Ray Van Neste – författare

Many in the church have forgotten the Psalms. They may still be read, but the rich history of using them as the backbone of Christian worship (from the earliest days of the church until the 19th century) is unknown. For some the thought of praying or singing the Psalms, alone or with others, is entirely foreign. In this we are out of step with our forebears in the faith; we are an oddity in the history of the church and duly suffer for it.Drawn by the rich spiritual depth produced in so many who have invested themselves in the Psalms, Forgotten Songs seeks to reclaim the content in various areas of worship. This book first examines biblical and historical foundations for the use of the Psalms in worship. The Old Testament and New Testament are revisited noting the nature and purpose of the Psalms and how they were used. Examples of the Psalms being employed by the Church Fathers and throughout the Reformation are also explored.The second section of the book examines specific ways of using the Psalms in our worship today. These aren’t abstract ideas or suggestions but are examples from the personal and corporate lives of individuals who have been significantly impacted by the Psalms. From group singing of the Psalms, to praying Psalms publicly and privately, to pastoral care and the place of lament, Forgotten Songs will help others remember to actively use the Psalms in their own worship lives, individually and corporately.Contributors include such academicians and authors as Craig A. Blaising, Douglas Bond, Randall Bush, Jack Collins, Chad Davis, J. Michael Garrett, James H. Grant, Jr., James Richard Joiner, Ray Ortlund, Leland Ryken, Calvin Seerveld, Justin Wainscott, and John D. Witvliet along with editors Ray Van Neste and C. Richard Wells.

In a church rocked by controversies over vernacular Scripture, iconoclasm, and the power of clergy, men and women arose in protest. Today we call this protest movement the Protestant Reformation. At its heart, the Reformation was a great revival of the church centered on the recovery of biblical truth and the gospel of free grace. This movement continues to instruct and inspire believers even into the present day.Reformation 500 celebrates the Reformation and probes the ways it has shaped our world for the better. With essays from an array of disciplines, this book explores the impact of the Reformation across a wide range of human experience. Literature, education, visual art, culture, politics, music, theology, church life, and Baptist history all provide prisms through which the Reformation legacy is viewed. From Augustine to Zwingli, historical figures like Luther, Calvin, Barth, Bonhoeffer, Rembrandt, Bach, Bunyan, and Wycliffe all find their way into this amazing 500-year story. From Anglicans to Baptists, scientists to poets, Reformation 500 weaves these many historical threads into a modern-day tapestry.