Liturgical Theology
2003 Indianapolis, Indiana
2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002
Convener 2003
Dwight W. Vogel (Styberg Professor of Worship and Preaching, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois)
Seminar Participants 2003
Seminar members: Jill Crainshaw, Paul Galbreath, Judith Kubicki, Dirk Lange, Gordon Lathrop, John Laurance, Jennifer Lord, Richard McCall, John McKenna, Martha Moore-Keish, Bruce Morrill, Pat Parachini, Mary Pope, Ann Riggs, Philip Sandstrom, Don Saliers, Fred Holper, Rhoda Schuler, Kevin Seasoltz, Tom Scirghi, Allyne Smith, Jeffery T. VanderWilt, Dwight Vogel, Kimberly Anne Willis, Doris Donnelly, Louis Weil
Visitors: Andrea Bieler, Lorraine Brugh, David Fagerberg, Christopher Grundy, Joe Martos, Glaucia Vasconcelos Wilkey, Teresa Lockhart Stricklen, Nancy Johnson, Yuki Yamawot
Seminar Report 2003
The seminar continued its tradition of honoring the work of both senior mentors and junior scholars, while being intentional about extending hospitality to visitors and new members. Some of our members returned after three years with the Triune Name of God Seminar and a new seminar on “Liturgy and Postmodernism” was birthed for next year.
Presentations and discussion
Members of the seminar read Susan Ross’s book Extravagent Affections (New York: Continuum, 2001) in preparation for the meeting. In the initial presentation of this year’s seminar, Ann Riggs’ paper on “Language, Gender, and Liturgy: Do the Differences Make a Difference?” made connection with Chauvet (who wrote last year’s “featured book”) and Lacan. Jill Crainshaw provided a perceptive response to the book and vigorous discussion ensued.
John McKenna built on the work of Kilmartin in opening up discussion of “The Eucharist and Memorial.” Judith Kubicki’s paper on “Recognizing the Presence of Christ within the Gathered Assembly” provided insightful appropriation of Michael Polanyi’s semiotics and Louis Marie Chauvet’s theology of symbol. Dorothee Soelle’s understanding of prayer, with particular reference to the dialectic between apophatic and kataphatic language, was the basis for Andrea Bieler’s presentation on “The Language of Prayer: Between Truth Telling and Mysticism.”
Jill Crainshaw led off the second day’s discussions with a presentation on “When Bluegrass Meets Jazz: Liturgical Improvisations on the Edge of the Abyss.” Blending insights from narratology, music, and liturgical theology in the context of the feminist critique in creative and critical ways, she once again provided the seminar members with an opportunity to think in new ways through vigorous and productive discussion.
Gordon Lathrop led us in a continuing reflection on his forthcoming book on liturgical cosomology with a presentation on “Cosmos: Liturgical Worldmaking.” in which he makes a seminal connection between Plato’s Timaeus and the Bartimaeus of Mark’s gospel. This provocative and perceptive analysis was followed by Bruce Morrill’s paper on “Contemplating Suffering: Liturgical Imagination and Ethical Conviction.” He challenged us to explore how we can read texts that testify to horrific human suffering (e.g. I, Rigoberta Menchu and the passion narratives) so as not to be immobilized but moved to encounter God in that suffering. Crainshaw, Bieler, and Morrill all caused us to consider voices not usually represented at the table of liturgical theology discourse. It was a fruitful, disturbing, and rewarding conversation.
As a foretaste of the forthcoming work of the new liturgy and postmodernism seminar for next year, Dirk Lange shared a perceptive postmodern reading of the Didache, concluding that performative text (ritual) embodies the return of an event in a way memory (or simple imitation) cannot. Finally, John Laurance provided a paper on pastoral liturgical theology with reflections on eucharistic adoration with particular reference to the relation between Christ’s ecclesial body and the reserved sacramental Body of Christ.
Judith Kubicki was named convenor of the seminar for next year and plans were made for our ongoing work together.