Protestant Reformation a Prologue to Christian Civilization

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY PROTESTANT REFORMATION: A PROLOGUE TO CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE DIVISION OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF DIVINITY IN CHAPLAINCY BY SULEIMAN ABBA LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA MARCH 2013 Abstract The Early Church was a minority religious movement which faced significant threats of persecution in their daily practice of faith. As a result there was no detailed structure of worship as seen in the present day Christian worship. However, worship in those days paved way for the current settings of various churches which have greatly evolved over time. Worship was characterized by several aspects such as†¦show more content†¦In Rick Warren’s book titled ‘Purpose Driven Life’ he noted that every part of a church service is an act of worship. These include, Praying, Scripture reading, singing, confession, listening to sermon, taking notes, giving offering, baptism, communion, ushering and etc. Early Christian Worship Being a crucial and important factor of worship during the early days of Christianity, the Lord’s Supper was conducted mostly during church meetings and assemblies where the ceremony was conducted in addition to giving thanks to the Lord and singing his hymns. Generally, worship involves religious actions or devotion to a higher power which for Christianity means God. Christian worship is typified by various aspects such as praying in various designated venues, singing religious hymns and reading the Bible and engaging in communion or Eucharist among others. This paper critically analyzes the various practices of early church such as the singing of psalms and hymns, gathering in church assemblies, vocal thanksgiving, the Lord’s Supper as well as the practice of baptism. Christian worship is the adoration and contemplation of God and is defined by various elements such as meeting in venues such as churches in order to offer prayers, reading the Bible, singing and engaging in communion or Eucharist, collecting offerings as well as teaching and listening to sermons. These aspects of worship have evolved