Worship in the history of Christianity

1. Worship and Sacrament in Roman Catholic: The Catholic Church indicates that the
sacraments are necessary for salvation, though not every sacrament is necessary for every
individual. The Church applies this teaching even to the sacrament of baptism, the gateway to
the other sacraments. It states that "Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the
Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament." But
it adds: "God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by
his sacraments," and accordingly, "since Christ died for the salvation of all, those can be saved
without Baptism who die for the faith (Baptism of blood). Catechumens and all those who, even
without knowing Christ and the Church, still (under the impulse of grace) sincerely seek God and
strive to do his will can also be saved without Baptism ( Baptism of desire). The Church in her
liturgy entrusts children who die without Baptism to the mercy of God."
In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, "the sacraments are efficacious signs of grace,
instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The
visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces
proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required
dispositions." While the sacraments in the Catholic Church are regarded as means of Divine
Grace, The Catholic definition of a sacrament is an event in Christian life that is both spiritual
and physical. The seven Catholic sacraments have been separated into three groups.
a) The first three Sacraments of Initiation are Baptism, Communion, and
Confirmation.
b) The two Healing Sacraments are Anointing of the Sick and Penance.
c) The two Sacraments of Vocation are Matrimony and Holy Orders.
The Church teaches that the effect of the sacraments comes ex opere operato, by the very
fact of being administered, regardless of the personal holiness of the minister administering
it. However, as indicated in this definition of the sacraments given by the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, a recipient's own lack of proper disposition to receive the grace conveyed can
block a sacrament's effectiveness in that person. The sacraments presuppose faith and,
through their words and ritual elements, nourish, strengthen and give expression to faith.
Though not every individual has to receive every sacrament, the Church affirms that for
believers the sacraments are necessary for salvation. Through each of them, Christ bestows
that sacrament's particular healing and transforming grace of the Holy Spirit, making them
participants in the divine nature through union with Christ.
2. Worship and Sacrament in Orthodox/Eastern: It is the term which the Eastern
Churches use for their identification. It is derived from two Greek words Orthos meaning
straight, correct, and true and Doxa meaning ‗Glory‘. It means, therefore, a church, a community
which worship or glorifies God in the true, straight or correct spirit. For the Orthodox, the
church is primarily a worshipping community and its main obligation is glorifying the Creator in
the right spirit.
 Orthodox churches are hierarchical self-governing churches, headed by a Patriarch,
Metropolitan or Archbishop. They are also called ―Eastern‖ because they stem from countries
which shared the Christian heritage of the eastern part of the Roman Empire (Byzantine). Their
doctrine, liturgy and spirituality were shaped in the period of the one undivided church. There
is consensus among them in matters of faith, and they are in sacramental communion with one
another despite a diversity of geography, cultures, languages and historical and aesthetic
experiences. The Patriarchates today are those of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch,
Jerusalem, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Soviet Georgia. There are also Orthodox
Church in Greece, Cyprus, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Finland. Churches outside the traditional
Orthodox areas include those in the Americas, Western Europe, Japan and Australia.
―Eastern‖ refers to the Christian world as it was known several centuries ago, when its
boundaries were in Eastern Europe. The word Orthodox in its modern use has the meaning of
‗correct‘ either in a good or bad sense, it is general adjective when applied to normal religious
teaching and is not confined to the Church. Orthodox Churches are called to those who belong
to the family of Churches originating in the Near East and Eastern Europe and who are in full
communion with and themselves fully recognized by the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople.
a) Origin of Schism: There are two views on the origin of the Eastern schism the Western
and the Oriental, and their very divergence is symbolic of the difference religious posture
between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. According to Latin version it was not heresy but political
issues that led the Greek Church to separate from Rome.
While the Greek version is quite different, Orthodox writers admit the foregoing facts
but say they are not enough to explain the separation. But the real origin of Schism lay in the
great political conflict that occurred at the beginning of the century, when in the year 800
Charlemagne restored the Western Roman Empire. In the eyes of the Greeks the Pope was
guilty of a grave insult to the East when he agreed to crown a barbarian like Charlemagne
emperor of the West. Perforce the Byzantine ruler had to bow to the inevitable and recognize
his imperial rival in Rome, but the Greek strongly resented the Pope‘s action. Two competitive
political powers came into being and their respective close associations with the ecclesiastical
authorities drew the Patriarchs of the Rome and Constantinople into the Vertex.
b) Worship in the Orthodox Church: Orthodox worship refers to the activity of the
Christian Church as a Body offering up prayer. The worship of the Orthodox is viewed as the
church‘s fundamental activity because the worship of God is the joining of human being to God
in prayer and that is the essential function of Christ Church. The Orthodox views their Church
as being the living embodiment of Christ, through the grace of the Holy Spirit in the people
energy. Thus, the church is viewed as the body of Christ in heaven through a common act of
worship.
The centre of Orthodox life is the ‗Liturgy‘ which is exact equivalent to ‗service‘ may
cover all the manifold activities of public worship and administration of the sacraments.
Orthodox Christians means this main service of the church round which the while personality
life of Orthodox Christian is gathered and from which it derives its strength. They practiced
by making Eucharist the main service every Sunday and meeting together to do what their
master had commanded to break bread in remembrance of Him.
 The Orthodox Church has other Services of worship but for the most part there are
three services of Monks singing, the office day by day, as Monks do everywhere. Evening
services are sometimes held on week day evening any be attended by large number of people.
The main event of the liturgy are the same as in the west prayer Epistle, Gospel offering of the
gifts, Creed, Blessing, Sursum Corda, Preface, Sanctus, prayer of thanksgiving and consecration,
words of institution, intercession, Our father, Communion, Final blessing And dismissal. The
order is not quite same, but follows in general outline to which most Western Christian are
accustomed.
Sacrament in Orthodox Church: Sacrament is a religious sign or symbol, especially
associated with the Christian church in which sacred or spiritual power is believed to be
transmitted through material elements viewed as channels of divine grace. The Orthodox
Church acknowledges the seven sacraments or mysteries. The bread and wine in the Eucharist
are considered to become at the consecration, the true and real body and blood of Christ. The
followings are the seven sacraments of Orthodox:
a) Sacrament of Baptism: Baptism is the first sacrament in time, as it is with all other
Christians, and it has the same importance. But whereas in the West baptism has become
separated from Confirmation; in the East it has retains its ancient unity. Baptism in the East is
by immersion, whether the person baptized is a baby or an adult. This was the universal rule of
the Christian Church everywhere until the 20th century, and even the Anglican Book of Common
Prayer treats Baptism by immersion the normal rule and other methods as exceptions to it.
b) Sacrament of Chrismation/Confirmation: Baptism is followed by Chrismation that is
anointing with oil (corresponding to confirmation). The oil called ―Chrism‖ has been consecrated
by a Bishop, and indeed the reception of such Chrism from a Bishop indicates recognition of his
jurisdiction over the priest who receives and uses it. When the baptized person is anointed with
the Chrism the priest says ―The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen‖.
c) Sacrament of Holy Communion/Eucharist: It is given to newly baptism and sealed
including infants a practice that the Orthodox Churches alone among Christian still preserves.
The Communion service called the divine liturgy is preceded by a vigil service and begins with a
psalm singing and reading from the Scripture leaven bread and wine are offered on the alter.
The lay people including baptized children‘s partake of both the consecrated bread and wine
from the spoon. The celebration is recited by a Bishop or a Presbyter (priest) of the local
congregation with deacons and other service robed in splendid vestment.
d) Sacrament of Confession: From the age of seven, children who wish to receive
Communion must go to the Confession first. The beginning of this practice gives the priest the
opportunity to give the child some instruction in the faith. Confession is normally made four
times a year.
e) Sacrament of Ordination: In ordination the three major orders are Deacon, Priest, and
Bishop. The people take a vocal part when at one stage they cry axios, the Greek word for
‗worthy‘ signifying the approval of the Church for the ordination to proceed. The sacrament of
ordination brings to a person grace from the Holy Spirit that sanctifies him and gives him a
specific hierarchical degree. It is performed when the prelate with a prayer lays his hands on
the head of the ordained person and utters a specific sacramental formula. This helps the
ordained person perform his hierarchical duties and lead the flock he is charge with if he is a
presbyter or a bishop.
 f) Sacrament of Marriage: Marriage consecrates the union of man and woman with the
grace of Christ whose conjugal union with the Church is symbolized in the sacrament. The couple
is crowned at the ceremony symbolizing their membership as one flesh in the kingdom of God.
g) Sacrament of the anointing of the sick: This is the seven sacraments which is the
anointing are made on brow, nostril, cheeks, lips, breast and on both side of the hands with oil
of the sick for their recovery in the spirit of the instruction. They anoint with the words ―heal
thy servant from the ills of body and soul‖.

