Worship Matters

I’ve known Josh Harris for 12 years, but actually been a fan of his for much longer. Back in the mid-90’s he was publishing a magazine called New Attitude, which I thought was the hippest thing going for home schooling families. Today, he’s my senior pastor.

His first book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, ended up selling a gazillion copies, and has blessed or disturbed (depending on your point of view) readers throughout the world. I personally found it very helpful for helping my 6 kids sort through the world’s confused, and often harmful, perspectives on relationships.

Since then, Josh has written another book on relationships (Boy Meets Girl), one on purity (Sex is not the Problem: Lust Is), and one on the church (Stop Dating the Church). I’ve found all of them to be excellent resources for the topics they address.

But I’m really excited about his latest book, Dug Down Deep. As the subtitle explains, Josh is “Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters.” One pastor described it as J.I. Packer’s Knowing God “in blues jeans and a shaved head.”

However you describe it, it’s worth reading. Especially if you have a difficult time rooting your passion for God in unchanging biblical truth. But even if you see theology and devotion as integrally connected, Josh’s book will feed your desire to know and love God more deeply, accurately, and passionately.

In the midst of telling his own theological journey (as well as a chapter on his Dad), Josh sheds light on the importance of doctrine, God’s nature, Scripture, the Incarnation, the atonement, sanctification, the Holy Spirit, and the church. In his final chapter, called “Humble Orthodoxy,” Josh gives practical wisdom on discerning the “fine line between contending for truth and being contentious.” (p. 222)

A few of my favorite quotes:

“Big doesn’t equal deep.” (p. 25)
“How we relate to Scripture reveals how we view God himself.” (p. 66)
“Many Christians are more interested in chasing a feeling about Jesus than pursuing Jesus himself and reviewing and thinking about the truth of who he is.” (p. 86)
“It’s not enough that we simply know truth. God wants us to feel it, to believe it, and to apprehend it in the deepest, most personal way.” (p. 191)
“In eternity we’ll see the silliness of self-righteousness and quarreling over the nonessentials. But we’ll also see with piercing clarity just how essential the essentials really are. We’ll see just how precious the truths of the gospel really are.” (p. 229)

Josh kindly answered a few questions about his new book:

Why do you think Dug Down Deep would be a good book for those who lead congregational worship to read?
Dug Down Deep is a very simple introduction to Christian doctrine. So, honestly, there’s nothing new here for worship leaders. But it might be useful because in the book I’m trying to make theology very clear and accessible to people. So I share stories. I talk about how various truths have reshaped my own life. I try and push past the “Christianese” we can so easily slip into and explain what terms mean and why they matter. One friend told me that he felt the book helped transfer theological concepts from the head to the heart. So maybe that’s where the book could serve worship leaders. I think helping to transfer lofty theological categories from the head to the heart-and have truth about God touch our affections-is part of what worship leaders are called to do.

What are the 2-3 most important thoughts you hope people take away from reading Dug Down Deep?
I want them to see that a vibrant, real relationship with God isn’t at odds with studying theology and doctrine-it’s why we study theology. I also want them to see that Christian doctrine is for living. It’s practical and it shapes how we view the world and how we live. That’s why making sure what we believe is built on the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so important.

Why do you think this is the most important book you’ve written?
In different ways my other books are about what we should do for God. Dug Down Deep is primarily about who God is and the good news of what he has done for us in Jesus. So it’s the most important book I’ve written because there’s nothing more vital for a Christian to know. At the end of the day, who cares whether you date or do courtship if you don’t really know God? That’s not to diss my past books. But this is the book I want to hand to non-Christians and young Christians. This is what they really need to know.

What is one of the most encouraging responses you’ve gotten from someone who has read your book?
Two people have told me that as they read Dug Down Deep they kept wanting to put it down and pick up their Bible. I can’t tell you how happy that made me.

DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.