Thesis (S.T.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 165-170).

Thesis (S.T.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 165-170).

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The Presbyterian Church in Australia, and in particular in the State of New South Wales, experienced a major disruption in 1977 with the formation of the Uniting Church of Australia. Since that time, under the influence of a revival of Puritan theology, the historic liturgical practices of the Church have been minimised to the point that older people such as myself no longer recognise many of the contemporary worship practices as Presbyterian. John Calvin’s notion of worship in which the worshipper is confronted with God’s unspeakable Majesty and Otherness, the divine transcendence of which leaves the soul awestruck and in a deep sense of humility has given way to informality and the absence of symbol. In what follows I shall argue that given this monumental paradigm shift the Church is facing a monumental crisis in its theological and philosophical assumptions. The awful tragedy is that there are many current ministers who are not aware that there is anything wrong. The crisis I allude to is changing the very nature of traditional Presbyterianism. Future generations will see this crisis as the watershed that changed the nature of the denomination and its institutional politics. In order to investigate the concept of liturgical minimisation, I will place the thesis in a historical context and then make explicit the implicit philosophical and theological underpinnings of this transitional period in the Church’s history. The liturgical minimisation process will be shown to have direct links to a specific epistemology that has its origins in the Enlightenment period. The application of an empirical based epistemology into the theological realm by scholars such as Thomas Chalmers, Charles Hodge, B.B. Warfield and Broughton Knox opens the door to theological distortions. This thesis argues that the Church needs to continue to develop and practise a specific Christian epistemology that is grounded in the love of Jesus Christ in order to move ahead with a coherent Gospel which brings real connectivity with God, nature, historical Christianity and with one other. Apprehending the philosophical and theological underpinnings I will argue that it is necessary to consider a serious reconstruction of Theological Education in which the conceptual framework is located in a specific Christian epistemology, engendering the Lordship of Christ and encouraging a spirit of transformative love and connectedness. It is only in this context that the theology of worship and the beauty and usefulness of liturgical forms can be appreciated.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The Presbyterian Church in Australia, and in particular in the State of New South Wales, experienced a major disruption in 1977 with the formation of the Uniting Church of Australia. Since that time, under the influence of a revival of Puritan theology, the historic liturgical practices of the Church have been minimised to the point that older people such as myself no longer recognise many of the contemporary worship practices as Presbyterian. John Calvin’s notion of worship in which the worshipper is confronted with God’s unspeakable Majesty and Otherness, the divine transcendence of which leaves the soul awestruck and in a deep sense of humility has given way to informality and the absence of symbol. In what follows I shall argue that given this monumental paradigm shift the Church is facing a monumental crisis in its theological and philosophical assumptions. The awful tragedy is that there are many current ministers who are not aware that there is anything wrong. The crisis I allude to is changing the very nature of traditional Presbyterianism. Future generations will see this crisis as the watershed that changed the nature of the denomination and its institutional politics. In order to investigate the concept of liturgical minimisation, I will place the thesis in a historical context and then make explicit the implicit philosophical and theological underpinnings of this transitional period in the Church’s history. The liturgical minimisation process will be shown to have direct links to a specific epistemology that has its origins in the Enlightenment period. The application of an empirical based epistemology into the theological realm by scholars such as Thomas Chalmers, Charles Hodge, B.B. Warfield and Broughton Knox opens the door to theological distortions. This thesis argues that the Church needs to continue to develop and practise a specific Christian epistemology that is grounded in the love of Jesus Christ in order to move ahead with a coherent Gospel which brings real connectivity with God, nature, historical Christianity and with one other. Apprehending the philosophical and theological underpinnings I will argue that it is necessary to consider a serious reconstruction of Theological Education in which the conceptual framework is located in a specific Christian epistemology, engendering the Lordship of Christ and encouraging a spirit of transformative love and connectedness. It is only in this context that the theology of worship and the beauty and usefulness of liturgical forms can be appreciated.

No description available.

No description available.

The Church of England has experienced two substantial periods of liturgical revisior during this century, spanning between them almost 50 years. The reforms came in response to pressures for change within Church and society, and also reflectec doctrinal, missiological and scholarly tensions within the Church itself. The significance of the first period of revision, 1906-1928, is frequently underestimated The literature emphasizes the 1928 Prayer Book's role as a disciplinary standard, bu1 neglects the liturgical debate and discussion which lay behind it. While the Book itself was a conservative revision of the 1662 Prayer Book, the background to its compilatior reveals two important and vigorous strands of debate. Firstly, the Church was struggling to find an identity and character as a catholic, as well as a reformed, body and secondly, there were impassioned pleas for a more accessible liturgy to meet the needs of unchurched people. The second period of revision, 1955-1980, culminating in the publication of the Alternative Service Book, was more obviously successful in translating pressures fOr change into a living liturgy. The most significant influence was the widespread adoption of 'parish communion' ideals, which the new eucharistic rites are designed to serve. However, liturgical scholarship has also been hugely influential on new rites, and the extent of this has not been fully recognised. While changes in the understanding of eucharistic sacrifice and prayer for the dead were well debated, other reforms, particularly the adoption of Dix's four-action shape and implicit changes ir the doctrine of consecration, have received less attention than they deserve. This thesis attempts to remedy these deficiencies, and offers a fresh account of the work of revision. Attention is concentrated on the eucharist. The thesis is rooted in primary sources, particularly the papers of the Liturgical Commission and the Church's synods.

Over the past number of years, the study of language has been engaged in increasingly by a wide variety of academic disciplines and fields. Perhaps this bears witness to the growing appreciation of the pivotal role that language plays in our formation as individual persons, as peoples and as cultures. / As a particular kind of speech, liturgical language takes seriously the multi-dimensional nature of human reality, and, among other things, addresses itself to the profound questions of meaning posed by the human condition, as well as the 'needs' that arise in the posing of these questions. Further, as a rich communicative complex, liturgical language is itself multi-dimensional and multi-valent. This study is undertaken to investigate the meaning of this kind of language. To do this, the analytical 'lenses' of Ritual, Performative Language Theory, and Metaphor will be employed and discussed.

No description available.

No description available.