Through tracing the liturgical history of the Christian faith from its foundation in Old TestamentIsrael through the early church, middle ages, Reformation, to the present, this book demonstratesthat liturgy forms religion and religion forms liturgy.One of the best ways to truly understand what lies at the core of the Christian faith is by studyingits worship, for corporate worship does something far more significant than many Christiansrecognize-public worship both reveals belief and forms belief. How a communityworships-its content, its liturgy, and its forms of expression-reveals the underlying religiouscommitments of those who plan and lead the worship. Conversely, corporate worship forms thebeliefs of the worshipers. Public worship is not simply about authentic expression of theworshipers; rather, how a church worships week after week progressively shapes their beliefssince those worship practices were cultivated by and embody certain beliefs.This is why it is so important for church leaders, and indeed all Christians, to carefully identifywhat kinds of beliefs have shaped their various worship practices so that they will choose toworship in ways that best form their minds and hearts consistent with their theologicalconvictions. That is the goal of this book: studying worship in the Old and New Testaments willreveal how God deliberately prescribed worship that would form his people as he desires, andtracing the evolution of Christian worship from after the close of the New Testament to thepresent day will help elucidate how theological beliefs affected the worship practices Christianshave inherited.