The 2000 year history of Christian worship is viewed from a sociological perspective as Martin Stringer develops the idea of discourse as a way of understanding worship's place within many diverse social contexts. Stringer provides a broad survey of changes over 2000 years of the Christian church, together with a series of case studies that highlight particular elements of the worship, or specific theoretical applications. Offering a contribution to the ongoing debate that breaks away from a purely textual or theological study, this book provides a greater understanding of the place of worship in its social and cultural context.