Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
It is a reflection of its practical importance that The Directory for the Public Worship of God was the first production of the Westminster Assembly of Divines during the English Civil War. In view of the worship wars today, it deserves to be rescued from the relative obscurity into which it has fallen. Muller and Ward describe the public history of the Directory and identify the principles on which it was prepared. They then discuss the individual items on the directory, using both the recently discovered original manuscript and the historical background, to illustrate fidelity to Scripture and nuances that allow variation within its basic structure. Includes an annotated text.
Synopsis
For hundreds of years, the Westminster Standards have been the benchmark for confessing Presbyterian churches the world over. These essays by Richard A. Muller and Rowland S. Ward take a fresh look at the Standards in their historical context. The first part of the book investigates the exegetical background to the Confession, and the second explores the issues, priorities, and debates behind the Directory for Public Worship. The resulting volume not only offers the careful reader a model of how to study historical theological documents but also rekindles interest in the Westminster Standards as part of the church's great creedal and confessional tradition.