Oxford History of Worship

From a quick overview, The Oxford History of Christian Worship (2006), edited by Geoffrey Wainwright and Karen B. Westerfield Tucker, looks to be one of those indispensable reference works. The editors have assembled an international group of contributors, and there are chapters not only on all the usual issues and movements, but also on the church of South India, Reformed worship in Korea, liturgy in East Asia and the Pacific, as well as Africa and Latin America. Regional variations within traditions are given recognition: There is an article on the Reformed tradition on the Continent and another on the Reformed tradition in Scotland; German and Scandinavian Lutheran liturgies each get a separate chapter. The articles look to be richly detailed, including discussions of specific liturgical forms and practices, the theology and history of worship, the relation of culture and liturgy, brief bibliographies that are up-to-date without being faddish. For the most part, the book is arranged chronologically, but the final chapters give attention to specific issues in liturgics – vestments, liturgical space, visual arts, music, and women in worship. This hefty volume (916 pages) seems to provide a perfect starting point for liturgical study.