3. Worship and Sacrament in Protestant:

a) Origin: Six princes of the Holy Roman Empire and rulers of fourteen Imperial Free
Cities, who issued a protest (or dissent) against the edict of the Diet of Speyer (1529), were
the first individuals to be called Protestants. The edict reversed concessions made to
the Lutherans with the approval of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V three years earlier. The
term protestant, though initially purely political in nature, later acquired a broader sense,
referring to a member of any Western church which subscribed to the main Protestant
principles. Any Western Christian who is not an adherent of the Catholic Church or Eastern
Orthodox Church is a Protestant. A Protestant is an adherent of any of those Christian bodies
that separated from the Church of Rome during the Reformation, or of any group descended
from them.
In other words, Protestantism is a form of Christianity that originated with the 16th-
century Reformation, a movement against what its followers perceived to be errors in
the Catholic Church. Protestants reject the Roman Catholic doctrine of papal
supremacy and sacraments, but disagree among themselves regarding the real
presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and matters of ecclesiastical polity and apostolic
succession. They emphasize the priesthood of all believers; justification by faith alone (sola
fide) rather than by good works; the teaching that salvation comes by divine grace or
"unmerited favor" only, not as something merited (sola gratia); and affirm the Bible as being the
sole highest authority (sola scriptura or scripture alone), rather than also with sacred
tradition. The five solae summaries basic theological differences in opposition to the Catholic
Church. They are:
-(sola scripture which mean Christian Scriptures as the sole infallible source of
authority for Christian faith and practice;
-sola fide means justification by faith alone;
-sola gratia means by grace unmerited favor;
-solus Christus means salvation is by faith in Christ alone, Christ is the Mediator
between God and human being; and
-soli Deo gloria means glory to God alone.
Thus, they organized as separate churches in a mood of complete disillusionment with the
existing Roman Catholic Church organization. It was soon applied to all who had broken from
Roman Catholicism, chiefly Lutheran, Calvinists and Baptists and developing from them the
Reformed, Presbyterian, Congregational, Methodist, Unitarian and Quaker Churches.
After Reformation, gradually, protestant became a general term, meaning any adherent
of the Reformation in the German-speaking area. It was ultimately somewhat taken up
by Lutherans, even though Martin Luther himself insisted on Christian or evangelical as the only
acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ. French and Swiss Protestants instead
preferred the word reformed (French: réformé), which became a popular, neutral, and
alternative name for Calvinists.

b) Worship in Protestant: For most people Protestanism is encountered primarily through

the regular acts of worship of it churches. Protestanism is most regularly experienced and
encountered as a living reality through its Sunday worship and its marriages, baptisms and
funerals. There are various forms of worship within Protestant churches. Protestant Christians
gather for traditional worship services on Sunday. There is a great variety
in worship expression within the Protestant church, but central to most services is the
proclamation of the Bible, a sermon, hymn singing, prayer, and regular communion. Within
Protestant churches there are some who follow a lectionary, which allocates set biblical worship
readings for each Sunday of the year while some of them are following free or non-liturgical
worship. In recent years growing attention has been paid to the practice in early Protestant
churches of involving the laity in worship in order to emphasize and affirm the doctrine of the
‗priesthood of all believers in the face of the rise of a new professional class of preachers and
ministers, which seemed to pose a threat to the fundamental principles of Protestanism.
c) Sacrament in Protestant: The Protestant movement began to diverge into several
distinct branches in the mid-to-late 16th century. One of the central points of divergence was
controversy over the Eucharist. Early Protestants rejected the
Catholic dogma of ―transubstantiation‖, which teaches that the bread and wine used in the
sacrificial rite of the Mass lose their natural substance by being transformed into the body,
blood, soul, and divinity of Christ. They disagreed with one another concerning the presence of
Christ and his body and blood in Holy Communion.
Lutherans hold that within the Lord‘s Supper the consecrated elements of bread and wine
are the true body and blood of Christ "in, with, and under the form" of bread and wine for all
those who eat and drink it (1Cor 10:16; 11:20, 27) a doctrine that the Formula of Concord calls
the Sacramental union. God earnestly offers to all who receive the sacrament (Lk 22:19-
20) forgiveness of sins (Mt 26: 28) and eternal salvation.
The Reformed churches emphasize the real spiritual presence, or sacramental presence,
of Christ, saying that the sacrament is a sanctifying grace through which the elect believer
does not actually partake of Christ, but merely with the bread and wine rather than in the
elements. Calvinists deny the Lutheran assertion that all communicants, both believers and
unbelievers, orally receive Christ's body and blood in the elements of the sacrament but instead
affirm that Christ is united to the believer through faith—toward which the supper is an
outward and visible aid. This is often referred to as dynamic presence.
Anglicans and Methodists refuse to define the Presence, preferring to leave it a mystery.
The Prayer Books describe the bread and wine as outward and visible sign of an inward and
spiritual grace which is the Body and Blood of Christ. However, the words of their liturgies
suggest that one can hold to a belief in the Real Presence and Spiritual and Sacramental Present
at the same time. For example, "... and you have fed us with the spiritual food in the Sacrament
of his body and Blood;" "...the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son
our Saviour Jesus Christ, and for assuring us in these holy mysteries...".
1. Pentecostal/Charismatic/Independent: The word Pentecost is derived from the Greek
word ‗Pentecost‘ or ‗hemera‘‘ which means 50th day, is also called with Sunday, major festival in
the Christian church, celebrated on Sunday concluding the 50 day period beginning with Easter.
It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples, which occurred on the Jewish
Pentecost, after the resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (Acts 2) and it mark the
beginning of the Christian Church‘s mission to the world.
The modern Pentecostalism had its origin in the United States at the beginning of the
th
20 century. The movement quickly spread throughout urban centres in the United States and
led to the emergence of numerous Pentecostal denominations. Pentecostal worship was marked
by an outpouring of gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, haling
miracles, and ecstatic singing and dancing. It was also characterized by reliance on the Holy
Spirit to guide both the content and the sequence of worship elements.
Worship in Pentecostal: Worship is very important in Pentecostalism, it is encouraged and
often viewed by participants as an entryway into the presence of the Holy Spirit. A Pentecostal
devotional life includes prayer, Bible reading, praying in tongues, seeking prophetic words from
God, or receiving prophetic words from others. A Pentecostal‘s devotional life includes all these
practices and possibly more, depending on what kind of spiritual gifts the person has or wishes
to develop.
Worship for Pentecostals is a sensory experience filled with music, body movements,
sounds, dancing, shouting, praying out loud, and speaking in tongues. Pentecostal worship
services also last longer than they do in most other Christian traditions. In some churches
worship lasts two hours or more, beginning with informal prayer, moving on to open praying in
tongues, wailing and shouting prayers, kneeling, movements of quiet, and a corporate prayer for
the service itself. A prolonged time of singing and music may then be followed by healing
reports, salvation testimonies, more music, and then a sermon.
The music of Pentecostal services depends on the cultural and social make-up of the
congregation. In older, more traditional congregations, worship music is taken from hymnals,
with the heavy use of pianos, choirs and organs. Pentecostals have a complicated relationship
with the physical body. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore should not let any of
the taint of the world touch it lest it become corrupted, but it is also a carnal body, already
corrupted by original sin.
For Pentecostals, worship is not limited to a Sunday service. Worship in the form of daily
devotions should mark the life of every Pentecostal. Devotions are intended to bring the person
closer to God, develop a constant state of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and serve as a way
to practice varied spiritual gifts in a private setting. Most, if not all, Pentecostal churches will
insist that the members of their congregation set aside daily time to devotions.
Bible reading serves at least two purposes in a Pentecostal‘s devotional life. First, it
supports the existing theological framework of beliefs about the primacy of the Bible as the
sole authority regarding matters of faith. It also allows readers to engage their spiritual gifts
again in terms of allowing the Holy Spirit to direct their reading, to ‗point‘ them in the right
direction, and possibly to have a word of wisdom given to them, either for a person or for the
congregation. Whatever devotion, Pentecostals use them in order to deepen their own
theological identity, and at the same time, practice the varied spiritual gifts in a personal way
that allows for testing and introspection.
a) Sacraments in Pentecostal: Pentecostal churches tend to avoid anything that might be
seen as Sacramental. They do, of course, have rituals, and ceremonies like communion and
water baptism that other churches treat as sacraments, but Pentecostals refers to
these as ceremonies or ordinances. Ordinances, like sacraments are visible
representations of invisible realities. There are four primary Pentecostal sacraments or
ordinances, they are: Water baptism, the Lord Supper, Foot washing and the Anointed
Touch.
b) Water Baptism: Pentecostal churches follow scripture in practicing baptism by
immersion. For Pentecostals water baptism is an outward symbol of a conversion that has
already occurred. It is the conversion that is essential; the water baptism is an additional
element. Infant baptism is not practiced in Pentecostal churches. They regard water
baptism as an outward expression of an internal work of grace following an individual‘s
choice to follow Christ. Young children are not able to make such a choice because they
do not recognize their need for salvation. Instead, infants is Pentecostal churches are
dedicated to God and blessed. This remembers the Bible stories of young children being
brought to Jesus to be blessed. However, there are some Pentecostal churches who are
allowed children baptism but with prior counseling given to those children by their
parents in making understand the significance of water baptism.
c) Lord’s Supper: Pentecostal sees the Lord‘s Supper both as a literal event, recorded as
historical fact, and as a key part of the promise of Christianity. Believers re-enact the
Last Supper and by taking the bread and wine or grape juice, they renew the covenant
that Jesus initiated. It is a symbolic act that unites Christians in action as they are
united in belief. Pentecostalism focuses on the direct experience of the individual‘s
relationship with God.
d) Foot Washing: Pentecostal churches practice foot-washing as an ordinance of humility in
their services. In doing so, they follow the instructions of Jesus, who washed the feet of
his disciples at the Last supper.
e) Anointed touch: The most common of the Pentecostal sacraments is the Anointed touch
since it is a prevalent sacramental rite among Pentecostals. The Anointed touch is an
excellent example of the material/physical nature of Pentecostal spirituality. The
practice of praying for the sick by anointing with oil and laying on hands has been central
to Pentecostal faith and practice. Early Pentecostal believed that Spirit-baptized
believers are a means through which the Spirit may operate to do the works of Jesus
Christ. This expresses the sacramental nature which is essential to Pentecostal
spirituality. The church is a visible and physical expression of the extended hands of
Jesus Christ to those who are suffering. The material means of grace in this sacramental
rite are the touch of the spirit-filled believer and the anointing oil. Pentecostal believes
that divine healing is the salvific work of Christ and Spirit; but it also involves ―prayer of
faith‖ and the anointed touch. For Pentecostals, sacrament require a material means and
are efficacious when they are observed in faithful obedience to the Scriptures by the
sanctified church where Christ and the Spirit and present.
4. Indigenous and Contextual expression: To say that something is indigenous is to affirm
that it has been produced naturally in a country or that is native to a particular land. An
indigenous liturgy would therefore be an act of worship which is at home within a country
certainly having affinity with its cultural form.
Christianity, like every other religion, was born in a particular historical and cultural
context, in a particular time and place. For Christianity, this context happened to be the ancient
Middle East at the beginning of the first century. While the historical context of Christianity‘s
birth is unchangeable and static, like the recorded time and place on one‘s birth certificate, its
cultural context no longer exists. Culture by definition is dynamic and constantly changing,
sometimes slowly and gradually, at other times rapidly and dramatically.
Moreover, while every religion, including Christianity, has its solid, unshakable foundation,
the form of a religion is flexible, based on the cultural mold in which it finds itself. From this
paradoxical situation, a tension is born between preserving the orthodoxy of one‘s religion and
trying to adapt to one‘s context with intelligence and versatility in order to stay relevant to
contemporary cultures.
Christianity has always stood in tension with prevailing cultures, no matter where it
existed. But as humans we hate tension. We are wired to resolve tension. We look for symmetry.
We want a clean end to every mystery novel, an answer to every complex riddle. But what
happens when Christianity insists on maintaining its foundations and its original cultural forms,
no matter what new culture it finds itself in? What happens when Christians see the tension as
a chaotic mess, rejecting its constant demands to review one‘s priorities and revisit difficult
questions? A crisis occurs.
A survey of various Christian traditions shows that some churches try to resolve the
tension by downplaying the differences between culture and faith. They try to blend in by
matching their beliefs and practices—their entire religion, form and foundation—to those of
the contemporary culture. History has proven over and over again that such faith communities
lose their salty effectiveness (1 Sam 8; Matt 5) and give up their call to help reshape and
reform culture (John 17). What was originally a healthy tension breaks down into bland
duplication of the ungodly values of the context—a crisis.
Other Christian traditions have tried to resolve the tension by taking the opposite
extreme, isolating themselves in opposition to the culture. This can take the passive shape of
retreating to fundamentalist convictions, insisting that faith must be practiced in its original
and purest forms, crediting the ―good oil‘ days‖ for bygone exuberance and growth. But it can
also become aggressive, imposing itself on others, fighting about differences in worldview,
faith, and practices—a crisis.
In their wisdom the writers of the Nairobi Statement foresaw the shadow of such crises
hovering over the church in our human tendency and temptation to resolve tension at all cost. In
an attempt to navigate away from these crisis points between Christianity and culture, they
produced this document to help churches view the tension as an ongoing conversation to be
protected, preserved, and even promoted. They have carefully designed a four-way conversation
in which each persona has a role to perform, yet always remains in dialog with the other
partners. They have chosen to focus on worship as ―the heart and pulse of the Christian
church‖, the most regular corporate event that is both expressive and formative of the beliefs
and practices of a faith community.
1. Christian worship is trans-cultural:
Christian worship contains the same substance for everyone everywhere. In all its diverse
expressions, it is beyond culture. This is true not only of the central actions mandated by
Scripture, but also of the centrality of the person and work of Jesus Christ (section 2.2). This
trans-cultural dimension is probably the single most important factor to the sensed unity of the
worldwide church, visible and invisible, across time and space. We read the same letter to the
Romans which were read long time by Saint Augustine in Northern Africa and Luther in Western
Europe. We remember and celebrate Christ‘s death and resurrection in the Lord‘s Supper, in
parallel with believers in a mega-church in Korea, and in a reed-roofed hut in the other places.
We all sing the Psalms, with our own musical styles, instrumental accompaniment, and
languages. Understanding these universal and ecumenical elements of Christian unity gives local
churches the freedom to use disciplined creativity for authentic contextualization.

