Christian Worship : 100,000 Sundays of Symbols and Rituals

by Ramshaw, Gail

• ISBN13: 9780800662332
• ISBN10: 0800662334
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-03-01
• Publisher: Fortress Pr

Summary

This unique textbook not only lays out the religious-studies framework of a contemporary understanding of worship, it also offers a full history of Christian worship in each historical period, including the American experience. In light of this history of experiences, Ramshaw finally addresses ongoing issues in our understanding of Christian Worship (gender, authority, ethics, skepticism) and places them into an explicitly cross-religious framework with Islam, Judaism, and other traditions.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Why study Christian worship?	p. 1
Initial definitions	p. 1
Reasons against the study of Christian worship	p. 2
Reasons for such study	p. 7
The intention and method of this textbook	p. 8
Suggestions	p. 12
An outline for writing a worship service report	p. 12
For further study	p. 13
What is a symbol?	p. 15
Defining and describing symbol	p. 15
An example: the tree of life	p. 20
Theories about the human tendency to symbolize	p. 21
Symbolic objects in Christian worship	p. 23
Symbolic persons in Christian worship	p. 26
Symbolic speech in Christian worship	p. 27
Suggestions	p. 30
For further study	p. 31
What is a ritual?	p. 33
Defining and describing ritual	p. 33
Examples of religious ritual	p. 37
Theories about the human tendency to ritualize	p. 40
Christian ritual time	p. 43
Christian ritual space	p. 46
Christian ritual gesture	p. 48
Suggestions	p. 50
For further study	p. 50
Which symbols and rituals have Christians used for 100,000 Sundays?	p. 51
Greco-Roman symbols	p. 51
Greco-Roman rituals	p. 54
Jewish symbols	p. 55
Jewish rituals	p. 59
Symbols associated with Jesus	p. 61
Rituals associated with Jesus	p. 63
The Sunday synthesis	p. 65
Suggestions	p. 67
For further study	p. 68
What comes down to us from 75,000 Sundays ago?	p. 69
Weekly symbols and rituals standardized	p. 69
Annual rituals inaugurated	p. 76
Buildings for Christian rituals erected	p. 79
Authority structures established	p. 83
Suggestions	p. 85
For further study	p. 85
What comes down to us from 50,000 Sundays ago?	p. 87
East versus West	p. 87
Symbols important for the Eastern Orthodox	p. 88
Rituals important for the Eastern Orthodox	p. 92
Symbols important for Roman Catholicism	p. 94
Rituals important for Roman Catholicism	p. 98
Creeping individualism	p. 102
Suggestions	p. 103
For further study	p. 104
What comes down to us from 25,000 Sundays ago?	p. 105
About Protestantism	p. 105
Symbols arising in the Protestant churches	p. 108
Rituals arising in the Protestant churches	p. 114
The onset of option	p. 118
Suggestions	p. 120
For further study	p. 121
What comes down to us from the last 10,000 Sundays?	p. 123
Two centuries of American life, more options	p. 123
Symbols developed among American worshipers	p. 126
Rituals developed among American worshipers	p. 129
Dormant symbols and rituals recovered	p. 136
Suggestions	p. 139
For further study	p. 140
What is baptism?	p. 143
Baptism on Sunday	p. 143
The essential symbol and ritual	p. 147
Additional baptismal symbols and rituals	p. 152
Contemporary considerations	p. 156
Suggestions	p. 158
For further study	p. 159
What Christian worship takes place between Sundays?	p. 161
Worshiping through each day	p. 161
Worshiping at the rites of passage	p. 167
Worshiping at occasional times and for specific needs	p. 174
Suggestions	p. 179
For further study	p. 180
How is Christian worship like or unlike the practices of other religions in America?	p. 181
Lumpers and splitters	p. 181
Symbols and rituals in Judaism	p. 183
Symbols and rituals in Islam	p. 187
Symbols and rituals in other religions	p. 190
Suggestions	p. 199
For further study	p. 199
How might Sunday worship affect daily life?	p. 201
A liturgical spirituality	p. 201
Gathering	p. 203
Word	p. 205
Meal	p. 208
Sending	p. 211
In conclusion	p. 214
Suggestions	p. 215
For further study	p. 215
Chronology toward American Christian worship	p. 217
Notes	p. 221
Acknowledgments	p. 231
Index	p. 233
About the Cover Artist	p. 239
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.