is discussing religions in general---"In reality, mainstream unsupported beliefs (such as Christianity) are in no way objectively superior to the equally unsupported beliefs of fringe groups."---or the role of religious ideology in American government--- "Imagine how disturbing it would be if our own government habitually pushed dogmatic ideology over scientific facts. Well, prepare to be disturbed."---he brings a voice to our national conversation about religions and their role in public life that is authentic and refreshing.

A 21st Century Rationalist in Medieval America is a collection of opinion pieces written by Bice for The State News, which serves Michigan State University and the community of East Lansing, Michigan, along with a few guest columns he contributed to the Lansing State Journal. The columns were written between 2002 and 2006 and cover a variety of subjects including religion, science, morality and politics, approaching them all from a perspective that is rational and liberal.

An unapologetic atheist, Bice writes that he had been convinced of the waning influence of religions. However, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and a presentation on the impact of fundamentalist religion on science education at around the same time, galvanized him to an awareness of the dangers posed by fundamentalist religions. That awareness, in turn, prompted him to begin writing the opinion columns that make up the body of this work.

Following a preface in which he lays out the circumstances that led to the creation of the book and an introduction in which he sets the stage for what follows, Bice has organized the material thematically into sections containing from three to ten essays. He begins with a chapter on "Weird Beliefs" and concludes with one titled "Iraq War, Media & Patriotism." Each chapter begins with a selection of related quotations from a variety of sources and an illustration by Mike Ramsey, who also created a very attractive cover for the book.

Here, readers will find a front row seat from which to view the culture wars and an arsenal of arguments for those who want to be more actively engaged in the fray. Bice documents his opinions with fact and cites his sources. He writes with energy and candor, pulling no punches and sparing no sacred cows. While endorsing the "rights of conscience" of all, he does not hesitate to identify nonsense as nonsense and treat it accordingly.

One of the charms of a collection like this is that the reader gets to witness the by-play between columnist and audience. Bice frequently cites letters to the editor or emails that are reactions to previous columns and uses them as springboards for a further exploration. This gives the pieces a conversational quality that is most welcome in an age of jargon and hype. Since each essay is relatively short, it's easy to stop and think about what you've read or pause before going on to the next. This is a book that can be read in one sitting or a little bit at a time, depending upon the reader's schedule and inclination.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that, although I haven't met the author, I was given the opportunity to read an electronic version of this book and to write a blurb, which you'll find on the inside, before it went to press. I was enthusiastic about the book then. Now that I've bought a copy and read it again, I recommend it without reservation. A 21st Century Rationalist in Medieval America is a good read and a worthwhile addition to any library.

On John Bice's A 21st Century Rationalist in Medieval American: Essays on Religion, Science, Morality and the Bush Administration. Langsburg, Michigan: Chelydra Bay Press, 2007. 215 pp.



Bice's writing is clear and well reasoned and the general tone is engaging. Bice's takedown of religious fatuousness can be downright funny. Consider his description of a "faith-based anti-missile system" or "prayer-assisted air traffic control" not to mention "Prayer -Powered Sewage Treatment," all dependant for function solely on the supplications of the faithful.

In developing his thesis of a medieval mindset in contemporary society, Bice notes that we live in a time of when "faith-based" initiatives take a wrecking ball to Mr. Jefferson's constitutional wall of separation between church and state, when a born-again president terms his misbegotten war a "crusade" and in communities where half the citizens affirm that God created humans 10,000 years ago. Further examples include pharmacists refusing to dispense medicines that offend their religious scruples, e.g. the Wisconsin Christian pharmacist who refused to either fill a woman's birth control prescription or to transfer it to another pharmacy. Then there is the case of the "Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention evolution--or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth--fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict Biblical descriptions of the origin of the Earth and its creatures. This reader particularly appreciated the careful sourcing and footnoting which adds authority and substance to the author's perspective.

The series of essays that make up this work originally appeared as newspaper columns in The State News. In them he comments on topics to include Biblical inerrancy, Intelligent Design to Raelian beliefs and Scientology to Bush administration's "Faith-Based" policies and such religiopolitical wedge issues as gay marriage.

Mr. Bice's work, written primarily for "a mainstream, largely Christian readership" is a valuable work in both creating a sense of community among rationalists and in counterbalancing the irrational affirmations in which U.S. society is immersed. Bice self-describes his writing as confrontational, acerbic and blunt. It could just as well be termed refreshing, accessible, worthwhile, and achingly honest.

Free lance journalist John Bice is a graduate of Michigan State University.







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I was assigned Glick's book by my Medieval History professor Dr. Paul Halsall. I opened the book thinking I knew a lot about the experiences of Jews in France and Germany in Medieval Europe; and what I found was that I was wrong.

This book is an excellent book about the cultures of the Jews and the Christians, how these two cultures interacted with each other and how Medieval Jewish culture effects the culture of American Jews, who predominately come from these Ashkenazic Jews.

The book is divided chronologically and this division works. It shows the downward spiral pattern of Christian and Jewish interaction that finally hit rock bottom with the expulsion of Jews from France and in England.

