Essays on the History of Contemporary Praise and Worship

“A Google search returns no shortage of materials claiming insight into the contemporary worship movement. Those broad, unchallenged sources muddle scholarship on the movement’s history. This text moves the conversation forward, providing a standard for future study. Meticulously researched, methodologically sound, and inclusive in its telling of a complex narrative that is sometimes misleadingly reduced—this work will inform conversations on the subject for years to come.”


—Emily Snider Andrews, Instructor of Music and Worship, Samford University





“Lester Ruth has argued for years that contemporary praise and worship is a ‘thing’—a thing worthy of theological and historical consideration. This eclectic volume of essays helps prove it, as Lester Ruth leads a wonderful slate of eager young scholars whose work causes one to reassess what qualifies as historical research, and which subjects are worthy of historical inquiry.”


—Ron Rienstra, Professor of Preaching and Worship Arts, Western Theological Seminary