Recovering Mother Kirk: The Case for Liturgy in the Reformed Tradition. D. G. Hart. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003. 264 pp. $24.99. ISBN 0801026156. www.bakerbooks.com
With Reverence and Awe: Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship. D. G. Hart and John R. Muether. Phillipsburg, N. J.: P&R Publishing Company, 2002. 208 pp. $12.99. ISBN 0875521797. www.prpbooks.com
Recovering Mother Kirk by D. G. Hart and With Reverence and Awe, coauthored by Hart and John R. Muether, are written from within the Orthodox Presbyterian context and serve to balance the worship conversation with their “hyper-regulative principle perspective,” where only what is commanded in Scripture is permitted in worship. Some of the correctives suggested along with their critique of the present worship scene are not supported by compelling arguments. Still, they offer a clear reminder that our worship conversations must always be rooted in Scripture.