History and Philosophy of Worship – WRSP 320
CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 02/01/2024
Course Description
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.
Rationale
In recent years, the worship practices of the church, particularly within the evangelical community, have changed dramatically. These changes can create issues for individuals who affirm the new paradigms, as well as those who favor 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, worship leaders 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.
Course Assignment
Textbook readings and lecture presentations
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. Each reply must be at least 150 words. Current Turabian format must be used.
Book Report Assignment
The student will compose a 7-page book report covering Perspectives on Christian Worship: Five Views. 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.
Philosophy of Worship Assignment
The student will craft a 9-page philosophy of worship that 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.
Story of Worship Assignments (2)
The student will outline the story of worship from creation to present day in two parts. The student will supply the requested information for the various sections listed on the provided Story of Worship Templates. The assignments must include a bibliography, section headings, and footnotes in current Turabian format.
Quizzes (5)
Each quiz will cover the Learn material from the assigned Module: Week. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 4 essay questions, and have a time limit of 1 hour and 30 minutes. The answer to each question must be 50–100 words.
