Summary of the Pentecost 2023 issue of Doxology.
Founded in 1984, Doxology: a journal of worship and the sacramental life is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of liturgical scholarship bridging academic and church communities. It is published by the Order of Saint Luke, a dispersed ecumenical religious order founded by Methodists. The Order currently includes United Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Baptists, members of Holiness movement churches, and many others. Doxology publishes work by established and emerging liturgical scholars to address historical, theological, and cultural questions about Christian worship and the sacramental life.
ARTICLES
Inclusive Liturgy
Chris Brouillard-Coyle
Liturgy provides meaningful opportunities for diverse individuals to come together to embody their faith through rituals. Each participant brings their own life experiences and understanding of what it means to engage in the practices of faith to the liturgical rite. Yet, historically, most liturgical resources are heavily influenced by the theology and practices of cisgender, heterosexual, white, Western, males. Can it be assumed that these perspectives are monolithic, that the experiences of these men consistently capture the needs and experiences of all other participants? What happens when intersectional theology is used to critique liturgical resources?
This article draws from conversations with advocates in the Diocese of Huron, Anglican Church of Canada, and literature on liturgy from around the world to critique available liturgical resources from an intersectional and inclusive lens. Looking specifically at appointed scriptures, available music, prevalent symbols, and resources for rituals and prayers, questions are raised about what stories are being conveyed and how these might impact the diverse individuals who do or may participate in liturgy.
Recognising that there is no one voice that can speak for all, this article invites ongoing critical engagement of resources in support of the ideal of inclusion which is defined as the ability to say: “Welcome! You belong here. We will make space for you to share your gifts as you choose because we know we are better because you are here.”
Throwback Theology Column: Introduction to Behold The Spirit
Alan Watts
“It is all too clear that our age suffers from a vast hunger and impoverishment of the spirit which the organized Christian religion, as we know it, rarely satisfies… with some very few and scattered exceptions Church religion is spiritual dead, and the best minds of the Church admit and deplore it openly. This is so obvious that there is no need to stress it except as a starting point for constructive discussion.”
This excerpt, taken from the first edition (1947) of the now classic philosophical text by Alan Watts, might seem to be leaning in an uncomfortable direction for those of us committed to a renewal of the church through worship and the sacramental life. It was written just one year, in fact, after the founding of the Order of Saint Luke. Yet Watts has much to say, even about liturgy, which could resonate strongly and positively with liturgical leaders in today’s church some seventy-five years later.
POETRY
“Sestina Against the Colonizers”
Daniel Klawitter, OSL
HYMNS
“Prayer for Healing”
Text by Linda Bonney Olin, Music by Jared Bernotski
“I Sing Your Soul Into Heaven”
Text by Linda Bonney Olin, Music by Jared Bernotski
BOOK REVIEWS
Imagination in an Age of Crisis: Soundings from the Arts and Theology
Heather Josselyn-Cranson, OSL
Living Under Water: Baptism as a Way of Life
John Brittain, OSL
Sermons That Sing: Music and the Practice of Preaching
Michelle Whitlock