Seminary Hill Press releases Chinese translation of “Scripture-Guided Worship” e-book
Editor’s Note: Read this article in Chinese here.
The latest release from Seminary Hill Press (SHP), the publishing arm of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, resulted from a request for a Chinese-language version of a previous publication.
Scripture-Guided Worship, written by Joseph Crider, dean of the seminary’s School of Church Music and Worship (SCMW), was published by SHP in 2021 and later released in e-book format. The new release, also in e-book format, was translated into Chinese by Fang-Lan Hsieh, music librarian in the school’s Bowld Music Library. Crider said Joshua Waggener, professor of church music and worship, taught in East Asia this past summer and Hsieh translated some chapters of Scripture-Guided Worship to use with the Chinese students.
“As Dr. Hsieh continued to translate, she felt Chinese churches, especially house churches, would benefit from the perspective of corporate worship being Word-driven rather than song-driven,” he added.
Hsieh said it was “a great honor to have translated Dr. Crider’s book, an important and timely contribution to worship studies. Dr. Crider’s work offers rich insight and practical guidance, and making it available in Chinese greatly expands its reach and influence.”
Waggener shared a comment from one of his East Asia students who said, “Many applications in the book by Dr. Joe Crider are so specific and practical that we can use them directly and right away.” The student then gave an example of how he had used a suggested scriptural call to worship that morning in a time of worship, he said.
“Now that the full book is available in Chinese, I trust that many more will benefit from this call to pastors and worship leaders to incorporate the biblical rhythm of revelation and response into each worship service,” Waggener said.
The book was written as an encouragement to pastors and worship leaders to rely on the Bible as their primary resource for corporate worship rather than the popularity of worship songs or the latest technology.
“One of the important principles we teach about biblical worship is that worship isn’t defined by a musical or cultural style,” Crider said. “That doesn’t limit the power or importance of music as a vital expression of worship, but it actually elevates music’s role under the authority of the Word of God.
“Musical expressions in worship have changed significantly over the centuries and music in varying cultures world-wide is incredibly varied, but what connects believers is the transtemporal, transgenerational, transcultural Word of God,” he added.
Hsieh said she has been translating publications related to church music since the mid-1990s. Scripture-Guided Worship is her 10th such work and “has been a particularly meaningful and worthwhile scholarly endeavor,” she said.
“This Chinese e-book will be an invaluable resource for Chinese pastors, worship leaders, and song leaders, equipping them with theological depth and practical tools for ministry,” Hsieh added “The translation is especially meaningful for believers in diverse settings, including house churches across China, where access to high-quality worship resources is often limited.”
The e-book can be purchased here for $3.99.
