B.H. Carroll’s Pastoral Theology
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 58, No. 2 – Spring 2016
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
By Daniel I. Block. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014. 432 pages. Hardcover, $36.99.
If you are called of God to a ministry position in the local church, this is a book that you should read. The strength of the book is the author’s thorough and balanced treatment of Scripture. But it is not merely a book for theologians. Instead, its value is as wide as its subject.
In the Introduction, Block outlines the need for the book by recounting an episode from his own experience that perhaps has often been repeated in churches around the world. He told of a music minister in a worship service making the statement, “Now, before we continue our worship, let me read a passage from Colossians 3” (xi). The clear implication was that Scripture reading and hearing was separate from the worship activity of the church. It is this kind of miscommunication, or worse, misunderstanding of worship that occasions this book. Instead, Block presents a clear, Scripture-intensive, and comprehensive view of what worship is and how God intends it to function in our lives.
The book is divided into 13 chapters with a target audience of church groups and seminary classrooms (xiv). Each chapter addresses a critical aspect of worship and concludes with a practical application for the local church. But rather than simply giving suggestions from his experience, he crafts his application based on his treatment of the biblical text. Block must think in list form. The book is replete with frequent and helpful outlines that provide structure for the content.
The author begins by explaining what worship is. He proposes the following definition: “True worship involves reverential human acts of submission and homage before the divine Sovereign in response to his gracious revelation of himself and in accord with his will” (23). Block is not content to allow the mere performance of religious activities to be confused with worship. Even what is often thought of as religious music, if it does not direct our focus to the Lord and bring honor alone to him may become merely “jingles that borrow biblical phrases but are little more than sound bites empty of biblical meaning to many who sing them” (170).
Block brings his Old Testament background and expertise to bear in this project. But while the Old Testament is prominent, it is by no means the only focus of the book. Instead, the author through careful interaction with the Greek and Hebrew and thorough interaction with the whole of Scripture presents a picture of worship in the Old Testament (or as he describes it, “the First Testament”) and the New Testament as complementary and supportive of each other. Block affirms that “Jesus does not declare old theology obsolete; rather, in him the theology underlying Israelite worship finds its fulfillment” (7).
Infused with Scripture, the book depicts worship as part of our daily lives, family life, and work, in addition to the normal corporate gatherings. Next, the author discusses the ordinances, the preaching and hearing of Scripture, prayer, music, sacrifices and offerings, drama, space, and leaders in worship.
Block suggests that even though the Bible does not prescribe a form of worship (6), neither are we free to worship as we please or to expect that our casual cultic expressions are necessarily or automatically acceptable to God (78). Instead, he wants us to see worship as an expression of the whole life and not merely a cultic ritual (81). He asserts that “God is not obligated to accept the worship of those whose hearts are hardened towards him and who live contrary to his will” (62).
On the whole, the book is a worthy read for all believers to study and enjoy. Many sections stand out, but the chapter on “Family Life and Work as Worship” is worth the price of the book. Parents and pastors should read and apply these lessons in our families and churches.
The book is a call to genuine, God-focused, Christ-honoring, Bible-affirming worship. His call is timely and needed. May its plea be heard.
