"The role of the human body in Christian worship has been neglected for too long but is now significantly enriched by Taylor's work. This book is wide in scope yet deep in wisdom. His writing reflects a lifetime of scholarship and reflection, now brought together in mature form for the benefit of worshiping communities everywhere."
Constance M. Cherry, professor emeritus of worship and pastoral ministry, Indiana Wesleyan University; professor, doctor of worship studies, The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies
"This well-written, vivid study on the role of our bodies in corporate worship is timely and helpful in the wake of our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Taylor correlates the theological and pastoral wisdom of the church with the findings and insights of the arts and sciences to show how the triune God interacts with his people bodily in worship and engages them spiritually with their physical senses of sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch."
John W. Kleinig, emeritus professor, Australian Lutheran College; author of Wonderfully Made: A Protestant Theology of the Body
"David Taylor has curated the story of the body throughout church history in a clear, concise, and compelling way. This book is for both lay leaders and the academic, with rigorous research that gives both a macro- and microperspective on what it means to live as bodies in a world aching for the redemption of all things. The collective minds and hearts of Christians need this book as we learn and relearn what the body has known all along."
Lore Ferguson Wilbert, author of A Curious Faith and Handle with Care
"David Taylor's thoughtful and highly readable work shows that, whether it's 'free church' or 'liturgical,' holistic worship must engage the whole body in all its senses. He makes his case by drawing from a wide range of studies: from Scripture and Christian tradition to the arts and sciences. This book should effectively put to rest the notion that online worship can be an adequate substitute."
Simon Chan, former lecturer in systematic theology, Trinity Theological College, Singapore; editor of Asia Journal of Theology
W. David O. Taylor (ThD, Duke Divinity School) is associate professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. An Anglican priest, he has lectured widely on the arts, from Thailand to South Africa. Taylor has written for the Washington Post, Image Journal, and Religion News Service, among others. He is the author of several books, including Glimpses of the New Creation: Worship and the Formative Power of the Arts and Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life. In 2016, he produced a short film on the psalms with Bono and Eugene Peterson. He lives in Austin, Texas.