2. Christian worship is contextual:

An Indonesian person remarked, ―I have never seen anything like this, I‘d never seen
architecture so unique and magnificent. The traditional homes of this particular people group
are built on stilts of heavy logs, with open space under the house for animals and kitchen waste,
an enclosed upper level where people live, and covering the whole structure is a saddle-shaped
roof that rises at both ends like the fore and aft of a giant ship. The houses were covered with
exquisitely carved wood panels painted in red, white, black, and yellow. On Sunday we walked to
church, and i don‘t know why i was subconsciously expecting a brick building on street level with
a paved parking lot, wooden pews covered with red velvet, and organ pipes up front with wood
trims to match the pulpit, table, and font. And i don‘t know why i felt shocked when instead my
eyes were forced upward in the direction of the high stilts to a church building that looked like
a larger version of everyone‘s homes, with a set of stairs to climb up to the sanctuary. Why was
i surprised by the intricate wood carvings and paint adorning the pulpit and table, and an open
floor with a notable absence of any pews or seats?‖
Worship reflects local patterns of speech, dress, architecture, gestures, and other
cultural characteristics. Jesus‘ incarnation into a specific culture gives us both a model and a
mandate. The gospel and the church were never intended to be exclusive to or confined to any
one culture. Rather, the good news was to spread to the ends of the earth, rooting the church
deeply into diverse local cultures. ―Contextualization is a necessary task for the church‘s
mission in the world‖.
In his book on global worship, Charles Farhadian stresses how important it is to
―appreciate the immense variety of expressions of Christian worship in order to take seriously
the social and cultural context that plays such a significant part in worship which emphasis on
culture as the potential, not the problem of worship.‖
The Nairobi Statement outlines two useful approaches to ensure adequate
contextualization. First, dynamic equivalence which involves re-expressing components of
Christian worship with something from a local culture that has an equal meaning, value, and
function. The second approach is creative assimilation, which involves enriching worship by
adding pertinent components of local culture.
 Both of these tools go beyond mere translation and must be used with caution.
Discernment is essential to decide how to equivocate and assimilate, while preserving the trans-
cultural elements of unity and ecumenicity with the church universal. As the Nairobi Statement
says, ―The fundamental values and meanings of both Christianity and of local cultures must be
respected‖.
3. Christian worship is counter-cultural:
Christians in the Middle East take their call to be peacemakers very seriously, intentionally
designing worship that breaks down barriers and promotes reconciliation through prayers like
the following: Gracious God, you have promised through your prophets that Jerusalem will be
home to many peoples, mother to many nations. Hear our prayers that Jerusalem, the city of
your visitation, may be for all—Jews, Christians, and Muslims—a place to dwell with you and to
encounter one another in peace. We make this prayer in Jesus‘ name. Amen.
In a meeting with a delegation of Christian leaders, the president of a Middle Eastern
country said that Christians have a vital presence in the region because they offer a moderate,
mediating voice in the vicious conflict. This prayer demonstrates how worship goes decidedly
against the surrounding cultures of intolerance and war, refusing to bow down to the false gods
of greed, racism, and uncompromising self-righteousness, choosing instead to transform people
and cultural patterns by acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God, the Prince
of Peace (Isa 9:6; Mic 6:8).
Every culture contains some sinful, broken, dehumanizing elements that are contradictory
to the gospel and present us with rival ―secular liturgies that compete for our love.‖ Christian
worship must resist the idolatries of a given culture. This doesn‘t mean that we become anti-
cultural; rather, it challenges us to become careful readers of our culture in light of biblical
truths. Reflect on these words that both affirm and resist culture: Wise is the church that
seeks to be ―in‖ but not ―of‖ the world (John 15:19), resisting aspects of the culture that
compromise the integrity of the gospel, and eagerly engaging its culture with the good news of
the gospel of Jesus Christ, who comes to each culture, but is not bound by any culture.
True worship challenges the oppression and injustice prevalent in local cultures (Rom
12:2). It makes room for grace to abound, freeing us to learn from another‘s perspective, and it
gives us courage to work together for reconciliation so that justice may ―roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!‖ (Amos 5:24).
In commenting on Psalm 73, John Witliet writes, ―Public worship, then as now, is a superb
way to practice not being the center of the universe and learn to see the world right side up.
Worship is, by the Spirit‘s power, like spiritual cataract surgery that restores vision, clear and
true.‖
4. Christian worship is cross-cultural:
In Christian worship when we worship with songs, prayers, instruments, and visual arts
from other cultures, we do it for ―them‖ meaning people who come from those cultures. While it
is a great act of hospitality to make ―them‖ feel welcome and included, we must also realize that
we do this for ―us‖ meaning people who feel at home in the commonly used language and musical
style of ―our‖ worship. Sharing worship resources cross-culturally expands our view of God and
the church as transcending time and space, develops our repertoire of worship expressions, and
crystallizes our understanding of the kingdom of heaven.
 There are, of course, many issues to consider when engaging in cross-cultural worship
such as authenticity, instrumentation, languages, ethnic identities, and respect. To do this
fourth aspect properly, we must faithfully practice the first three aspects by asking questions
like: What elements of trans-cultural faith are we celebrating? To what degree do these
elements fit in our local context? What brokenness in my culture will these borrowed practices
help redeem and reform? Asking such questions will help us avoid slipping into the danger of
viewing our own cultural processes as superior to others.
One of the most common reasons for not engaging in global worship is our fear that
somehow our own heritage will be lost. C. Michael Hawn responds to this fear most eloquently:
―Liturgical plurality is not denying one‘s cultural heritage of faith in song, prayer, and ritual. It
is a conscious effort to lay one‘s cultural heritage and perspective alongside another‘s, critique
each, and learn from the experience.‖The Nairobi Statement reminds us of what is at stake
when we plan Christian worship. It helps us to major in question asking. The topic of worship
practices is important not just for cultural anthropologists, missionaries, and missiologists, but
for all Christian leaders and believers. And those of us who are novices in this area must enter
the conversation with more questions than assertions.
Thus, it is so important that local Christian communities may be instructed and inspired
by the Nairobi Statement to see a third way when viewing the tension between worship and
culture. Though sometimes difficult and unsettling, tension is not an evil that deserves
rejection, but a four-way conversation that holds great potential to help us faithfully uphold
the gospel‘s beauty and power while engaging culture, and in so doing we follow the example of
Christ.

