Enter the Worship Circle
by Ben Pasley
(review written: January 26, 2002 by Kevin D. Hendricks)
Nonfiction
195 pages
Relevant Books
2001

In a time when worship has become a marketing concept, Ben Pasley pens a personal and deeply spiritual portrait of what it really means to come before the God of all creation in worship. This is not your pastor's book on worship, and it wouldn't be surprising if more than a few stuffy fundamentalists were put off by Enter the Worship Circle.

It's a book for a spiritually enlightened age, an audience that's tired of dusty religion and lifeless tradition. It's a book for the non-Christian that's curious. It's written in a sensitive way (seeker sensitive, if you like the buzz words), so much so that Jesus isn't mentioned until half way through the book, and Bible passages are often referenced as "an ancient saying." There's even a description of the crucifixion that avoids using the word "cross" and thus becomes incredibly new and original. The narrative also alternates between seven different points of view, all exploring worship from different angles. The result is easy to read, refreshing, and perfect for this multi-tasking digital age.

Pasley explores what worship really means, taking it beyond a Sunday morning sing-a-long, and the latest craze of worship CDs chockfull of repetitive praise choruses. Worshipping God is something that can happen outside a church and without any hip worship leader, and Pasley takes the reader on a journey to discover that kind of worship.

This is the kind of book more Christians should be writing, the kind of book that could be incredibly successful if it gets into the right hands. And in this case, success is not defined by best seller lists or the spawning of the latest Jabez craze (although with two CDs already out you have to wonder if Enter the Worship Circle is creating its own independent hype). Instead, success is defined in terms of lives changed by encounters with the Creator. This is the kind of book that could change lives one dog-eared copy at a time, as it's passed from searching soul to searching soul (and unfortunately for Relevant Books and Ben Pasley, it won't make anybody rich in the process--something the Christian publishing industry needs).

This book is a journey, and it should serve as a valuable guide to others' on their journey to God. Read it for a new perspective, or simply as a refresher.