O Worship the King

Reviewer's Bookwatch, Jan, 2005 by Betty Winslow

O Worship the King.

John MacArthur, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Robert and Bobbie Wolgemuth.

Crossway/WaterBrook

1300 Crescent Street,Wheaton, IL 60187.

http://www.gnpcb.org/home/books

1581342152 $19.99, 126 p. + CD-ROM.

In O Worship the King, John MacArthur, Joni Eareckson Tada, and husband/wife team Robert and Bobbie Wolgemuth have come up with a book that lives up to its subtitle, Hymns of Praise and Assurance to Encourage the Heart. The book covers twelve of the most loved hymns of the Christian church (among them A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, It Is Well With My Soul, and Be Thou My Vision) and it includes a fully orchestrated CD of the book's hymns.

The chapter for each hymn begins with that hymn's words and is followed by stories about it from three different angles. At the Heart of the Hymn is personal testimony by one of the authors about that hymn's effect on his or her life. In the Light of the Word covers the theological viewpoint and scriptural references contained in the hymn, while From Out of the Past briefly tells the life story of the man or woman who wrote the hymn.

Songs in the Night, another book about the inspiring stories behind famous church hymns, was written by Salvation Army Colonel Henry Gariepy and covers many more hymns than this one does. However, with the inclusion of the words, music, and CD, O Worship the King allows readers and listeners who were unfamiliar with the chosen hymns to come away with a new appreciation for the music and the message.