What is the relationship of liturgy to theology? The author describes the economic nature of liturgy in order to reimagine cosmology, sacrifice, the figural reading of Scripture, and metaphysical realism where liturgy itself enacts an apocalypse of transcendent realities.

The voices of liturgical theology in the twentieth century are many and varied. Primary Sources of Liturgical Theology brings together in one volume the representative writings of scholars throughout the Euro-North American context whose insights have shaped our understanding of liturgy today. The selections in Primary Sources of Liturgical Theology are arranged around nine seminal questions which students of liturgical theology need to engage. Each selection is introduced and contextualized by another liturgical theologian. Through this first-hand encounter with primary sources readers will develop a sense of the broad range of writings available to them. Chapters are What Is Liturgical Theology?" "What Is Liturgy?" "How Can We 'Do' Liturgical Theology?" "How Are Theology and Liturgy Related?" "How Does Liturgy Embody Theological Themes?" "What Is the Theological Function of Liturgical Language and Ritual?" "What Is the Role of the Word in Liturgy?" "How Do Liturgical Theologians Engage Cultural Diversity?" "How Are Liturgy and Life Related?" Includes an alphabetical list of primary contributors and a chronological index of major entries by date of original publication. Contributors to Primary Sources of Liturgical Theology are Peter Brunner; Odo Casel, O.S.B.; Louis-Marie Chauvet; Anscar J. Chupungco, O.S.B.; Mary Collins, O.S.B.;Irenee Henri Dalmais, O.P.; Ruth C. Duck; Justo L. Gonzalez; Romano Guardini; Angelus A. Häussling, O.S.B.; Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P.; Lawrence A. Hoffman; Paul Waitman Hoon; Aidan Kavanagh,O.S.B.; Edward J. Kilmartin, S.J.; Gordon W. Lathrop; L. Edward Phillips; David N. Power, O.M.I.; Gail Ramshaw; Don E. Saliers; Alexander Schmemann; Robert F. Taft, S.J.; Harold Dean Trulear; Evelyn Underhill; Dwight W. Vogel; Jean Jacques von Allmen; Geoffrey Wainwright; and Joyce Ann Zimmerman, C.PP.S. Dwight W. Vogel is professor of theology and ministry and dean of the chapel at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary where he coordinates the doctoral program in liturgical studies.

This book introduces Liturgico-Political Theology, whose bedrock is the reality of the Paschal Mystery of Christ and the fruit it has borne for humanity: salvation. It presents this embrace of theology, liturgy and politics as part of the effects of the Christ Jesus won for humanity in His victorious death on Good Friday. It reiterates the inseparable connection between liturgy and life, in a way that liturgical celebrations do not leave those who take part passive and inactive persons. Hence, proceeding through an hermeneutic study of liturgical orations of various Masses as presented in the Roman Missal, the underlining messages and tasks given to political leaders in particular, and public servants in general, are articulated. They come to realize that the ultimate goal of politicking, is to emulate the selflessness of Jesus in serving humanity.

Nearly everything that theologians write on liturgy, Father Kavanagh notes, is often called liturgical theology, although on closer examination such works appear to be either dogmatic theologies about the liturgy or systematic theologies making use of liturgical data. None truly reflects how liturgy shapes theology or is theology or even relates to theology. This work is Father Kavanagh's effort to substantiate the existence of a truly liturgical theology. It will raise almost as many questions as it answers, but it will also further insight into theology and liturgy as it assays their relationship.

This essay is centered around five questions: (i) What is the proper place of liturgical theology? (ii) Which evolutions have there been in the past and which current tendencies are there in the field of liturgical theology? (iii) Which contents must liturgical theologians focus on? (iv) How can liturgical theologians engage in research? And (v): How can liturgical theology appropriately respond to what happens in Church and society? Each question corresponds with one part. The rationale behind ordering the content of this essay in this way is the following: starting from a reflection about the non-evident place of liturgical theology, an attempt is made to give it a fitting profile again on the basis of its genealogy in the Liturgical Movement. Correspondingly, liturgical theology can be considered a full-fledged research program, which does not simply deal with Christian rituals, festivals and sacraments, but with the core of Christian faith.