5. Ecumenical (Lima Liturgy): The Lima Liturgy was written for the 1982 Plenary Session of
the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Lima, Peru.
a) The idea was to reflect doctrinal convergences of the WCC's Baptism, Eucharist and
Ministry (BEM) document, although it had been first and foremost a document on
doctrine, not liturgy.
b) Another ecumenical goal was to allow as many Christians as possible to take part in the
celebration.
The Lima Liturgy was first celebrated in Lima on 15 January 1982. The celebrant was J.
Robert Wright of the Episcopal Church of the United States Present were participants from all
Christian traditions. Catholic and Orthodox members were, however, not allowed to receive the
Eucharist due to church discipline in their traditions. In this initial celebration, the text of the
liturgy focused on the themes of the BEM document – baptism, Eucharist, and ministry – and
would be modified to better suit the themes of further uses.
The Lima Liturgy was used again on 28 July 1982 at the closing of a meeting of the
Central Committee of the WCC in the Ecumenical Centre chapel in Geneva, Switzerland, with
WCC general secretary Philip Potter as the celebrant.
The third time the Lima Liturgy was celebrated was during the Sixth Assembly of the
WCC in Vancouver, Canada, in 1983, with Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie as the
celebrant. Runcie was assisted by six priests representing diverse traditions. Most of the 3,500
participants received communion. Since the Assembly is the highest organizational level of the
WCC, the celebration of the Lima Liturgy in Vancouver can be seen as an indication of its
significance as a "well-worked and comprehensive liturgy" despite its unofficial status. The
celebration was considered by many as the high point of the Assembly, which was dubbed "the
worshiping assembly". Janet Crawford and Thomas F. Best describe this breakthrough: "No
longer was worship a problem to be addressed by the assembly; it was now a vital and
vibrant experience to be celebrated at the assembly." Myra Blyth concludes: "The feeling
generated in Vancouver was that worship has more power to unite and reconcile than do
documents and negotiations."
The liturgy was again celebrated at the Seventh Assembly of the WCC in Canberra,
Australia, in 1991.
At the fifth world conference on Faith and Order in 1993 in Santiago de Compostela,
Spain, the use of the Lima Liturgy in a shortened form during morning services was encouraged,
although these were not part of the official conference program.
After its uses in WCC events, the Lima Liturgy gained a reputation as a usable ecumenical
liturgy and has become one of the best-known ecumenical worship resources. It has since been
modified for and celebrated in many local ecumenical events in almost all parts of the
world. According to Geoffrey Wainwright, "its popular reception is at least an indication of the
felt need for an instrument whereby a common faith can be confessed, celebrated, proclaimed,
and taught together." In the words of Gordon Lathrop: "the text became a place in which
diverse churches could meet each other." Lathrop also credits its success to its high
quality. Teresa Berger attributes the success to it being an expression of the convergences of
BEM.
While the success of BEM allowed for the Lima Liturgy to succeed, the converse is also
true: the Lima Liturgy served to further the significance of BEM, particularly its understanding
of the Eucharist. According to the WCC, "as one prominent German ecumenist put it, more
Christians have learned what they know about BEM through participating in the Lima Liturgy
than through reading BEM itself."
There have, however, also been criticisms of the Lima Liturgy, from Catholics, the
Orthodox and Protestants and, according to Frieder Schulz, "Talk of an 'ecumenical Mass' is
premature". The Orthodox, in particular, has criticized the liturgy for not being able to resolve
the issue of ecclesiology and the Eucharist. One female Oriental Orthodox member of the
Central Committee of the WCC, Mary Thomas, was discredited by her Church for having taken
part in the celebration of the Lima Liturgy as reader and was ultimately forced to resign.
Another point of criticism is that the Eucharist has no longer been celebrated in WCC
Assemblies after 1991, either with the Lima Liturgy or WCC's former procedures. Crawford and
Best point out the irony in the fact that "although the Lima liturgy has been the subject of
critical study and comment by theologians and liturgists, the Faith and Order Commission itself
has yet to engage in any sustained reflection on or revision of one of its most widely known
products."
Baptism: The Lima liturgy declared that ―baptism is both God‘s gift and our human response to
the gift‖. The necessary of faith for the reception of the salvation embodied and set forth in
the baptism is acknowledged by all churches. It emphasized that ―both the baptism of the
believers and the baptism of infants take place in the Church as the community of faith‖ and
while nothing that ―Christians differ in their understanding as to where the sign of the gift of
the spirit is to be found,‖ it claimed general agreement that Christian baptism is in water and
the Holy Spirit. The presentation of the Theological meaning of baptism as renewal of life in
Christ, incorporation into the body of Christ, and a sign of the Kingdom, sets forth essential
elements of faith in regard to this sacrament. According to Paul, baptism is regeneration; it
plunges us into mission and the death of Jesus and we rise with him; we put on Christ (Col 3: 9-
10). Baptized into the death of Christ may also mean a mystical union between the person
baptized and the very death resurrection of Jesus.
Eucharist: The Eucharist is the central act of worship. Jesus himself instituted this service the
night he was betrayed. The common meals which the disciples shared with their master had a
mysterious significance which was reveal at the Passover meal. The early Christian meet
together regularly to share bread and wine and to give thanks for Jesus sacrifice on Golgotha
and for the fear shattering victory of the resurrection from the earliest times the Eucharist
devotion of a series of individual. The Eucharist, the core of all worship in the church, is pre-
eminently the sacrament of Christ‘s salvific presence; we may be certain therefore that the
working of the Holy Spirit will be most instance. The mystery of the Incarnation was
accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit so also the mystery of the sacramental coming of
the Lord under the forms of bread and wine will be conceivable without the working of the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the boned of unity in the church, and therefore he is most intimately
involved in the celebration of the Eucharist, the sacrament of unity.

Ministry: Christian ministry is a ministry in the service of the world. It originates in the charge
given by Christ to the Church to carry on his ministry. All baptized are called to share in this
service in accord with their states of life, special gifts and role within the social structure of
stable Christian communities. The section on ministry begins with the calling of the whole people
of God and locates the ordained ministry within that context. The ordain ministry is seen as a
reminder of independence of the church of Jesus Christ, who is the source of it mission and the
foundation of its unity. As an element within the broader of an apostolic tradition that is
transmitted in many ways, the Episcopal succession is proposed as a sign though not a guarantee,
of the continuity and unity of the church, and it claimed that the threefold ministry of bishop,
presbyter and deacon may serve today as an expression of the unity we seek and also as a means
for achieving it.

(This is for additional reading only...taken from website)

Theological and Practical Trends in Understanding Christian Worship:

1. Worship as Witness: Worship is at the heart of the church, connected to every ministry.
The Mission Statement tells us that an important part of our mission is ―…to tell the biblical
story in ever new and creative ways… to hear, respect, and cherish all God‘s children… in a world
of many nations, peoples, denominations and faiths, to learn from one another and work
together for the healing of the nations.‖ Even Vision Statement says, ―We will seek to be
changed, to be reformed, to take whatever risks are necessary as we learn to obey God‘s will…
we will integrate evangelism, social action, and justice ministry… as we continually witness to the
Lordship of Christ over all life.‖
However, many of us find that, its importance as a biblical imperative, evangelism is
understated. We tend to let our deeds speak for our faith. That is legitimate witness, but our
continuing membership decline indicates it may not be enough. Sociologist Reginald Bibby
describes a sharp drop over the past quarter century in mainline church attendance. This
downward trend is not just among youth, but also young families and middle-aged adults. Of
particular concern are people from families that were associated with our Church in the past,
and congregants whose family members‘ don‘t attend.
The Church has grappled with this issue for many years. Our radically secular, consumer
and entertainment oriented culture bears some of the blame. Should we hope that this trend
reverses itself? Are we limited to hope and trust in God‘s faithfulness? Or, do James‟ words
ring true for us still? Faith, without action, is dead (James 2:17). Our society is filled with
examples of spiritual hunger. How can we serve this need? Much of the Church‘s effort to
renew itself has been focused on innovative programming and mission projects. Social action and
relevance are often seen as the keys to connecting with our culture. A lot of good work has
been done, but it has not resulted in a significant reversal in declining membership numbers.
Past Moderator Hans Kouwenberg has commented on the amount of documentation at
General Assembly relating to mission work, sometimes at the expense of discussion about
worship and church growth issues. There are many secular organizations that people can join to
help those who need assistance. For all the important mission work the PCC does, church needs
to be more than a social service organization. It is through worship that people come to
understand the wholeness in life that is possible only through a community of believers in
relationship with God. Why do so many people in our culture think that what we do in worship
has no relevance to their lives?
In Acts, Chapter 2, disciples are called to speak so that everyone will understand the
gospel. I suggest we look at how we communicate the gospel in worship. Meaningful worship will
engage people with the church in a sustainable way. In addition to our programs, we need to hold
public worship that allows a wide spectrum of participants to experience God‘s presence and be
transformed.
Some of our energy and resources should be directed towards learning how to effectively
proclaim the gospel to our complex and diverse culture. Our challenge is to find ways to reform
and renew our worship practices in a way that maintains biblical and Trinitarian balance and
integrity, and is consistent with the Reformed tradition. It is not about copying successful
contemporary churches, although we undoubtedly can learn some things from them; it is about
defining and implementing authentic Presbyterian worship for the 21st century. I believe that
we have been too slow in changing how we communicate the gospel in worship as our culture
changes. The reformed order of worship is a rich and adaptable resource. Not only does it have
biblical roots, but it is also flexible. These papers are not about replacing what we are doing,
but about reforming it.

