Ronald P Byars

We in mainline churches are uneasy, maybe even scared. Why are our voices not heard? After all, we are the reasonable Christians, the updated Christians, the respectable ones who have dominated the cultural landscape since colonial times. This book presumes that trying to reverse the loss of our traditional status in society is both futile and beside the point. What's called for when we find ourselves in a state of crisis is to rediscover the big picture, the Christian hope projected on a large screen. This requires the courage to revisit the sources from which all Christian hope springs, rediscovering their life-giving power. That power rises from the counterintuitive affirmations of the gospel represented in Christ's incarnation; his healing the afflicted; his raising the dead; his vulnerability; his cross, resurrection, and "universal restoration" (Acts 3:21). Preaching and worship that embodies and lifts up the hard parts, the life-giving parts, is neither fundamentalist nor an exercise in nostalgia. It is rather evidence of confidence in the triune God who makes the unknowable known. The Good Shepherd promised: "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). And when they do, they will.

We in mainline churches are uneasy, maybe even scared. Why are our voices not heard? After all, we are the reasonable Christians, the updated Christians, the respectable ones who have dominated the cultural landscape since colonial times. This book presumes that trying to reverse the loss of our traditional status in society is both futile and beside the point. What's called for when we find ourselves in a state of crisis is to rediscover the big picture, the Christian hope projected on a large screen. This requires the courage to revisit the sources from which all Christian hope springs, rediscovering their life-giving power. That power rises from the counterintuitive affirmations of the gospel represented in Christ's incarnation; his healing the afflicted; his raising the dead; his vulnerability; his cross, resurrection, and universal restoration (Acts 3:21). Preaching and worship that embodies and lifts up the hard parts, the life-giving parts, is neither fundamentalist nor an exercise in nostalgia. It is rather evidence of confidence in the triune God who makes the unknowable known. The Good Shepherd promised: My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27). And when they do, they will.

Regular worshipers may be believers on Sunday but (nearly) atheists by Thursday. The general public, not making fine distinctions, lumps mainline Protestants together with fundamentalists fighting to hold on to a privileged status already lost. Circumstances favor religious skeptics, who find themselves with rising influence. Church members in mainline denominations feel caught between a rock and a hard place. Thus comes the critical question of the moment: is Christian faith of an intellectually serious and recognizably generous sort still possible? This book invites readers to explore basic questions about faith itself, and classically inclined Christian faith in particular. Faith is a kind of knowing, but a knowing that makes use of doubt and asserts that it is possible to be confident without claiming absolute certainty. Faith is less like agreeing with an argument and more like falling in love. Faith involves learning how to see with the eyes of the heart. Faith embraces realities that can be perceived even by a child, but that cannot always be directly expressed in the kind of language we use for discussing serious matters. Living in faith is and will always be an against-the-grain way of imagining the world.

Regular worshipers may be believers on Sunday but (nearly) atheists by Thursday. The general public, not making fine distinctions, lumps mainline Protestants together with fundamentalists fighting to hold on to a privileged status already lost. Circumstances favor religious skeptics, who find themselves with rising influence. Church members in mainline denominations feel caught between a rock and a hard place. Thus comes the critical question of the moment: is Christian faith of an intellectually serious and recognizably generous sort still possible? This book invites readers to explore basic questions about faith itself, and classically inclined Christian faith in particular. Faith is a kind of knowing, but a knowing that makes use of doubt and asserts that it is possible to be confident without claiming absolute certainty. Faith is less like agreeing with an argument and more like falling in love. Faith involves learning how to see with the eyes of the heart. Faith embraces realities that can be perceived even by a child, but that cannot always be directly expressed in the kind of language we use for discussing serious matters. Living in faith is and will always be an against-the-grain way of imagining the world.

The third volume in the exciting new Interpretation series offers a comprehensive look at the theology of sacraments. For many church people, worship is about preaching and music. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are occasional additions to Sunday services. Recognizing that church-goers are uncertain about the need for sacraments, Ronald Byars describes the possibility that the very doing of worship--the actions observed, the postures assumed, the sound and sight of water, the smell and taste of bread and wine--will subtly alter the temper of the heart and the mind. If we encounter the sacraments honestly, they lead us to the very heart of the gospel.

What language is most appropriate for worship? Should it lean toward the colloquial, perhaps targeting those attending a worship service for the first time? Or should it be a language with deeper roots, the language of a community that, for the most part, already loves the God to whom worship is offered? Ronald Byars argues that the communal speech that truly honors God is, in fact, biblical language, which encompasses a vast range of forms -- poetry and prose, song and proverb, parable and narrative. Byars explains how biblical language becomes liturgical language that pushes us beyond what we already think we know, requiring us to think anew about death and resurrection, beginnings and endings, and the life of faith. What Language Shall I Borrow? is an instructive, eloquent reminder not to retreat from biblical language and images but to fully embrace them in our worship today.

In this volume, Ronald Byars provides an extensive historical and theological study of the development of eucharistic prayer in the Reformed tradition. He introduces early eucharistic prayer and its development in the Roman tradition, then traces the changes made during the Reformation and in modern times. Byars concludes with a recap of recent ecumenical discussions about eucharistic prayer and discusses its current and future place in Reformed worship. A glossary of terms and extensive appendixes with the texts of historic eucharistic prayers make this a useful and welcome resource for scholars, students, and clergy.

Over the past several years, churches have engaged in an ongoing debate between two different styles of worship--"traditional" and "contemporary." Here, Ronald Byars argues that many of the differences between the two styles are superficial. Authentic worship, being wholly theocentric, can and must be both responsive to contemporary culture and grounded in history and tradition. Thus, rather than merely trying to please their members, congregations must focus on exploring worship that is biblical, honors our communion with the saints, and takes seriously the ways that our culture is reshaping us. He concludes with a description of an authentic, postmodern Protestant worship service.

This second book in the Foundations of Christian Faith series explores such questions as, who cares about worship? what are the meanings for contemporary Christians of worship and the sacraments? what motivates people to worship God? and what constitutes meaningful worship today?" The Foundations of Christian Faith series enables readers to learn about contemporary theology in ways that are clear, enjoyable, and meaningful. It examines the doctrines of the Christian faith and stimulates readers not only to think more deeply about their faith but also to understand their faith in relationship to contemporary challenges and questions. Individuals and study groups alike will find these guides invaluable in their search for depth and integrity in their Christian faith.