Beyond Smells and Bells: The Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy

Liturgy lures us through our senses, grounds us in a great tradition, and plants us in the midst of a diverse community, present and past.

Are you attracted to liturgy but don’t know why? Are you considering changing to liturgical tradition? Are you already immersed in liturgical worship but want to grasp its deeper significance? Beyond Smells and Bells addresses the lure and relevance of liturgy for your life today.

Thousands of Christians become interest in liturgy each year for the first time, as they turn to orthodoxy, tradition, and the lasting rituals of the Christian faith. In a culture that values spontaneity, liturgy grounds us in something enduring. In a culture that assumes truth is a product of the mind, liturgy helps us experience truth in mind, body, and spirit. In Mark Galli's able telling, liturgy is an intruguing story, full of mystery, that transforms us.

Mark Galli is senior managing editor of Christianity Today. He is the author of Francis of Assisi and His World and Jesus Mean and Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God. He is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary and has been worshiping in the Anglican tradition for nearly 20 years, most recently as a member of Church of the Ressurection in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.