Queering Liturgy

Liturgy and Comparative Theology

Convener: James W. Farwell (jfarwell@vts.edu) is Professor of Theology and Liturgy, Virginia Theological Seminary.

Description of Work: In the light of public health conditions, for the safety of our contact, the seminar elected not to meet this year. We will be holding an interim meeting mid-year 2022 by digital means to check in on one another’s projects.

Other Work and Plans for the Future: We will gather for mutual critique around the comparative projects each member of the seminar has underway.

Liturgy and Cultures

Convener: Ruth Meyers (rmeyers@cdsp.edu) is Dean of Academic Affairs and Hodges Haynes Professor of Liturgics at Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

Members in Attendance: Ricky Manalo, Nathaniel Marx, Ruth Meyers, Gennifer Brooks.

Visitors in Attendance: Domenik Ackermann, Jennifer Ackerman (new NAAL member 2022).

Description of Work: The Liturgy and Culture seminar continued to learn about the many modes and meanings of intercultural worship and preaching. Contributors deployed anthropological and sociological perspectives to analyze practices of liturgy, leadership, formation, and dialogue within ecclesial communities that encompass multiple cultural groups. While concepts of liturgical inculturation and contextualization remain an important basis for our work, the multicultural reality of many churches has increasingly led our members and visitors to explore the dynamics of interculturality, especially through close ethnographic investigation of specific communities in North America.

Papers and Presentations:

• Jennifer Ackerman, “Art-Based Training to Increase Capacity for Church

Leadership at the Convergences of Worship, Preaching, and Justice.” • Ricky Manalo, “Finding Collective Harmony: Pastoral Ministry in the Midst of Culture Wars and Ecclesial Polarization.” • _____, “Intercultural Marriage: A Pastoral Guide to the Sacrament” (forthcoming book co-authored with Simon Kim).

Other Work and Plans for the Future: The seminar especially encourages members and visitors to present papers and other work focused on intercultural encounter, dialogue, and worship.

Modern History of Worship

Conveners: Katharine E. Harmon (kharmon@marian.edu) is Assistant Professor at Marian University in Indianapolis, IN, and Kent Burreson (co-Convener for 2022) is the Louis A. Fincke and Anna B. Shine Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

Members in Attendance: Sarah Blair, Rychie Breidenstein, Kent Burreson, Martin Connell, Sarah, Mount Elewononi, Timothy Gabrielli, Katharine E. Harmon, William Johnston, Kyle Schiefelbein-Guerrero, Todd Stepp, Shawn Strout.

Description of Work: The History of Modern Worship seminar welcomes papers exploring the liturgical history of the modern era (c. 1500-present) by considering its theological, socio-cultural, and practical/pastoral aspects. We are committed to dialogue and interface between denominations, which greatly enriches our seminar’s work. At this meeting, we received papers considering the historical development and theological implications of English Separatists and baptismal practices, a consideration of Martin Luther’s liturgical theology, and a consideration of the “myth” of Prayer Book Uniformity in the Anglican tradition. We also discussed the nature of Pope Benedict XVI’s unique eucharistic images, and the nature of faith and the liturgical imagination, as evidenced by the struggles of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Finally, two papers brought more contemporary issues to the table, including a discussion of the impact of Covid-19 on future worship practices and a sense of presence and space, and reflection on the pastoral implications of introducing traditionally Christian themes to secular audiences. We also provided brief reports on our current work and research projects.

Papers and Presentations:

• Martin Connell, University of Saint John/College of St. Benedict, began with his paper, “The Annulment of Baptisms: On the Origins of Baptist Theology,” which provided historical and theological insight into the self-baptized

Englishman, John Smyth (c. 1564-1612). • William Johnston, University of Dayton, provided a paper titled, “’Totam existentialem ensitatem’: Exploring an Image of the Eucharistic Transformation of the Faithful in Benedict XVI’s Sacrament of Charity,” where he offered a close examination of Benedict XVI’s use of “density” as a metaphor for eucharistic practice.

• Kyle Schiefelbein-Guerrero, United Lutheran Seminary, drew from his forthcoming edited volume, Church after the Corona Pandemic: Consequences for Worship and Theology, for his presentation, titled “Worship in the Face of

Corona: Ritual, Place, People, Things,” exploring the concept of “event” as a key for interpreting and practicing worship in the future. • Sarah Mount Elewononi, independent scholar in greater Pittsburgh, PA, presented on her pastoral experiences in preparing and teaching a baptismally-oriented Tai Chi program to a secular audience in her paper titled, “Steps to Safe Harbor: The Power of Ritual and Multivariant Symbols.” • Shawn Strout, Virginia Theological Seminary, offered his paper from a forthcoming article for the Anglican Theological Review, “The Myth of Prayer

Book Uniformity,” in which he considered the tensions present in considering how a desire for a common prayer book belies tensions between text and context, Catholic and Reformed theologies, and local and global realities. • Kent Burreson, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, presented his paper, “Liturgical Freedom and Love in Martin Luther’s Liturgical Theology,” in which he sought to recast interpretations of Luther’s liturgical reform by emphasizing that Luther’s primary orientation was to provide liturgies that were “evangelical and catholic,” seeking to build up the life of the church. • Timothy Gabrielli, University of Dayton, presented his paper, “Faith and Liturgical Imagination: A Case Study,” which considered the experiences of

“doubt and darkness” which plagues some of the modern saints, such as Teresa of Calcutta, in order to consider what such struggles might teach us about faith in the contemporary world.

Other Work and Plans for the Future: Our future plans include a slate of presentations which hope to focus on the following topics, among others:

• Martin Luther on Baptismal identity and formation • Roman Catholic liturgical renewal in the twentieth century, c. 1900-1960 • Anglican clergy and the historical offices • Roman Catholic instituted lay ministries and contemporary applications • Intersections between Christian baptism and secular rituals

Our seminar has considered devoting a portion of our meeting time to more deeply considering baptismal identity and Christian formation, as this has become a recurring point of interest for several of our members.

We encourage submissions of works-in-progress, and particularly encourage eligible graduate students working on topics within the modern era to bring their work to our group for discussion and feedback.

We will be electing a new convener next year, to serve a term from 2024-2026.