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The Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God in Modern English

How to rightly worship God in Public

Kevin Bidwell

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The Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God in Modern English

How to rightly worship God in Public

Kevin Bidwell

Format

Quantity

The Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God was first published by the Westminster Assembly in 1645. This modernised version makes it accessible for a contemporary reader.

The complete modernised text is complemented by a series of essays designed to increase the applicability of the Directory and promote a new appreciation of the sacraments as means of grace to work alongside the preaching and reading of God’s Word.

  • Title

    The Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God in Modern English

  • Author(s)

    Kevin Bidwell

  • ISBN

    9781783974313

  • Format

    Hardback

  • Publisher

    Evangelical Press

  • Audience

    Church Leaders

  • Pages

    272

  • Published

    30/04/2024

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Overall rating

5.0 based on 2 reviews

A much-needed guide for the church today

The Westminster Directory for Public Worship, established by the Westminster Assembly in 1644 to replace the Book of Common Prayer, was designed to address the demands of the 1640 Root and Branch petition against the episcopal system and its liturgy. Approved by both the English and Scottish Parliaments, the Directory offered a flexible approach to worship, emphasizing Scripture reading, prayer, and preaching, and providing guidance on sacraments and pastoral care. Developed by a committee known as the Westminster Divines, this directory reflects the regulative principle of worship. But what can seventeenth-century statements teach the church about contemporary worship today, in the twenty-first century? The Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God in Modern English, edited by Kevin J. Bidwell and published by Evangelical Press, answers this question among many others, enabling the church to assess its biblical faithfulness as expressed through its public worship practices and preferences. This book follows Bidwell’s 2017 work of a similar nature, The Westminster Standards for Today. This volume contains a preface by Joseph A. Pipa Jr. and a preliminary essay by Terry L. Johnson on continuity or discontinuity—“Worship from Calvin to Westminster.” Johnson provides the theological foundations of the Directory and discusses its simplicity and spirituality. He also evaluates its contents and influence over the centuries. The succeeding chapters contain essays on some of the sub-directories in the Directory for Public Worship. This includes contributions from George Curry ("Of the Assembling of the Congregation, and Their Behaviour in the Public Worship"), Timothy K. Hoke ("Of Public Reading of the Holy Scriptures"), Maurice J. Roberts ("Of Public Prayer Before Sermon"), Joseph H. Fowler and Joseph A. Pipa Jr. ("Of the Preaching of the Word"), Johannes M. Muller ("Of Prayer After the Sermon"), Chad T. Bailey ("Of the Administration of the Sacraments"), Kevin J. Bidwell ("Of the Celebration of the Communion"), Roland S. Barnes ("Of the Sanctification of the Lord’s Day"), and Warren J. Peel ("Of the Singing of Psalms"). The Directory itself (in Modern English) is in the following section. Bidwell reformatted it and involved light editing to remove archaic English phrases, but the content and doctrines remain completely unchanged. Bidwell also included appropriate paragraphs to enhance readability. In lengthy sections, he added subheadings to improve memorability of the material. Aside from its modernized English, I appreciate that it is formatted in a reader-friendly way, which makes it more approachable and pleasant to read. Bidwell has done an exceptional job editing the directory and has succeeded in making it accessible to the church today. Final thoughts: The Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God in Modern English is a pastoral masterpiece and a much-needed guide for the church today, especially at a time when many depart from the foundational teachings of the Bible. I hope to see future works from Bidwell on the other contents of the Westminster Standards.
Marc Daniel

An important and timely book.

This is an important and timely book. There is no subject of greater importance than the worship of Almighty God. In our time large parts of the Church has been led astray by subjective and man-centred methods of worship. This helpful reprinting of the Directory of Worship offers us an alternative approach, gleaned from the wisdom of the saints who came before us. It guides us towards a better and more Biblical way to worship our glorious Triune God. The essays included with the directory are all helpful in explaining and applying the teaching of the Directory to today. May the Lord use it to continue the reformation of His Church and for His glory


Matthew Jolley

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