Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical

Rating:
Summary: Thorough and worth the money
Review: I got this book "on a whim" thinking it would be good to have on hand. It has proven to be more than good. As a Lutheran teacher who teaches religion, I am able to refer to this book and get a great Lutheran view of Christian history and liturgy.

Rating:
Summary: If you own 1 book on liturgy: This is the one!
Review: Not only helpful, but thorough and complete. Being Lutheran, I particularly enjoyed the accuracy of the Lutheran detail, but this is not to suggest that any one component is less than thoroughly and comprehensively researched. My students ordered it with no regrets! I recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: A monumental work
Review: When I say that Frank Senn's book 'Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical' is a monumental work, that description takes several dimensions. The book itself is very large (nearing 800 pages) and covers virtually all aspects of worship practises in Christianity from the earliest beginnings to the present innovations and continuing reformations/reconstructions both in denominational senses and a broader, more ecumenical sense.

Do not be deceived by the subtitle Catholic and Evangelical -- these words have specific meanings that go beyond denominational or sectarian confines. In a sense, every Christian group or denomination strives to be catholic, universal. 'Liturgy that is catholic is that which serves the public proclamation of the gospel in word and sacraments as celebrated by the whole people of God in Christ Jesus.... With or without bishops, the Churches of the Reformation (Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican) were also concerned with catholicity. They embraced whole peoples of territories and nations in established or state churches, and in that sense, they were not sects.... Liturgy that is catholic is that which expresses the faith and way of life (i.e., culture) of a whole people, but within an ecumenical shape by which it maintains a sense of continuity with catholic churches of other times and places.'

In another sense, every Christian group or denomination strives to be evangelical, outreaching and proclaiming. 'The evangelical content of liturgy has served sometimes as a corrective of the catholic tendency to root liturgy in the culture of a people. Words and ceremonies derived from indigenous cultures are not always shorn of their heathen connotations.'

The first section, The Prolegomena, covers aspects of the rituals in Christian worship in terms of theology, philosophy, and symbolic meaning. The roles of symbols and rituals, the roles of myth and music are explored as an underpinning for all subsequent specific discussions.

Senn early in the writing confesses the inadequacy of this or any book to encompass with equal emphasis the performance of liturgy in every time and place. Given the wide variance in history, geography, and denominational/confessional group, the history of liturgy is vast and diverse. Giving a nod to other recent scholarly efforts at liturgical development (The Study of Liturgy by Oxford Press, Dix's The Shape of the Liturgy, et al.), Senn nonetheless argues that this volume is a valuable contribution because of the breadth of coverage both historically and geographically.

In this book one can see the early developments in the eastern church come alive once more in modern liturgical 'innovation'; compare and contrast Reformation liturgies from Scandanavia and Germanic regions with the more Roman Catholic Mediterranean regions, with the more static eastern orthodox liturgies struggling to remain faithful in territories dominated not by other denominations but by other religions.

This is great resource for scholars and for those looking for liturgical ideas and innovations. The final chapters, which include social considerations to be included in liturgical development, including how to reach the 'unchurched', can be particularly useful. The Indices are arranged by Subject, Persons, and Biblical References and Documents. There is an extensive bibliography for further research and reading.

Useful for reading or for research, Senn's book is a valuable resource for anyone concerned for the art of liturgy.