WRSP 320 History and Philosophy of Worship

This course invites students to develop a philosophy of worship through a survey of historical and contemporary worship practices. Beginning with the biblical foundations of worship, the course moves chronologically through the Middle Ages, Reformation, Revival Movement, Great Awakenings, and more recent Evangelical worship practices up to the present day. Concurrently, students will encounter and evaluate modern-day approaches to worship, which will serve as models for their own philosophical approaches.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

In recent years, the worship practices of the church, particularly within the evangelical community, have changed dramatically. These changes can create issues for an individual who affirms the new paradigms, as well as the individual who favors older models. This reality, however, is not new, as worship practices have often changed throughout history. Therefore, it is imperative that the worship leader understands the historical developments of worship throughout the ages and is able to make applications to evangelical communities today. Without a strong understanding of the philosophical framework that drove these changes, the worship leader will be ill-equipped to construct personal philosophical frameworks for worship or to deal with the ever-changing worship landscape within the 21st-century church.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt. Each thread must be at least 250 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge with at least 1 citation of a course text. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to at least 2 classmates’ threads. Current Turabian format must be used.

Video Discussion: Devotional Video

Video Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 1 Video Discussion in this course. The student will use the Devotional Research Assignment as the material to develop a video to present the devotional. This presentation should be 6–8 minutes. The video material should include 2 scholarly sources, including the Bible. The student will make 2 written replies on other video presentations of at least 150 words. Each reply should include 2 supportive comments, 2 areas for improvement, and 2 questions to further the discussion. For each reply, the student must support assertions with at least 1 citation in Turabian format.

The student will write a devotional based on assigned reading in the Towns & Whaley course text, Worship Through the Ages: How the Great Awakenings Shape Evangelical Worship. The student will list 12 worship principles from the Psalms listed in the textbook and choose 2 of these principles to help develop a devotional. The student will then create a detailed outline containing all the information to be used in the devotional, listing all major points and subpoints and including applications of the principles for both private and public worship. The student will support points using Scripture and 2 scholarly sources. The student must cite sources using Turabian style footnotes and include a bibliography.

The student will write an essay based on assigned reading in the Dowley course text, Christian Music: A Global History. The student will create an essay of at least 500 words (excluding the title page and bibliography) that includes a description of Pliny as a man, his occupation, and his view of Christians and their worship. The student will support his/her points with the Dowley course text, at least 1 other scholarly source, and Scripture. The submission must conform to current Turabian style.

Book Report Assignment

The student will compose a book report covering Perspectives on Christian Worship: Five Views of at least 7 pages (excluding the title page, table of contents, and a bibliography). After providing a brief 1-page summary for specific chapters of the book, the student will analyze its content, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the various perspectives provided. The report must cite content from the book and must be written in current Turabian format.

Story of Worship Assignments (2)

The student will outline the story of worship from creation to present day in 2 parts. The student will supply the requested information for the various sections listed on the provided Story of Worship Templates. It is recommended the student fill out the provided templates immediately after reading each chapter of the Towns & Whaley text in the modules the readings are assigned. The assignments must include a bibliography, section headings, and footnotes in current Turabian format.

Philosophy of Worship Assignment

The student will craft a philosophy of worship that is at least 9 pages (excluding the title page, table of contents, and bibliography) and is informed by the philosophical lenses of Scripture, history, and culture. The paper must be written in current Turabian format and must incorporate at least 5 scholarly sources.

Quiz: Awakenings Leaders and Events Matching