Lovin' on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship

Lovin' on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship is a compact--but thorough--history of changes in North American Protestant worship that occurred in the second half of the twentieth century and that came to be known as "contemporary worship." This scholarly but accessible work reveals a fascinating and complex lineage, which led to the worship forms that are now so common in many Christian worship services across the globe.
Authors Lim and Ruth uncover the rise of this term itself in the early 1990s as the pivot point in the phenomenon's history. They show how "contemporary worship" has multiple points of origin, and how new ways of worship developed along many different lines. The authors trace the rise of the term in the early 1990s, pointing to a new phase in its history: promotion and adoption by mainline congregations. The book documents this phase, as well as the earlier phases, with original source material including personal interviews.

Lovin' on Jesus also tells the story of the ongoing evolution of contemporary worship both within and beyond mainline congregations. It is important to note that the story of contemporary worship includes not only music, but also its other features.