{"id":31,"date":"2007-04-30T03:01:49","date_gmt":"2007-04-30T03:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2007\/04\/our-loss-heavens-gain.html"},"modified":"2007-04-30T03:01:49","modified_gmt":"2007-04-30T03:01:49","slug":"our-loss-heavens-gain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/04\/our-loss-heavens-gain.html","title":{"rendered":"Our Loss . . . Heaven\u2019s Gain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Permalink for this post<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the great Christian leaders of our generation has died. Robert E. Webber went to be with the Lord last Friday, April 26, 2007, after a long struggle with cancer.
\nI won’t overview Webber’s life here. If you’re interested, check out this post on the Christianity Today<\/em> website<\/a>. During his long tenure on the faculty of Wheaton College and Northern Seminary, Webber was a major influence upon and inspiration for thousands of students. Webber had much to offer about Christian spirituality and leadership, but undoubtedly his greatest contribution was in the area of worship.
\nIn 1985 Webber published Worship is a Verb<\/a><\/em>. This was one of the very first books I read on worship as a new pastor, and it profoundly shaped my thinking. Webber helped me to see that worship isn’t a church thing or an event so much as an active response to God. It’s something we do for God, even as God is acting among us.
\nSince the publication of Worship is a Verb<\/a><\/em>, Webber wrote extensively on worship. Among his greatest contributions were:<\/p>\n

1. Inspiring and teaching the traditional, denominational church to experience worship renewal.
\n2. Helping cutting-edge and contemporary worship leaders discover the amazing resources for worship from “ancient” Christian experience and tradition.
\n3. Editing The Complete Library of Christian Worship<\/em><\/a>, an 8-volume masterpiece. I consider this to be, by far, the greatest written resource for worship leaders (apart from the Bible itself). (You can get a software version of this series<\/a> as a part of the Logos Bible software package. If you use Logos, I highly recommend it.)
\n4. Perhaps most importantly, Webber helped bring an end to the so-called “worship wars” the plagued the church in the 80’s and 90’s. Webber’s vision of worship that includes both ancient and future elements has impacted thousands of churches and millions of worshipers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Though both Bob Webber and I served together on the editorial board of Worship Leader<\/em><\/a> magazine, I had the chance to meet him only once. In that meeting I was impressed with his humility and his excitement for God and the church.
\nIn recent years Webber commented on a wide range of issues through his various writings. You can find accessible bits of his wisdom from the online newsletter associated with his Ancient Future Worship website<\/a>.
\nIn recent years, Webber as the pioneer of a provocative document called A Call to An Ancient Evangelical Future<\/a><\/em>. Like so much of his work, this call reflects a commitment both to the past and to the future of the church. This Call<\/em> is especially clear on the significance of the larger biblical narrative for today’s church and world. I’m thinking that I might examine the Call<\/em> in greater depth down the blogging road a piece.
\nFor now, I want to offer thanks to God for Bob Webber, a man after God’s own heart. I also lift up prayers for his family, colleauges, students, and friends. He will be greatly missed. Like I said in this title of this post: our loss . . . heaven’s gain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Permalink for this post One of the great Christian leaders of our generation has died. Robert E. Webber went to be with the Lord last Friday, April 26, 2007, after a long struggle with cancer. I won’t overview Webber’s life here. If you’re interested, check out this post on the Christianity Today website. During his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tributes"],"yoast_head":"\nOur Loss . . . Heaven\u2019s Gain - Mark D. 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Heaven\u2019s Gain"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}