2. Worship in the Vernacular: ―the words and actions of worship must be understood by the
people‖. One of the greatest accomplishments of the Reformation was renewing the Church by
presenting the Gospel in a language that people could understand. Do we speak in the language
of today‘s complex and diverse society? Understands what is being said the same thing as
understanding what it means?
African American theologian Clarence Rivers spoke of aesthetic incoherence. He
described how some people can understand the words of many traditional hymns, but the style
and context are so foreign to their everyday existence that they lose all meaning. In our 21st
century culture, the vernacular is not just words. Perhaps many of the coming generation find
little meaning what we do in and so sought meaning elsewhere. I believe that we should allow the
message of Christ in worship to adapt to changes in our culture. This doesn't mean abandoning
everything old and embracing everything new, but choosing wisely in order to speak the language
of the people we are serving. Because Canadian society is a very diverse and complex mixture of
sensibilities, this is a formidable challenge.
In 1996, the Lutheran World Federation produced a document that they believe outlines
what Christian worship at the beginning of the new millennium should ideally encompass in
relation to culture. Many theologians from a broad spectrum of faith traditions have
enthusiastically endorsed the ideas put forward in the Nairobi Statement on Worship and
Culture - Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities.
The Nairobi Statement advocates healthy Christian worship that is „simultaneously and
self-consciously trans-cultural, contextual, counter-cultural and cross-cultural‟. We can worship
using the essential universal elements of our faith in a way that puts us in relation -ship with
Christians from many times and many places. This could celebrate the best and challenge the
worst of the cultures in which we Christians now live. Our hope is that congregations will speak
in a language that creates a deep understanding for all participants; worship will declare the
good news of Jesus Christ in the vernacular.
What would it be like if we asked recent immigrants how they could best connect with our
worship? What about talking with other generations about their experience with God and how
they can best participate in worship? The reality is, the vernacular has dramatically shifted.
Since the late 1960's, many people share a postmodern outlook, in varying degrees; because
postmodernist looks at the world through a different lens, the old ways of communicating are
often ineffective. Postmodern Christians understand through image, but do we worship in
services dominated by words? They are eclectic, with less affinity for logical, linear discourse.
Do we emphasize rational argument instead of experiential encounter? They understand ideas
presented through stories and are drawn to the mystical, the ambiguous, the other.‟ Do we
insist on minimizing the Great Mystery in favour of our interpretation? They resist absolutes,
especially those told by authorities. They do not challenge what is being said as much as how it
is being communicated. Do we state what others should believe, or encourage them to share
their perspective as we share the Presbyterian one?
Every minute of a worship service need not be meaningful for everyone. But, worship
should be designed and implemented so that as many people as possible will find a time of
meaning and connection with God. This makes room for the Holy Spirit to transform the hearts
of people in all groups. Robert Webber describes postmodern generations as valuing
multigenerational contact. Creating a multi-generational, multi-ethnic worship service may mean
some changes to how we‘ve done things, but it can be done. It is possible to take into account
the sensibilities of every age and ethnic group present, including, what Andrew Donaldson
refers to as ―those not yet in the pews.‖ In our time, the Reformed are reforming. Like our
forebears, we can craft worship in a language that others can understand, that reflects a
beautiful diversity in understanding, ethnic groups, generations and individuals. I believe that it
is possible to speak the vernacular‟ in a balanced, biblical, Presbyterian manner.

3. Worship and Postmodernity: Robert Weber says postmodernity is not a generation gap, it‘s
a total paradigm shift - the immense change of one civilization to another. We have already
begun talking about postmodernity. Let‘s take a closer a look. In years following the Second
World War, a generation emerged that saw the world in a strikingly new way. The beginning of
membership decline in mainline churches coincided with this generation reaching its teenage
years. At first, decline was rationalized as a generation gap that would eventually correct itself.
When this didn‘t happen, many commentators began to regard the shift not as a generation gap,
but as a massive shift in worldview, commonly referred to as postmodernity. Philosopher Paul
Lakeland describes modernity as ―the triumph of reason and the mastery of the human mind
over the external world‖. Robert Webber lists four excesses of modernist thinking:
1. Reason is superior to faith
2. Science will lead to morality
3. Progress is inevitable
4. Knowledge is inherently good.
Postmodernity, what comes after modernity rejects these tenets and is often
accompanied by a mistrust of authority and the institutions that held power in modernist
society. The Church is one of these institutions. Institutional Christianity has lost credibility
with many in the visual, non-linear, communalist, contrarian, rootless, and experience oriented
postmodern generation. Postmodern people struggle with absolutes but, at the same time,
search for a coherent and cohesive meaning to life. They don‘t want to be told by an authority
what truth is; they need to be led and shown and to experience the truth for themselves. In
order to reach people with a postmodern sensibility, we need to communicate many of the
concepts of Christianity as our beliefs about what is, rather than a final statement.
It is a huge challenge for the Church, which was born and nurtured in the Age of Reason,
to think outside this. We must remember that authentic Christian tradition encompasses
(globally and historically) far more than this narrow European Age of Enlightenment. We need
to begin thinking of church as a movement of faith rather than as an institution. The issue is
not how to make our worship postmodern, but to acknowledge the importance of including the
postmodern sensibility in our worship expression. Rationalist Protestant worship, particularly
Reformed worship, tends to value cerebral, verbal, restrained, and linear communication. There
is nothing wrong with emphasizing these traits, but if we ignore communication that is
emotional, intuitive, visual, exuberant and non-linear, we will be worshipping in a way that
excludes a very large segment of society.
It is possible for the church to maintain their distinctive interpretation of the faith
while including those who have been left out of worship expression in the past. If our goal is to
encourage all generations to worship together, we can keep the traditions that have biblical, not
just cultural integrity, and ensure that we include other sensibilities. The challenge is one of
communication, not content.
4. Authentic Worship: ―Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead
faith of the living.‖ Jaroslav Pelikan. What is authentic worship? Is it a balanced, biblical,
Trinity-focused approach? Is it about doing things with decency and in good order? We can look
to our Reformed heritage to work out how we can worship with authenticity. Reformed worship
is based in the belief that Christ is presented through Word and Sacrament, in a conversation
between God and God‘s people. From this perspective, inauthentic worship is that which is not
biblically centred and does not have a balanced Trinitarian focus.
Being biblical means drawing on the scripture‘s rich and complex mix of history and
metaphor in describing humanity‘s relationship with God. In each service, we are challenged to
continue our conversation with God. While Christ and his gospel, the ―God-side‖ of the
conversations, have not changed, the human side has. We are continually challenged to
communicating in meaningful ways. Worship that uncritically embraces or rejects any specific
culture is also inauthentic. The gospel is larger than any human, cultural expression. Richard
Niebuhr speaks of Christianity being in the culture, not of the culture. We need to challenge
those parts of culture that disagree with the gospel, and celebrate those parts that affirm the
gospel. The gospel is voiced in each culture and living generation. Will we uncover it through
discarding cultural elements that do not bring the life and wholeness of the gospel? Only in this
way will we embrace the alternative spiritual reality called the Kingdom of God.
In the past, the church was part of the Establishment culture. Today, we are in
something of a post-Christian wilderness, trying to find out where we fit in with contemporary
society. If we simply reject or embrace contemporary culture, our situation will not improve.
Postmodernity‘s suspicion of institutions has led many postmodern Christians to believe that
affiliation with a church is optional for believers. In order to change this misconception, we
need to distance ourselves from our institutional mindset, and offer public worship that is both
authentic and transformational to a broad range of sensibilities. I don‘t believe this is done
through slavishly copying what 'successful churches‟ are doing, nor through embracing
everything contemporary. But, neither should we reject new ways of communicating with our
culture simply because these may be different from what was done in the past.
Our challenge is to define the meaning of what is an authentic reformed proclamation of
the gospel, using the language of our culture in a balanced way, which is fully biblical and
Trinitarian. Doing so allows us to be authentic and so meaningful, effective and
transformational. One of the strengths of Presbyterianism is its sense of balance. We can use
our balance and good sense in order to renew worship practices that remain consistent with the
Reformed tradition and still effectively reflect our diverse and complex society. When worship
communicates the gospel well, the Holy Spirit is invited to transform the hearts of all.
In effective communication in worship blocks the declaration of the gospel and the
experience of God‘s presence. Some of today's impediments may have once been meaningful for
past generations. Can we distinguish between what is Biblical and what is a just a generational
preference? An authentic Reformed worship service is one where the Scriptures are valued and
a meaningful conversation is taking place between God and humanity. Our Presbyterian balance
can be embraced to ensure that all groups, regardless of their age or origin, can find worship a
meaningful experience.
5. Transformative Worship: ―It is one thing to talk about God. It is quite another to
experience God‖ Leonard Sweet. In each worship service, our prayer is that we will be
transformed by God through the Holy Spirit. This ideal is not necessarily realized every time we
worship, and it is not continuous throughout worship. Yet, many of us are aware of times when
God feels present and we are changed. In these times, our eyes are opened to a reality larger
than ourselves, a new reality called the Kingdom of God.
It's human nature to be self-focused. Contemporary culture defines itself through the
constant consumption of products and entertainment and reinforces our focus on self
everywhere we turn. We are bombarded with messages telling us: It‘s all about you, ―you
deserve it‖, your needs - your desires.‟ It‘s no surprise, then, that worship can become, for
some people, about my needs, my preferences‟, and „my comfort‟. The secular world reinforces
our self-centeredness. Transformative worship, where we are changed by a sense of God‘s
presence, will move people out of self-absorption. That is when people say: ―Here I am! What
can I do for Christ in my life, in my church, in my world?‖
This moment rarely involves only the brain. While the mind plays an important role in our
faith, faith affects us in a complex multi-level way. We discover God intuitively, emotionally and
even physically. Our relationship with God is a mystery that is experienced differently for
everyone. Every eras and cultures tend to experience God different. That is a good thing that
brings a fuller appreciation for God as we learn from hearing each other‘s experiences. This
renewed emphasis on the mystery of God appeals to the postmodern sensibility, and can deepen
each of our experiences with God transforming us through the encounter.
Worship leaders do not transform the worshippers, but they are important players in the
process. Leaders are facilitating the transformative experience, using various art forms to
nurture an environment where a conversation with God can take place. Presbyterians place
emphasis on proclaiming the word, but in the most effective services, music and prayers help to
nurture a sense of God‘s presence. When we look out at the congregation on Sunday morning, we
do not see a homogenous group. People come in different ages, tastes and temperaments, and
are at different places in their journey of faith. These needs to be appreciated and the Holy
Spirit entrusted to do the transforming. John Witvliet at the Calvin Institute says that leaders
have to learn how to do their job and then get out of the way of the Holy Spirit!
Worship communication is most effective when it is what theologian Clarence Rivers Calls
―per formative‖. Performance is not entertainment, and is not necessarily a negative connotation
for worship. Entertainment is undesirable, focusing as it does on the congregation. Our
congregations perform worship for an audience of One every Sunday. It is also different from
church-speak a stylized language or elongated tone of voice. Both entertainment and church-
speak have become impediments to some people's transformative experience with God.
Performative worship has theological and aesthetic integrity that moves us out of the mundane.
It transcends the ordinary through using the best of language and art forms to hear from and
converse with God. God speaks to us and we respond. We speak with each other. listening and
sharing, expressing our ups and downs. As this is happens our common struggle towards salvation
moves from words to reality. We discover again that the wholeness and balance we yearn for in
our lives can only be achieved through our relationship with God and through our relationships
with one another. Through identifying with the brokenness we share, we can receive hope again
and the healing that comes through a relationship with God through Christ. This is
transformative.
Transformation is not a one-time event. The Apostle Paul said we were being changed into
Christ‘s likeness in an ever-increasing way, from ―glory to glory,‖ oriented and reoriented week
after week. In worship our entire focus is on God and God‘s transforming deeds in history and in
our day to day lives. We are equipped to find the balance in our lives that the secular world
does not provide. With this as our goal, it becomes essential that worship be an experience of
conversation between God and many kinds of people, of many ages and from many places. Only in
this way will our services be places where the hearts of many are opened up to God‘s presence.
The rest is in God‘s hands.

