From the TeachingtheWordBible Knowledgebase
In the early church, the Gnostics undermined Biblical worship by introducing angel worship, denial of the deity of Christ, and other ungodly inventions. In the centuries to follow, Roman Catholicism borrowed heavily from the paganism of the Roman Empire, and that syncretism continues to be the basis of its worship. Today, postmodern Evangelicalism says that the worship service must be a well-planned stage production designed to impress the un-churched, manipulate emotions, and manufacture desired results.
In contrast to these past and present abuses, what does Scripture say about the nature of genuine, God-honoring worship? How can Christians recognize the roots and fruits of counterfeit worship in our time, and how must we respond? The articles below focus on these questions.
1. Worship: Real and Counterfeit
This article introduces the issue, and describes how this series will approach it.
2. False Humility: The Root of False Worship
According to Colossians 2 and other passages, those who invent and promote counterfeit worship "take delight in false humility."
3. Counterfeit Worship: The Indulgence of the Flesh
Counterfeit worship is of no value for the one thing God says every Christian needs most.
4. What Is 'Worship of Angels'?
What was this first-century worship perversion, and why should it concern us today?
5. Counterfeit Worship: The Heart of the Heresy
The heart of the heresy of counterfeit worship is the false teaching that man in his pride, not God in Scripture, determines whom to worship and how.
6. The Historic Champion of Counterfeit Worship
In two thousand years of church history, one entity stands out as the principal purveyor of un-Biblical worship.
7. The Historic Justification of Counterfeit Worship
Through the centuries, counterfeit worship has been justified by suppressing the commandment against idolatry.
8. The Counterfeit Worship of Saints
Sainthood is a status conferred not by officials of the church, but by God. Those who are truly His saints are worshippers, not the worshipped.
9. Rome's Counterfeit Worship of Relics and Mary
Scripture specifically condemns these two forms of counterfeit worship long commanded by Roman Catholicism.
10. The Counterfeit Worship of Popes
Contrary to the teachings of Rome, even Peter himself - whom it claims as the first pope - denied the papacy and the worship of popes. So must we.
11. Counterfeit Worship: Dangerous Imposters in the Church
Scripture declares that those who persist in promoting counterfeit worship are dangerous spiritual imposters.
12. The Epidemic of Counterfeit Worship
Counterfeit worship has become so widespread that it now supports a multi-billion-dollar "worship industry."
13. Today's Counterfeit Worship: 'Whatever It Takes'
The worship industry's message to present-day churches is clear: Forget the Bible, except as a stage prop. Forget holiness, because you must attract the world.
14. Ten Contemporary Lies About Worship
The philosophy promoted by the purveyors of counterfeit worship can be summed up in ten un-Biblical statements.
15. Biblical Worship: An Issue of Sound Doctrine
Biblical worship is a matter of sound doctrine, just as much as the doctrines of the Trinity, the holiness of God, or the atonement.
16. The Thinking That Must Govern Our Worship
In worship as in all things, Christians must desire that which God commands.
17. Christian Worship: Not a Function of Culture or Preference
Postmodern Evangelicals call it "the culture" and want to bring it into the church. Scripture calls it "the world" - and warns us that to embrace it is spiritual adultery.
18. Counterfeit Worship: Part of a Deadly Package
The presence of counterfeit worship is a key indicator that a church's leadership and membership have deeper doctrinal problems that can cut the very heart out of the Christian faith.
19. 'I Will Be Regarded As Holy'
The fires of our worship must be kindled by God, not the world.
20. Biblical Worship: God's People, God's Way
Who is qualified to worship God? What is the central element of Biblical worship?