By the Waters of Babylon: Worship in a Post-Christian Culture

By the Waters of Babylon examines a relationship between worship, culture, and evangelism that is centered in a desire for biblical fidelity rather than cultural relevance. Imagine how the Hebrews felt during their years of captivity in Babylon. How could they sing the songs they once sang in the spender of Jerusalem now that they sat in exile? Christian worship in the West faces many of the same challenges as this tragic account of Israel’s captivity. By all accounts Christendom is dead, and unbiblical beliefs have progressively permeated Western thought, expectations, and culture.

So how should churches respond to this seismic shift in their relationship with an increasingly post-Christian culture while still following the biblical mandate to reach that culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ? By the Waters of Babylon will help Christians wrestle through this critical issue of the relationship between Christian worship and evangelistic witness, especially in the context of an increasingly hostile culture. The author demonstrates that biblically regulated, gospel-shaped corporate worship that communicates God’s truth through appropriate cultural forms will have the most missional impact in a post-Christian context.