As a broadly reformed Baptist in a nondenominational church, it is vitally important to understand how worship developed in early Christian congregations, through the Reformation, to the rise of the Particular Baptists in Victorian England and the Puritan movement in the New World, finally leading to the modern expressions of the Reformed and Baptist movements.
A Brief Look at the Pre-Reformation History
Ross has demonstrated convincingly in Recalling the Hope of Glory, how the early church transitioned from the Jewish practices of the Old Testament to liturgical forms that were distinctly Christian. But, that is largely outside the scope of this paper. Bryan Chappell has compiled an excellent volume on the development of liturgy in the Reformation tradition.
In Christ-Centered Worship, Chappell traces the pre-reformation roots of Christian worship highlighting the centrality of the Eucharist in the Roman liturgy of the Upper Room and the various readings and prayers included in the Roman liturgy of the Word. In Chart 7.4, Chappell notes the continuity between worship in the pre-1570 tradition and the modern structure outlined by Rayburn in the 1980s by tracing the changes made by Luther, Calvin, and Westminster.
The Protestant Reformation and the Emergence of Reformed Worship
Luther’s Influence
In many ways, the Protestant Reformation began not as a critique of Rome’s theology, but of their worship. Luther was concerned with the excesses that he found in medieval Roman worship and he wanted to clarify the purpose of worship. He “did not want his worship to be interpreted as a propitiatory sacrifice offered to God by a priest on behalf of the people.” This was because Luther firmly believed that the work of Christ on the cross was sufficient as a sacrifice once and for all (Hebrews 9:12, 24–48).
Therefore, the Christian worship service was not a time for the priest to offer Christ again in sacrifice, but as a gift from God to the people. This shifted the attention away from worship as a sacrifice to worship as a response to God’s grace. By reframing the purpose of worship, Luther highlighted the responsive nature of Christian worship.
When Christians gather to worship, they are responding to the grace that God has first given them in Christ Jesus. This is good news for the Christian and led Luther to reframe the liturgy. The service begins not with chanting, but with a congregational hymn of praise. Chappell believes this is because Luther wants to highlight that the “congregation’s praise means just as much as the professional clergy’s.” Luther’s commitment to the priesthood of all believers leads to practical changes in his liturgical framework.
Calvin Influence
Later, Calvin too adjusted the liturgy in Geneva to emphasize his theological commitments. The Reformed tradition began to highlight the importance of the people understanding God’s Word and worship. Practically, this meant that Bible translation was central to the task of the Reformers, as they wanted every member to understand God’s Word as it was prayed, sung, and taught.
Second, Calvin emphasized the importance of participatory singing in his liturgy. Perhaps, this is the most distinctive element of Calvin’s early liturgy which emphasizes more singing than previous liturgies. Third, Calvin argued for what is called the Regulative Principle. This principle contends that Scripture prescribes a way for Christians to worship and that all elements in a Christian worship service should be commanded by Scripture explicitly. Calvin believed that this approach would help focus the service on God’s Word rather than human invention.
It’s important to understand that those in the broader Reformed Baptist tradition do not trace their theological heritage to the Anabaptists, but to those within the magisterial tradition like Calvin and Luther. Despite sharing certain doctrinal convictions regarding the mode of baptism, those who are broadly Reformed Baptists have a different theological heritage than those in the Anabaptist tradition.
This is largely outside the scope of this paper, but it is important to understand that those who are Reformed and Baptist look to Luther, Calvin, and eventually the Particular Baptists in England and the Puritans for influence far more than they look to the Anabaptist tradition.
Puritan Influences and the Synthesis of Reformed and Baptist Worship
To understand the liturgical influences in Reformed and Baptist worship today, it is vitally important to recognize the influence of the Puritans. Though they are not Baptists themselves, it was their theological commitments that laid the foundation for modern worship in the Reformed and Baptist movement.
Their commitment to simplicity and biblical faithfulness is present even in non-denominational churches like Redeemer who often look to the Puritans for influence. Preserved and popularized by Banner of Truth, Puritans like Richard Baxter, John Owen, and Thomas Goodwin continue to be read today. The Puritans made a significant contribution to the broader Reformed Baptist tradition because of their commitment to the centrality of preaching, the regulative principle, and congregational singing.
They critiqued the excesses of Anglican worship and the formal elements of the Book of Common Prayer and committed themselves to a more simple approach. At the same time, they clung to their Reformed convictions. In fact, the Puritans held to four of the five future theological distinctives of the Reformed Baptists mentioned later in this paper, with the Reformed Baptist tradition diverging from the Puritans on their teaching of baptism.