Through tracing the liturgical history of the Christian faith from its foundation in Old Testament
Israel through the early church, middle ages, Reformation, to the present, this book demonstrates
that liturgy forms religion and religion forms liturgy.
One of the best ways to truly understand what lies at the core of the Christian faith is by studying
its worship, for corporate worship does something far more significant than many Christians
recognize-public worship both reveals belief and forms belief. How a community
worships-its content, its liturgy, and its forms of expression-reveals the underlying religious
commitments of those who plan and lead the worship. Conversely, corporate worship forms the
beliefs of the worshipers. Public worship is not simply about authentic expression of the
worshipers; rather, how a church worships week after week progressively shapes their beliefs
since those worship practices were cultivated by and embody certain beliefs.