For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free: John Owen’s A Discourse Concerning Liturgies, And Their Imposition

The Confessional Presbyterian 4 (2008): 29–42

Daniel R. Hyde

John Owen’s 1662 case against imposed liturgies was based on the theological principle that Jesus Christ freed believers to worship by God’s Word alone. This article explores his theology of liberty, conscience, and worship.

This article shows that Owen’s central concern in worship was Christian liberty: believers are freed by Christ to worship according to God’s Word alone, and are not bound by state-imposed liturgies or human traditions.

Rooted in the regulative principle of worship, Owen insisted that imposed forms burden the conscience and undermine the Spirit’s work in the church.

This article highlights how Owen’s defense of freedom in worship was both theological and pastoral, aimed at guarding the church’s joy and faithfulness under Christ’s sole authority.

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On Liturgy and Worship, see:

• According to the Custom of the Ancient Church? Examining the Roots of John Calvin's Liturgy

• Christmas Eve Festival of Lessons & Carols

• Good Liturgy Is the Best Instructor

• Good Friday and Easter at Oceanside United Reformed Church

• Lost Keys: The Absolution in Reformed Liturgy

• Lutheran Puritanism? Adiaphora in Lutheran Orthodoxy and Possible Commonalities in Reformed Orthodoxy

• Not Holy But Helpful: A Case for the "Evangelical Feast Days" in the Reformed Tradition

• What to Expect in Reformed Worship: A Visitor’s Guide (Wipf & Stock 2013)

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To attribute: Daniel R. Hyde, “For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free: John Owen’s A Discourse Concerning Liturgies, And Their Imposition.” The Confessional Presbyterian 4 (2008): 29–42.