Bad worship produces bad theology, and bad theology produces an unhealthy church. In Liturgical Theology, Simon Chan issues a call to evangelicals to develop a mature theology of the church--an ecclesiology that is grounded in the church's identity as a worshiping community. Evangelicals, he argues, are confused about the meaning and purpose of the church in part because they have an inadequate understanding of Christian worship. As a remedy for this ailment, Chan presents a coherent theology of the church that pays particular attention to the liturgical practices that have constituted Christian worship throughout the centuries. With a seasoned eye and steady hand, he guides the reader through these practices and unpacks their significance for theology, spirituality and the renewal of evangelicalism in the postmodern era. Chan's proposal advances the conversation among evangelicals regarding the relationship between theology and worship. In contrast to some theologians who have tended to emphasize a sociological analysis, Chan argues that we need to consider what is essential to the church's theological identity. Drawing on the larger Christian tradition, Chan argues that we discover that identity primarily in the structure and significance of Christian worship.

While only rarely reflecting explicitly on liturgy, French philosopher Paul Ricoeur (1913-2005) gave sustained attention to several themes pertinent to the interpretation of worship, including metaphor, narrative, subjectivity, and memory. Inspired by his well-known aphorism, “The symbol gives rise to thought,” Liturgical Theology after Schmemann offers an original exploration of the symbolic world of the Byzantine Rite , culminating in a Ricoeurian analysis of its Theophany “Great Blessing of Water.” . The book examines two fundamental questions: 1) what are the implications of the philosopher’s oeuvre for liturgical theology at large? And 2)how does the adoption of a Ricoeurian hermeneutic shape the study of a particular rite? Taking the seminal legacy of Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983) as its point of departure, Butcher contributes to the renewal of contemporary Eastern Christian thought and ritual practice by engaging a spectrum of current theological and philosophical conversations.

Fr. Alexander Schmemann continues to influence liturgical and sacramental theologies some thirty-five years after his death. Despite the wide acceptance within Protestant circles of his timeless classic, For the Life of the World, there has been relatively little written about him from an ecumenical context. This volume of collected essays seeks to explore his theological legacy and further his work. With essays from leading scholars such as David Fagerberg, Bruce Morrill, Joyce Zimmerman, and more, this volume is meant for both teachers and students of liturgical and sacramental theology. In an effort to introduce Schmemann to a wider audience and to celebrate his work through meaningful engagement and dialogue, contributors come from a wide variety of ecclesiastical backgrounds: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Free Church, and more. "The Eucharist is therefore the manifestation of the Church as the new aeon; it is participation in the Kingdom as the parousia, as the presence of the Resurrected and Resurrecting Lord. It is not the 'repetition' of His advent or coming into the world, but the lifting up of the Church into His parousia, the Church's participation in His heavenly glory." Fr. Alexander Schmemann, Introduction to Liturgical Theology, p. 72.

Every Sunday around the world, Christians offer money and in-kind gifts to the church, traditionally known as alms. For communities that celebrate the Eucharist regularly, bread and wine, traditionally known as oblations, often accompany these gifts. What does it mean theologically for Christians to offer gifts to God, who first offered the greatest gift of Jesus Christ? This question regarding the role of alms and oblations in the liturgy was among the most controversial questions of the English Reformations in the sixteenth century. While the eucharistic prayer proper has often been the site of this theological controversy, the offertory rite has also received great attention. The 1552 English Book of Common Prayer excised all references to oblation in the offertory rite, but oblationary language and actions, such as the offertory procession, returned in full force by the twentieth century. The movement from the near elimination of oblation in the offertory rite to its widespread usage in the churches of the Anglican Communion is a remarkable liturgical and theological development. Using liturgical theology's tools of historical, textual, and contextual analyses, this book explores how this development occurred and why it is important for the church today.

The Church of Sweden is the largest Lutheran church body in the world, with 6.5 million members that represent about 70% of the Swedish population. The Meaning of Christian Liturgy illuminates and explains the changes that have occurred in the liturgy of the Church of Sweden from 1980 to 2000. In the process, this volume asks a number of questions of immense importance not only within Sweden but also for Christian churches in the English-speaking world, including: How does participation in a liturgy make clear what "church" is about? What does liturgical participation say about who or what God is and about the community's encounter with God? How have churches lived with the changes and renewals introduced in the twentieth century? How does the church building shape worshipers' ideas of God and of church? Contributors: Torbjrn Axner Oloph Bexell Sven-Erik Brodd, Gordon W. Lathrop Karin Oljelund Boel Hssjer Sundman Gunnar Weman