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Fernando Arzola Jr. (PhD Fordham University) is the Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Nyack College where he also serves as Associate Professor of Religious Education. He is author of Toward a Prophetic Youth Ministry: Theory and Praxis in Urban Context (2008).

"All Christians worship God, but they do so in mystifyingly different ways, in a variety of languages, liturgies, theologies, ecclesiologies, and pieties. By examining the worship patterns of Catholic, Evangelical, and Orthodox communities of faith, this comparative study helps us to see the unity that marks the universal Body of Christ scattered throughout time as well as space. It also allows us to consider with candor the distinctive traits of these major faith families and the numerous demarcations within each. A welcome addition to the growing literature on worship!"
<br> --Timothy George
<br> Founding Dean
<br> Beeson Divinity School
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<br> "As interest in liturgical forms of worship continues to grow in Christian circles, the need for accessible and reliable guides to this territory is urgent. Arzola's book is just such a resource. It provides a clear introduction to Catholic, Evangelical, and Orthodox perspectives on worship and encourages mutual respect between them. It also offers practical advice to those seeking deeper devotional expression. This is a timely and helpful book that deserves a wide readership"
<br> --Justyn Terry
<br> Dean, President and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity School for Ministry.
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<br> "Arzola writes from his educational perspective a basic comparative study of the worship streams of Catholic, Evangelical, and Orthodox Christian traditions. He insightfully advocates for the recovery of essential worship practices that hold the potential for educational integration with lectionary based catechesis. Following Robert Webber's work, he seeks to revive a sense of wonder and mystery in worship for which many hunger today."
<br> --Robert W. Pazmino
<br> Valeria Stone Professor of Christian Education
<br> Andover Newton Theological School
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<br> "Arzola's book represents a primer on worship from four perspectives: Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical, and what he calls a 'Historically Orthodox Evangelical' perspective. Sketching each with broad strokes, it performs a useful service in arguing for a recovery of the Church's traditional lex orandi, or order of worship, while incorporating insights from each tradition."
<br> --Thomas P. Rausch
<br> T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology
<br> Loyola Marymount University
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<br> "Not only has Fernando Arzola shown that there is much that Evangelicals could learn from worship traditions other than their own, he has also offered a practical way of appropriating the liturgical resources of these traditions. It is especially useful for Evangelicals looking for something more substantial in their Sunday worship."
<br> --Simon Chan
<br> Earnest Lau Professor of Systematic Theology
<br> Trinity Theological College in Singapore
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<br> "In Church history God has consistently and persistently urged the Church toward a fulfillment of Jesus' high priestly prayer, that we may be one as he and the Father are one (John 17:21). Fernando Arzola's book is an important contribution to the trialogue among the Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Protestant expressions of the Christian faith, helping move the Church toward unity in Kingdom essentials while allowing and even embracing diversity in distinctives and perspectives within these three streams of Christianity. The call to implement ancient practices of the Church in the multiplicity of contemporary contexts is salient. Dr. Arzola's commitment to searching for, understanding, and even experiencing commonalities in the various expressions of the one, common Biblical narrative in Christian worship is a step toward reinforcing the critical unity to which God calls Christians in the one holy catholic and apostolic Church."
<br> --James R. Hart
<br> President, Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies
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<br> "In a postmodern era all churches are faced with the need to reach back behind the enlightenment to find theologies, patterns and ceremonies to help them move forward in creative but orthodox worship. This timely study searches out theologies of worship in the classical traditions and makes useful suggestions of how the best can be used in blended worship."
<br> Dr. Bryan D. Spinks, D.D.
<br> Goddard Professor of Liturgical Studies and Pastoral Theology
<br> Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School
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<br> "A pioneering achievement! This ecumenical study compares and integrates Catholic, Evangelical, and Orthodox teachings on corporate worship. The specific worship practices which the author proposes here can deepen our understanding and experience of worship. Yet at a time when Christianity is rapidly becoming a post-denominational community, Dr. Arzola reminds us that contemporary creativity must grow out of theological continuity with the church's great tradition. Our differences do matter, but there remains a precious core of common faith that can and should unite us all in the worship of the Triune God. This book shows us what that core is and how we might begin to manifest it in our worship practices today."
<br> --Bradley Nassif
<br> Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, North Park University
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<br> "In an age of increasing multiculturalism, globalization, ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, this volume contributes much to discussion about and practice of Catholic, Evangelical and Orthodox worship. The author, a professional religious educator, makes historical perspectives of worship relevant for contemporary life in an attempt to foster deeper understanding and experience of worship. He shows that these three streams of Christianity have much potential to enrich and enhance each other's practice of worship. Written in a clear and cogent style, this work is a gift to religious educators and the people they serve. It should enjoy wide readership and deep discussion."
<br> --Gloria Durka
<br> Professor, Director, Ph.D. Program in Religious Education
<br> Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education, Fordham University