Table of Contents

Foreword by John Ortberg
Acknowledgments

1. What's at Stake in Worship?
2. The Real Battle Over Worship
3. False Dangers
4. Real Dangers
5. Waking Up to Where We Live
6. Doing Justice Starts with Rest
7. When Worship Talks to Power
8. Dwelling in Exodus or in Exile?
9. An Imagination for Justice
10. Living Awake

Epilogue
Study Guide
Notes

About the Author

Mark Labberton teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and directs the Lloyd John Ogilvie Institute of Preaching, which encourages the convergence of worship, preaching and justice (micahgroups.org). Previously Labberton served as senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, California. A senior fellow of the International Justice Mission, he is also the author of The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor.

John Ortberg is teaching pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and author of many books, including God Is Closer Than You Think.

Reviews

"The Dangerous Act of Worship is a significant work because of the relative lack of writing in the area of worship and justice. . . . It is written at a popular level, targeting pastors and congregants as evidenced by the copious personal examples throughout the book. Given Labberton's posture, the foundation work and conclusions are excellent."
*Robert Pendergraft, Artistic Theologian, 2 (2013)*

"[A] timely and much appreciated attempt to recall for privileged North American Christians the intimate connection between worship and issues of justice."
*The Presbyterian Outlook, October 6, 2008*

"Labberton's book is bracing reading that deserves thoughtful meditation and discussion among pastors, lay leaders, and those who occupy the pews--especially in places where those pews have become all too comfortable."
*The Clergy Journal, November/December 2007*

"The Dangerous Act of Worship is a timely reminder of the need for Christians to wake up to the needs of those who are suffering in our world."
*K. R. M. for Liturgy, Hymnody, Pulpit Quarterly Review, Christmastide 2007*

"I see the book as a wake-up call to get out of our comfortable pews and do something for the downtrodden. The book is enhanced with intriguing personal anecdotes, illustrations, and lots of scriptural references encouraging justice for all."
*Church Libraries Journal, Summer 2007*

The Dangerous Act of Worship is for any church leader or minister who wants to make a difference in the world; chapters outline differences between false and real dangers, consider the church's role in social issues, and come from a working pastor's experience."
*James A. Cox, California Bookwatch, April 2007*

"The Dangerous Act of Worship is a candid look at our priorities. . . . Labberton questions what an encounter with God truly looks like. . . . [I]t's not safe or controlled or dependent on having the best tech booth . . . or the most people in the pews. It is about waking up as God's people and engaging our world with love and revealing God's redemption."
*Worship Leader, May 2007*