6. Diversity in Worship: ―One Christ has many faces… culture shapes the voice that answers
the voice of Christ.‖ Konrad Raiser. We are in an exciting period of Canadian history. Once,
local congregations were full of people with similar ethnic background, economic status, or
church denomination. But now, arising from dramatic cultural shifts and immigration from all
over the world, diversity and difference are increasingly celebrated in our congregations.
Denominations mean far less than they once did. Our doctrinal distinctions are important,
but in this post-Christian context all denominations, out of necessity, are drawing closer.
Though what we believe is the content of our message, how we proclaim it is being cross-
pollinated across traditions. We look to how others are worshipping and see windows on new
ways of encountering God and incorporate these some into our worship services, giving them a
flavor that is distinctly ours. Diversity is a wonderful expression of our Christian faith – many
members, but one Body (1 Cor. 12). This is good! Christians don't want all churches to worship in
an identical fashion, or to copy exactly what they did in the past.
For example, many Presbyterians find worship music from Africa as meaningful as
traditional hymns and contemporary praise songs from the West. People understand that
limiting expression is narrowing and ineffective when there is so much legitimate, authentic
Christian expression out in the world. What is important is one core message spoken many ways.
Diversity of expression should reflect the diversity of God‘s creation. It does not mean
uncritically implementing new ideas in worship expression without maintaining theological and
aesthetic integrity. It is about discovering and incorporating things that are good in other
Christian traditions and then creating an authentic balance of content, structure and style,
nurturing an environment where many different people can converse with God.
The Church is challenged to find a way of embracing diverse worship expression that is
consistent with our core beliefs and complements our emphasis. It is not easy, but we can learn
from others in our efforts to create a worship experience that is meaningful for a variety of
people.
In addition to ethnic, historical and generational diversity, we can become aware of
different personalities, learning styles and communication modes. Using the arts and technology
can help those who find his communication more meaningful than the written and spoken word
alone. This changes how we communicate, not what we communicate. Our identity has value. We
are an important part of Christ‘s body, but not the only part. Bob Rognlien states in Experiential
Worship: ―we must learn from each other and regain the full historical content of our biblical
faith so that the Spirit might move dynamically through the various expressions of
Christianity… The key is that each community of faith utilizes its unique combination of
resources, context, and history to invite people into a more complete experience of God that is
empowered by the various streams of Christian tradition.‖
Some have said that the best way to embrace diversity is to create separate expressions
such as traditional and contemporary worship services for different ways of understanding.
Targeting tastes or generations has been done in a number of churches with varying degrees of
success, but few writers think it is the best solution. It can divide generations, families, and
congregations. If our goal is unity in Christ, then perhaps it‘s time to embrace a postmodern,
multigenerational sensibility. This accepts that not everything in worship will be meaningful to
me, but will include ways to connect with each generation and ethnicity.
Sensitivity will be required, both to those without a church background and to those who
have spent years in the pew, to those of European extraction and those from other places in the
world, and to people of all ages. I believe we can approach this diversity if we teach all
worshippers that tolerance of our differences is an act of love, and embracing those who are
not like us is an act of obedience to the greatest commandment. In considering how diversity
will be accommodated in worship, may the great Commandment guide us: ―Love God with all you
are, and your neighbor as yourself.‖

7. Creativity in Worship
―Unless challenged in every generation by spiritual wrestlers, religious traditions grow rigid and
defensive, devoted to self-preservation‖ says by William Becker. Reformed worship is
structured like a conversation, with God speaking through the scriptures and the people
responding. With this emphasis, it is understandable that worship preparation in most
Presbyterian churches is often word-driven. However, our conversational worship structure also
lends itself to incorporating many creative aspects both as God speaks and as we respond.
Creativity is not about elaborate production values, imitating what happens in the entertainment
industry. Rather, we can take what is good in this cultural expression and use it to nurture the
conversation between God and a 21st century sensibility. For example, we can experiment with
making our worship fresh, evocative and even provocative as we hear God speak. We can adopt
using contemporary and world music and instrumentation to facilitate our response. We can
learn new ways of interpreting God‘s voice in the drama of the biblical stories. We can learn
from the broader culture without emulating it. Thus, part of creativity is remaining open to
what is good and meaningful, and searching for ways to incorporate that good into our
distinctively Reformed interpretation. It allows us to remain faithful to the scriptures and echo
our ancient beliefs. But beware: being creative can require investing time, energy, and resources
into how something is communicated so that the message is not just heard, but is engaged. We
want God‘s word to take up residence in the listener‘s heart.
Adopting a variety of creative media allows us to communicate the profound message of
the gospel in ways that are clear and effective. We can enact the vision of God, sing the
Christian perspective and invite others to experience Christ‘s message, all without sounding
authoritarian, judgmental or discriminatory. Telling stories invites others to consider where
they might be in that story, and so whether the One speaking through the story is speaking to
them. So often, words of explanation can follow the encounter that has taken place in music,
story, drama, or visual arts. The arts become a medium for encountering God. Jeremy Begbie
writes: ―In God given artistic expression, reflections of divine beauty become an opening for
truth to penetrate the deepest part of a human being and bring transformation.‖ The arts are
not unique to the contemporary age, and so our search of relevant media should not be limited
to what was produced in the past ten years. Robert Webber describes using the Christian
Liturgical Calendar as a rich source for creative communication. It has a profound rhythm, and
an alternative orientation. It is easier to incorporate the diversity of Christian worship
expression when we align ourselves with these extended seasons of spirituality.
Creativity requires being deliberate about how things are presented as well as what is
presented. For example, The Alban Institute advocates balancing the familiar and unfamiliar in
worship to maintain a dynamic outlook. Planners can present elements that challenge as well as
comfort intellectually and experientially. This is made possible in part, through intentionally
including elements that speak to a variety of people. A team might be helpful here, even in
smaller congregations. As gifted lay and ordained worship planners work together, the service
begins to take on a broader tone. Perhaps there‘s even room to experiment with spontaneity.
Taking some calculated risks, and guiding the congregation through the team‘s rationale for it,
nurtures a Congregation‘s tolerance of risk taking. This may develop a culture of tolerance and
openness to experimentation and trying new ideas. A shift like this will not happen in a day, but
a culture of openness to taking risks and trying new things can be nurtured week after week.
After all, renewal is more than just tinkering with the order of service. There are no easy
answers, painless solutions or quick fixes. It is a work of the Holy Spirit as we remain open to it,
and create spaces of openness in how we do things. As Presbyterian Church in Canada's Vision
Statement asks: Will we ―seek to be changed, to be reformed, and to take whatever risks are
necessary as we learn to obey God‘s will‖?

Notes:
1. In making the above notes, sources are taken directly and indirectly both from the
website and books.
2. For further reading:
a) Worship in the early Church, by Ralph P. Martin
b) Worship Old and New, by Robert E. Webber.
METHODS/APPROACHES TO BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION:

1. Allegorical: The etymological root of allegory is the Greek allos which means ‗another‘ and
agoruein which means ‗speak‘. Allegorical interpretation provides another way to speaking
about what may appear to be the plain sense of a passage. An allegorical signifies that
when one thing is said another thing is understood. An allegory is a story that can be read
on a literal level or a metaphorical level, in which many or all of the elements represent
something else. Religious writers use allegory to teach the precepts of their faith; ethical
writers use it to instill morals in their readers; satirists use it to explain their political or
social points of view.
The major distinctive of allegorical school of interpretation was its allegorical method,
which was rooted in platonic philosophy; Plato taught that reality actually lay behind what
appeared to the human eye. Applied to literature, this view of reality suggested that a
text‘s true meaning lay behind the writer words. That is, the text served as a kind of
extended metaphor which pointed to the ideas hidden behind it. For philosophy, a Bible
passage was like a human being, it has a body (literal meaning) and a soul (an allegorical
meaning). Plato accepted that the literal meaning of many scriptures, but he also believed
that the only the allegorical method could reveal the true inner meaning that God has
encoded in them. Some characteristics of allegory are below:
Symbolism: Allegories and symbols are closely related, and people often confuse them. A
symbol is single object, person or idea that represents something else
Personification: One of the most common forms of allegory is allegorical personification,
in which a no human concept, such as virtue, faith or sin, is represented as a person in a
story. These characters have no personality traits independent of the concept they
represent.
Moral: Allegories typically include a moral or a lesson for the reader. Most often these
morals are ethical or religious.
Satire: Allegories that do not have morals are often political satires, in which characters
and events represent political parties, movements or ideologies.