I especially enjoyed reading about the devistating effects of the Crusades on the Jewish communitites of the Rhine river region. I was amazed to read that many of the higher Church officials tried to protect their neighbor Jews from the angry and violent mobs. Bishops tried hiding Jews, tried baptizing Jews, and showed real sorrow and guilt when Jews in their communities were harmed.

I also found the history of the evolution of Christian thought about the Jews very fascinating. The early Christians, who didn't even know they were Christians, clearly saw themselves as religiously Jewish. By the time of the writing of the Gospel of John, this has changed. The Gospel of John is somewhat anti-Jewish. When the Christians began using "rational thinking," especially with the creation of Universities, they became even more hostile toward the Jews.

This book is a definate "must-buy" for any graduate student of European history or any serious undergraduate.

This is not the kind of book I normally would have read (regrettably), but it came to me highly recommended. Having grown up in a Jewish environment but feeling some loss of identity and lack of knowledge of my ancestral history, I took the initiative to try to learn more.

Abraham' Heirs unexpectedly had a profound influence upon how I view my cultural heritage in a way I never anticipated. In a chronological and clear -- yet fair -- manner, the text depicts life and cross-cultural relationships and attitudes between Jews and Christians as central Europe developed. Through the progression of events depicted, the book demonstrates marked patterns which evolved across both time and location, which is crucial towards understanding how and why history regrettably progressed as it did.

Many events are quite disturbing, sometimes difficult to grasp in magnitude, but can't be forgotten nor simply glossed over. Importantly, Glick tells it the way things were, which also made it hard to put the book down. His content is exceptionally well-written, easy to follow, and highly informative, making it appropriate and essential for all readers.

I had been brought up to believe that when a culture mistreats the Jews, that culture inevitably deteriorates (as exemplified, for example, by the decay of the Spanish and Ottoman Empires after the 16th century). But Glick's book discusses a terrifying counterexample: the rise of France and Germany in the late Middle Ages.

The so-called Dark Ages were actually quite pleasant for Jews: in the centuries after the end of the Roman Empire, Jews circulated through western Europe, specializing in international trade. Charlemagne and his successors were quite friendly towards Jews in the 700s and 800s, even using them as diplomats now and then.

But in the 1000s, European agriculture became more productive, thus generating surplus products that could be sold elsewhere. Christians became merchants to sell these products, and formed connections with other Christian merchants. These merchants saw the Jews as competitors, and formed guilds that excluded Jews from commerce. Jews were squeezed into the moneylending industry, thus enabling Christians to use Jewish money without having to compete with Jews.

The ghettoization of Jews into moneylending was a disaster for Jews. Because Jews were allowed to hold money but not large amounts of land, Christian kings soon realized that they could squeeze Jews unmercifully, extorting money in return for protection. Jews tried to pass on the costs to debtors by charging higher interest rates, thus causing Christian borrowers to hate Jews even more than they did before. Borrowers decided that they could avoid debts by the simple expedient of robbing and/or killing their Jewish creditors. (And this easy repayment option ensured that borrowers used Jewish rather than Christian lenders; anyone who borrowed from the latter would actually have to repay the loan rather than killing the banker!) Eventually, Jews were left without assets and were thus useless to Christian kings, who forced them to leave France and most of Germany.

The intellectual revival of Christianity also posed problems for Jews. As Christians became less ignorant, they learned that Judaism had evolved beyond the written Torah, creating a massive corpus of rabbinic law through the Talmud and other works. But in the Christian world, Jews' legitimacy was based on their connection to the Old Testament. So Jewish scholarship other than the Old Testatement was perceived as something akin to heresy, and made the Jews even more hated.

I teach religious high school, and I thought I knew something about the history of Jews in medieval Europe. "Abraham's Heirs" has broadened my knowledge and understanding to a degree that is simply astonishing. Like all really good histories, this one combines compelling primary sources with a clear overall structure. A great read.

The author weaves an incredible tapestry of historical social commentary. Throughly researched, well written, and definitely well worth the read. You will find yourself unable to put this book down!

I have always been interested in culture and human aspects of the firm. This book was highly recommended by my teacher on strategic management as his favorite on change management. It's an easy read on the human aspects of change and is helped by a novel structure in the book (each subsection of the chapter reads like an individual chapter, which assists the dropping and picking up). It's no nonsense. Anyone who liked 'The Fifth Discipline', will much appreciate this as well. I hope to read more of this type material.

I have always been interested in culture and human aspects of the firm. This book was highly recommended by my teacher on strategic management as his favorite on change management. It's an easy read on the human aspects of change and is helped by a novel structure in the book (each subsection of the chapter reads like an individual chapter, which assists the dropping and picking up). It's no nonsense. Anyone who liked 'The Fifth Discipline', will much appreciate this as well. I hope to read more of this type material.

very updated, helpful in managing change in big organizations

If the Business environment is as smart as it should be this book should be a Best-Selle

The Accelerating Organization is an excellent resource of ideas on how to develop a constantly learning organization. Maira and Scott-Morgan provide many clear and concise concepts in developing a new organization or moving an existing organization into a learning system. Every point is illustrated from a plethora of international business situations. Not only is "The Accelerating Organization" informative, it is "do-able."