A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship - by Lester Ruth & Lim Swee Hong (Paperback)

About the Book

Two worship experts provide the first comprehensive history of Contemporary Praise & Worship, offering insight into where it began and how it reshaped the church.

Book Synopsis

Christianity Today 2023 Book Award Finalist (History & Biography)

New forms of worship have transformed the face of the American church over the past fifty years. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, including interviews with dozens of important stakeholders and key players, this volume by two worship experts offers the first comprehensive history of Contemporary Praise & Worship. The authors provide insight into where this phenomenon began and how it reshaped the Protestant church. They also emphasize the span of denominational, regional, and ethnic expressions of contemporary worship.

From the Back Cover

"The most comprehensive account to date of the liturgical forms that reshaped the landscape of Christian worship"

Two worship experts provide the first comprehensive history of Contemporary Praise & Worship, offering insight into where this phenomenon began and how it reshaped the church.

"The story of Contemporary Praise & Worship is fascinating and complex, and Ruth and Lim follow its twists and turns with historical precision, theological sophistication, and wondrous clarity. This book is a remarkable achievement. It will remain the standard work of reference on evangelical and Pentecostal worship for years to come."
--Melanie C. Ross, Yale Divinity School

"What a remarkably rich and thought-provoking account of the people and the convictions that have directly or indirectly shaped the worship practices of millions of Christians in several quite different traditions. Those who remember the people or events described here may well be astonished to see the contours of the larger story in which they played a part. This is a book that will help us slow down and listen attentively, a crucial task for anyone who is called to discern the nature of vital, faithful worship practices in the years to come, including Christians from traditions that seem at first not to be influenced by the worlds described here."
--John Witvliet, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Calvin University

"I have had the wonderful privilege of personally experiencing and participating in the birth of Contemporary Praise & Worship. My heart wept as I read Ruth and Lim's masterful and comprehensive capture of our worship 'heritage.' But, as precious as our heritage is, this book is much more than a historical narration of praise and worship. The authors identify significant principles and pitfalls of contemporary worship expression. This book needs to be in every church leader's library and is a must-read for everyone who desires to be grounded in our heritage of praise and worship!"
--Howard Rachinski, founder, Christian Copyright Licensing International, Inc.

"A landmark volume. With remarkable breadth and analytical depth, this book provides the most comprehensive account to date of the liturgical forms that reshaped the landscape of Christian worship during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This book will become required reading for courses in liturgy and worship, church history, and church music."
--Monique M. Ingalls, Center for Christian Music Studies, Baylor University

About the Author

Lester Ruth (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is research professor of Christian worship at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. He is a historian of Christian worship with a particular interest in the history of Contemporary Praise & Worship.

Lim Swee Hong (PhD, Drew University) is Deer Park Associate Professor of Sacred Music at Emmanuel College of Victoria University, University of Toronto, in Toronto, Ontario. He has taught in the United States, Canada, and in his native Singapore and often leads global seminars and conferences dealing with worship and sacred music.