Allegorical interpretation of the Bible:

It is an interpretive method that assumes that the Bible has various levels of meaning
and tends to focus on the spiritual sense, which includes the allegorical sense, the
moral sense, and the anagogical sense, as opposed to the literal sense. Allegorical
interpretation has its origins in both Greek thought and the rabbinical school of Judaism.
In the middle Ages, it was used by Bible commentators of Christianity. Some main
features of allegorical interpretation are given here:
Four types of Allegorical Interpretation: Scriptural interpretation is sometimes
referred to as the Quadriga, a reference to the Roman chariot that was pulled by four
horses abreast. The four horses are symbolic of the four sub-methods of Scriptural
interpretation:
1) Literal interpretation:
2) Anagogic interpretation: dealing with the future events of Christian history
(eschatology) as well as heaven, purgatory, hell, the last judgment, the General
Resurrection and second Advent of Christ, etc. (prophecies)
3) Typological (or allegorical) interpretation: connecting the events of the Old Testament
with the New Testament, particularly drawing allegorical connections between the events
of Christ‘s life with the stories of the Old Testament. For example: Blessed Virgin Mary,
who is the ark which held the Word of God; the burning bush, which contains the fire of
God but was not consumed, as Mary held the Second Person of the Trinity in her womb
but was not burnt up.
4) Tropological (or moral) interpretation: "the moral of the story," or how one should act
now. Many of Jesus' parables and the Book of Proverbs and other wisdom books are
packed with tropological meaning.
Some examples of allegories in the Bible:
Ps. 23: 1-4 - The Lord as the believer‘s Shepherd
Prov. 9: 1-6 - Wisdom as a housewife
Isaiah 5:1-7 - Israel as unproductive vine
John 10:1-16 - Jesus as a Shepherd
John 15: 1-6 - Jesus as a vine
Gal. 4:21 - Hagar and Sarah as two covenants

2. Historical-Critical Method: Historical-critical methods are those which take account of

the fact that the biblical texts were written long ago, in a cultural matrix very different
from our own, and that attempt to understand the texts first of all in the context of
that ancient setting.
This method is used by many academic Bible scholars in universities, including many Roman
Catholic and Protestant institutions. The method uses higher criticism, in an attempt to
discover the sources and factors that contributed to the making of the text as well as to
determine what it meant to the original audience. Scholars who use the historical-critical
method treat the Bible as they would any other text. In contrast to the historical-
grammatical method, historical-criticism does not aim to determine what a text means
for people today.

3. Historical-Grammatical Method: This method is a Christian hermeneutical method that

strives to discover the biblical authors' original intended meaning in the text.
The historical-grammatical method distinguishes between the one original meaning of the
text and its significance. According to the historical-grammatical method, taking an
analysis of the grammatical style of a passage, with considering cultural, historical, and
literary context, the author intended to convey an account of events that actually
happened, so the text should be taken as representing history; passages should only be
interpreted symbolically, poetically, or allegorically and that is what the writer intended
to convey to the original audience.
According to this method the process for determining the original meaning of the text is
through examination of the grammatical and syntactical aspects, the historical
background, the literary genre as well as theological/canonical considerations. The
 historical-grammatical method distinguishes between the one original meaning of the text
and its significance. The significance of the text is essentially the application or
contextualization of the principles from text.
The aim of the historical-grammatical method is to discover the meaning of the passage
as the original author would have intended and what the original hearers would have
understood. The original passage is seen as having only a single meaning or sense. As
Milton S. Terry said, "A fundamental principle in Grammatical-historical exposition is that
the words and sentences can have but one significance in one and the same connection.
The moment we neglect this principle we drift out upon a sea of uncertainty and
conjecture."
Many practice the historical-grammatical method using the inductive method, a general
three-fold approach to the text: observation, interpretation, and application. Each step
builds upon the other, which follows in order.
a) The first step of observation involves an examination of words, structure, structural
relationships and literary forms.
b) After observations are formed, then the second step of interpretation involves asking
interpretative questions, formulating answers to those questions, integration and summarization
of the passage.
c) After the meaning is derived through interpretation, the third step of application
involves determining both the theoretical and practical significance of the text and
appropriately applying this significance to today's modern context. There is also a heavy
emphasis on personal application that extends into all aspects of the practitioner's life.
Theologian Robert Traina, in his 1952 Methodical Bible Study, wrote that "the applicatory step
is that for which all else exists. It represents the final purpose of Bible study."

4. Liberationist Interpretation of the Bible: Liberation method emerged in Latin American

since the mid 1960s. It evolved as a result of injustice, discriminations and racisms, and
exploitation in the country and everywhere. Amidst such situation, Gutierrez questions,
How can we say to the poor…the emarginated races…to the non-persons…that God is love‖.
Liberation method of interpretation advocates that interpretation of the Bible should be
in a continuing change, called ―Hermeneutical circle‖. It means that the process start
from the life situation and go to the text. The process of liberation hermeneutics begins
with social analysis of a context of struggle moves into a similar systemic analysis of the
Bible, bringing text and context into dialogue and then moves into community controlled
action.
The starting point to a liberation reading of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures is
will our interpretation liberate? Does our reading and understanding of these texts
contribute to human emancipation and to the general wellbeing of the planet? If it
doesn‘t liberate, then that interpretation is called into question. Does it come from
a position of privilege? On the other hand, a reading of scripture breaks down walls
of injustice then only it speaks of the living God.
The first part of any such exegesis must begin by a critical analysis of the text and
the use of the text by individuals and those with power in society. Has the
 interpretation added to existing oppressions, or even been the root cause of them?
We have seen throughout history that sacred texts have been used to promote
wars, perpetuate gender inequalities, and exacerbate homophobia, excuse slavery
and many other atrocities throughout history. A liberation approach seeks to
challenge any use of scripture that supports unjust structures, instead siding with
the teachings of Jesus that look towards ‗the kingdom of God‘, a rule of fairness,
justice and peace.

1) Scripture as a place of struggle:

For most liberationists, the Bible is not to be taken as a literal text. The context of its
history, geography and transmission is crucial. Who is doing the writing? Who is being
excluded? How the marginalized are heard in this text? Who is doing the translating and
to what ends? The Bible is taken as the word of God in the sense that it reveals the very
struggles over power that exist throughout the world which God created. The Bible
exposes us to the real world of violence, abuses of power and resistance to such cruelti es.
In the Hebrew Scriptures we can clearly see struggle between traditions that saw
monarchy as the way that God wants to order the world, and those who see such authority
as a folly that merely perpetuates a material society that has lost touch with God‘s ways.
In the Letters of Paul and those who used his name as the authors of their letters, you
can see the struggles of the early Christian community regarding the position of women,
or the strains of the relationship with Rome and the political and religious leaders of the
day. In the book of revelation, we see how an oppressed community finds a secret language
to challenge their subjugation. The Bible becomes a place of political struggle, in which we
see the world as it really is. Liberationist do not dismiss scripture because it can be
oppressive, but embrace that God reveals oppression and resistance though scripture,
giving us tools to overturn those unjust structures.

2) Scripture need to be at the service of the poor:

Key truths are made clear by Jesus that challenge and upset any ‗comfortable readings‘ of
scripture. A crucial truth is that God, through Jesus, acts on the side of the poor, an idea
that used to be commonly known as ‗the option for the poor‘. Many Liberationists would
argue that being on the side of the poor is not an option, it is an imperative. There is no
ambivalence in the words Luke attributes to Jesus in his ‗first sermon‘ in the synagogue:
―The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring
good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim
the year of the Lord‘s favour.‖ (Luke 4. 18-19)
Scripture is only fulfilled when these teaching are lived out. If our interpretation of
scripture is not ‗good news to the poor‘ then a Liberation reading challenges whether it is
really of Jesus or it simply perpetuates existing unjust systems.

3) Interpretation of scripture must be understood through the lens of the oppressed :

Jesus‘ ministry is all about putting a marginalized people at the centre of the story.
Whether it is a long dialogue with a Samaritan Woman at the well or putting a diseased
and ostracised person (Leper/Deaf/Blind etc) centre stage of God‘s story. More often –
the plight of the oppressed is centered on challenging teachings aimed at those with
privilege and power – reminding us all that the poor are poor, not because they have
caused their own lowly status, but because they have been made poor by the actions or
the inactions of the wealthy and powerful (e.g. Parable of Dives and Lazarus; Luke 16:19-
31: Story of the Sheep and the Goats; Matthew 25:31-46). Therefore, reading scriptures
through the eyes of marginalized communities becomes a priority for Liberationists. Black,
Feminist, Womanist, and Disabled readings all become essential. The theory of an
intersectional approach becomes important, learning how multiple oppressions are revealed
by scripture, and how they can be addressed by listening to those who face intersecting
oppressions. This also means challenging any interpretations that don‘t recognize its
position of privilege (Class; Gender; Race etc)
4) The Bible needs to be interpreted by a liberating community: It becomes necessary
with a liberationist understanding of scripture that interpretation cannot be done from an
individualist or purely academic perspective. Understanding of scripture can only be done
through a community (ecclesia) gathering to attempt to live out the message of the
Gospels. Regular Bible study must be done by a church or community that is genuinely
trying to put these scriptures in to practice. When scriptures are understood in
community, the first change that becomes apparent is that listening becomes the crucial
analytical tool to interpretation. Participants must learn to listen to one another, and in
doing so, learn to listen to how the Holy Spirit may be at work in the people of God. Voices
must be heard, perhaps voices that have never been heard before. Crucially, authority of
interpretation comes not from societal status (the Minister or political leader) but
becomes entwined with the lived out experiences of the people of God.

5. Post-modernist Approach to Biblical interpretation: The term ‗Postmodern‘ is applied to

literature, art, philosophy, architecture, fiction, and cultural and literary criticism, among
others. It is a broad movement that developed in the mid to late 20th century across
philosophy, the arts, architecture and criticism and that mark the departure from
modernism. The term has also more generally been applied to the historical era following
modernity and the tendency of this era. Postmodernism is largely a reaction to the
assumed certainty of scientific, or objective, efforts to explain reality. It is best
understood as a questioning of the ideas and values associated with a form of modernism
that believes in progress and innovation. Modernism insists on a clear divide between art
and popular culture. But like modernism, postmodernism does not designate any one style
of art or culture. The period of 1960s is often regarded as a starting point of
postmodern period- period that replaces modern era or a chronological later period after
modern. In other word, the postmodern period means that the era of modernity has
ended and postmodern has started.
According to Anthony Giddens, ―Postmodern is an era that stressed the plurality and
diverse from in every sphere‖
J. Adams opines that ―Postmodernism is primarily a reaction to the modern Western
civilization and culture‖
 Therefore, postmodernism can be termed as the evolvement of the thought-pattern and
world-view that question and challenge the modern era/thought.

