What is the purpose of that portion of the Sunday morning service situated between the “welcome” and the sermon—that portion with all the singing? Is it “preparation” for the Sermon? Is it entertainment? The opening act? And while we’re at it, just who is all this singing for anyway? Is it a key attraction for the un-churched visitor? And who should be leading this portion of the service? Does it matter?

Though these questions are seldom asked outright, they surround the unnamed assumptions and expectations of Christians in the twenty-first century. In Revelation and Response, Samuel G. Parkison asks and answers these questions. His answers may sound new to the average evangelical ears, but they are ancient. This book is for the church music leader who is scrambling to find answers. Revelation and Response is a survival guide for such individuals. Like any good survival guide, it is not exhaustive in any of the areas it explores, but it does include the bare essentials of what you need. On every page, Parkison points his readers to the Triune God of the Bible, since a revelation of his glory elicits a response of worship.