Sociology And Liturgy

This is a study of the social construction and the impression management of the public forms of worship of Catholicism and Anglicanism. Interest centres on the dilemmas of the liturgical actors in handling a transaction riddled with ambiguities and potential misunderstandings. The study is an innovative effort to link sociology to theology in a way that serves to focus on an issue of social praxis.

A 2000 year history of Christian worship in its social contexts around the globe combining sociological theory, social history and the latest developments in the study of liturgy. The focus of this book sets it apart from existing studies which tend to offer textual or theological approaches to worship.

This is an original study of the sociological imagination in regard to visual culture. It explores the reflexive dimensions of choice over seeing or not seeing in relation to paintings, images and islands. Bourdieu, Goffman and Simmel provide the basis for insights into how reflexivity in sociology has unexplored theological implications.

Everyday worship practices—from praying the rosary to moments of recognizing the beauty of God's creation, from being moved by the power of music to praying Vespers on an iPad—not only take place at different locations and during different days of the week but also dynamically interact with one another. The Liturgy of Life examines the interrelationship between the practice of Sunday Eucharist and the many nonofficial worship practices that mark the everyday lives of Christians who continually negotiate the boundaries of official teaching on liturgy. Drawing on the writings of theologians and sociologists of lived religion and data from an ethnographic research project, this timely work stretches the contextual horizon of liturgical scholarship and presents a provocative and dynamic paradigm of Christian worship for the twenty-first century.

"In this summary volume on the reform of the liturgy since the Second Vatican Council, Baldovin pinpoints and assesses - both sympathetically and critically - the objections to changes in the liturgy since the council, focusing on philosophical, historical-critical, and theological questions. After addressing each criticism in turn, in a final chapter he assesses the critique of post-Vatican II liturgy as a whole, affirming what is accurate and necessary, rejecting what is backward looking, and proposing a set of principles to guide future development. No one who studies or participates in liturgical action in the twenty-first century can afford to overlook this book."--BOOK JACKET.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has called for a "new" liturgical movement of the twenty first century to maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of the "old" in the century now closing. This book attempts an assessment of the 20th century liturgical movement and the brave but flawed reform to which it gave birth. Fr. Nichols reviews the reform as an historian, sociologist and cultural critic, pinpointing the areas that need to be addressed if a more satisfactory liturgical life in the Western Catholicism is to be achieved. A timely and important work which is certain to spark much discussion on the need for a critical assessment of liturgical reform.

Religion today is in competition with the leisure and entertainment industries. Gen Y, the postmodern generation, is open to spirituality; but most of todays young adults have not been born into faith communities where they feel any lasting allegiance. Studies suggest that for the young, belief in God is an optional matter, a virtual consumer choice. As a result, different trends in worship and worship styles are offered by different churches to suit lifestyles, attitudes, and personal taste.