Characteristics of Postmodernism: Its main characteristics include anti-authoritarianism, or

refusal to recognize the authority of any single style or definition of what art should be; and
the collapsing of the distinction between high culture and mass or popular culture, and between
art and everyday life. It is also emphasizes pluralism and relativism and rejects any certain
belief and absolute value; it conflicts with essentialism, and considers human identity to be a
social construct; it rejects the idea that values are based on. Accordingly, postmodern thought
is broadly characterized by tendencies to self-consciousness, self-preferentiality,
epistemological and moral relativism, pluralism and irreverence. Postmodernism is often
associated with schools of thought such as deconstruction, post-structuralism and institutional
critique, as well as philosophers such as Jean Franqios Lyotard, Fredick Jameson.
Many postmodernists hold one or more of the following views: (1) there is no objective
reality; (2) there is no scientific or historical truth (objective truth); (3) science and technology
(and even reason and logic) are not vehicles of human progress but suspect instruments of
established power; (4) reason and logic are not universal valid. (5) There is no such thing as
human nature/behavior which socially determined or constructed. (6) Language does not refer
to a reality outside itself (7) there is no certain knowledge, and (8) no general theory of the
natural or social world can be valid or true.

NEW HERMENEUTICS

Preaching is becoming more responsive to the crises in human society. The concerns of
ecological environment, the increasing ideological of today, the economic imbalances among
people and nations, these and other issues will demand the attention of the responsible
preachers. Our churches need the help of the preachers in thinking through these and other
issues from a theological point of view. Any preaching that does not pay attention to the
current social problems will be seen as irrelevant. There is renewed emphasis very rightly on the
role of hermeneutics in preaching. The followings are some of the modern perspectives of
interpretation.

a) Social issues of the society: The word of God in relation to the issues of the society is
seen as the word of justice. While the world is awakening to the need for human liberation,
equality and justice, preachers have become increasingly aware of oppression as the
fundamental condition to which all preaching must be addressed. There is renewed concern for
social issues in preaching and is called liberative sermon. Though Christian preaching has always
been concerned with social conditions, it has tended until the present century to present those
conditions as issues of personal morality and thus aimed at changing persons rather than
structures and institutions. A whole new era started in 1960s with the Civil Right movement, the
student movement, the women‘s rights movement, and the war on poverty, to focus on the social
perspective of the gospel. Social activism became the criterion by which many congregations or
their clergy assesses the seriousness of their Christian commitment. This gave rise to a new
homiletical genre ―the prophetic sermon‖. The preachers began to draw on the words and
example of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible and also on Jesus. The prophetic medium is seen
as a powerful tool for social changes and occur wherever liberation theology exercise influence.
Though the category of liberation should be applicable to all preaching that aims to
liberate its hearers from the bondage of sin, the name liberation preaching is reserved for
preaching informed by the various theologies of liberation like Latin American Liberation
Theology, Black Theology, Minjung Theology, Faminist Theology, Dalit Theology etc. The main
feature of the liberation preaching is not its content but its hermeneutics. Liberation preaching
is not preaching about liberation but preaching that approaches its hermeneutical and
homiletical tasks from a perspective of liberation.
Since liberation preaching is not about liberation, but rather about gospel as a liberating
power, it deals with all the traditional themes of Christian preaching from liberation
perspective which varies according to the situation in which the preacher stands and the
congregation he/she represents. Liberation preaching has the poor and the marginalized, and
the traditionally oppressed people as the common denominator. As a result, liberation preaching
seeks to recognize the political dimensions present in the Bible. The Bible is seen as the record
of the liberating activity of God and also as call to join God in that process. From this
perspective the Bible is considered to be a historical narrative that provides inspiration and the
direction for the present day commitment to liberation.
This approach leads to typological interpretation in which themes like creation, the
exodus, the exile, the incarnation and the Pentecost play a major role. The issues of the society
become the issues of the church so that the church can offer a theological solution. And
preaching can play a vital role in this theological articulation. For example: ecology and
environment. Preaching as witnessing has been rediscovered. Social implications of preaching
have been re-emphasized. A number of books have been written on this current interpretation
of the Bible for preaching.
b) Cultural issues of life and work: Henry Mitchell persuasively demonstrates that Black
culture and preaching style are vital for the empowerment of Black congregations and have
much to offer the preaching method of all preachers. By focusing on the use of story-telling,
imagination and style of preaching rooted in Black culture; Mitchell spotlights techniques for
lively preaching. Our own situation and theological reflection on the question of dalits and tribal,
etc are raising similar issues in preaching and practice of the church. The whole issue of the
Indian church either foreign or Indians in outlook and expression in very strongly debated in
theological circles. It is yet to take its footings in the churches Indian church truly becoming
India in its worship. Proclamation and confessional patterns is still a dream to be fulfilled.

c) Preaching in pluralist Society: There are at least three outstanding positions in the
churches with regard to preaching can be historically traced so as to define the word in the
world. They are:
1. An exclusive position: During and after missionary times Christianity has been considered
as the only true religion and other religions are false. Therefore, the people other than
Christians were to be converted to Christianity. This position was strengthened and
perpetuated by Christian preaching inspired by texts like John 14:6, Acts 4:12, etc. This
theology of preaching continues in the church through evangelistic and revival meeting as
 well as much of the Christian literatures. This is the predominant position of the church
on the whole in India today.
2. An inclusive position: As missionary movement spread and colonial powers came in close
contact with other religions and cultures, they realized that the other religions are all
not false but they do have certain values. But they are human made and therefore natural
religions. They are only preparations for Christianity. Christ is unique and whatever good,
true and beautiful in all cultures and religions belong to Christ. This kind of inclusive
phase continues in the church though on a small scale. Through Christian preaching and
writings quite a few Christians take this position.
3. A pluralist position: The time has come to recognize the plurality of religions and
cultures. Other religions are seen also containing the revelation of God. Other religions
are accepted as ways of salvation. This is the new stage of dialogue and mutual learning
and sharing of religious experiences. Mission is in two ways: preaching as well as listening,
teaching as well as learning. We have not yet grasped the length and depth and breadth
and height of the gospel.. We need to discover more about Jesus Christ and God from
others. This position is debated in theological circles, but yet to take off in Christian
preaching. We need now a new theology of preaching, a new hermeneutic for
interpretation and a new homiletic for preaching with emphasis on building communities of
love and justice, tp face challenges of life here and now collectively and responsibly.
The question is how this can be done? Precisely here we need to talk about our common quest
for creative preaching. What are our resources for renewal of good Christian preaching? How
can we transform our traditional preaching into a more dynamic and creative moment? All these
questions call for a new exercise in homiletics. This is a quest for now.

Conclusion: We face a changing situation as far as sermon preparation and delivery is

concerned. The pressures of the contemporary parish life, biblical illiteracy and a biblical
exegetical model which is more at home in the society of biblical literature than in the local
church seem to frustrate proper preparation for preaching. David Buttrick suggests that we
move to an evangelical age, meaning that we converse with the secular world, from psychological
personalism to social consciousness.

Basic Principles of Interpretation.

Hermeneutics may be defined as the investigation and determination of the rules and principles
which guide the interpretation of scripture. In the understanding of Gerhard Ebeling,
hermeneutic constitutes the task of translating the message of the scripture into the world for
today. Therefore, hermeneutics is basic to any understanding of scripture which seeks to
seriously understand the message of the scriptural writers in the light of our present situation.
Indeed, Hermeneutics is basic to Christian theology and the life and work and mission of the
church. The important thing here is to understand the art of interpretation. Here are some of
the principles of interpretation according to D.J. Adam.
1. Objective Interpretation: To be objective means to approach scripture from various
backgrounds: from the level of education, theological traditions, personal experiences, cultures,
languages and so on. Whenever we read a passage of scripture we understand and interpret that
passage on the basis of the presuppositions that have already been formed, of which we are
probably unaware on a conscious level.
2. Psychological Interpretation: It has been said that all our experiences, known and
unknown, conscious and unconscious, are stored in our minds as a kind of ‗memory bank‘.
Whenever we experience something we go through a mental process by which we pull out of our
memory bank a meaning previously learned, which would fit the experience. In this way there
can be various types of interpretation. Hardly two can interpret the scripture exactly in the
same way.
3. Philosophical Interpretation: The Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd observed that
everyone, no matter what philosophical position, begins with a certain faith-assumption upon
which he/she builds his philosophical system. Dooyeweerd calls it the ‗transcendental critique of
theoretical thought‘. This faith assumption cannot be proven by logic or reason; it is a given
which we accept and upon which we then build. The task of hermeneutics is to determine what
these faith assumptions are and to, as far as possible, raise questions as to their validity.
Dooyeweerd listed what he called the ‗sphere of reality‘ eg: Pietic=faith, ethical=love and
morality, aesthetic=beauty or harmony and so on. He believed that the way in which these
aspects have interacted in the individual‘s life would also have a profound influence upon how
one interprets scripture.
4. Sociological Interpretation: Sociologically there are many influences which can and do
influence how one interprets scripture. A reader or listener can be influenced by his sociological
conditions, which make the meaning of the scripture quite different from what the interpreter
or speaker intended. This is the problem of hermeneutics.
Cultural Interpretation: Culture is the vital means of interpreting the scripture. For instance,
OT was built upon the Hebrew traditions and the NT upon the categories of Greek philosophies
and thought forms. The culture of middle ages, the Enlightenment that changed Western
European culture had influenced the interpretation of scripture and made it more complex. As
Christian theology is almost totally influenced by Western culture, Indian culture now calls for
hermeneutic distinct from the West. In the same manner, Asian hermeneutic has been
advocated by a number of scholars.
These are the reasons why interpretation of the scripture is far from simple. There are a
number of theories and principles suggested by various theologians, which contribute to
hermeneutic understanding of the scripture. Zacharious Mattam advocated traditional,
historical, literary and contemporary conditions as criteria for interpreting the scripture. David
Buttrick claimed that ‗communal consciousness‘‘ is the basis for interpreting the scripture on
the ground that everything in the scripture is written to a faith-community. Preaching either
short or long, from the scripture is/are therefore never takes place in vacuum but within a
particular context.