This article analyzes Theodore the Studite's "iconic" Christology and ecclesi-ology. It pursues this study by indicating how, under the pressures of com-bating iconoclastic thought, his understanding of Christ and of the very nature of the church was influenced by his thought on images and their representative power. The unifying theme between these domains of Christology and ecclesiology is proper memory of Christ and the salvific role of that memory in the church's life. With respect to Christology, Theodore's iconology implies that something is lacking in the historical incarnation-namely, the presence Christ's visible flesh after the ascension-that can only be remedied by image-making of Christ's life. With regard to ecclesiology, this absence of the visible flesh of Christ makes possible and also impera-tive that believers themselves fill up this lack through artistic representa-tions of Christ's savings economy. This importance of memory in Theodore's conception of both incarnation and church means that we can retrieve his iconology today by making ever present the memory of God's saving deeds as that Spirit-inspired meaning which we, as producers and users of holy images, must bring to our every encounter with sacred art.
This article investigates the Byzantine rite for the consecration of a church, and specifically, the moment in which the altar is anointed with oil with prayer. It discusses the widespread view that this rite parallels the anointing of a person in the baptismal rites of initiation. Taking stock of evidence from liturgical texts and commentaries from Byzantine and non-Byzantine and pre-Byzantine sources, it argues that the connection between the anointing of the altar and the rites of Christian initiation should be located in the latter's blessing of the waters, rather than in the anointing of the person being initiated. Just as the baptismal waters are sanctified through prayer and anointing to serve for the subsequent baptismal rebirth of the new Christian, the altar is also consecrated by prayer and anointing for its sub-sequent use in the eucharistic liturgy, likewise "preparing" it for its transfor-mation into a suitable location for a place of sacramental action and divine presence.
This article takes as its point of departure the desire for "full, conscious, and active participation" of the laity in liturgical worship expressed in Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Second Vatican Council's constitution on the liturgy. It asks whether and how lay participation pertains to the Byzantine Rite, particularly in Slavic churches. Engaging with medieval and modern liturgical sources, it demonstrates that lay participation in the liturgy was robust only in certain times and places in the history of the Byzantine Rite, especially with regard to congregational singing or saying of liturgical responses. However, despite these examples and authoritative written injunctions for lay participation sprinkled throughout the tradition, the Byzantine Rite historically demonstrates a stronger tendency toward indifference to the issue, especially for women and girls. The article concludes by stressing the importance of lay participation in liturgical worship today, and lamenting the relative lack of interest in the issue among Byzantine Rite (Orthodox) believers.
This essay introduces the eucharistic approach in ecclesiology by discussing common misconceptions about its origin, main principles, and status as "Eastern." It shows that royal priesthood constitutes the central idea of eucharistic ecclesiology as it was formulated by Nicolas Afanasiev as an attempt to formulate the dominant ecclesiology of the early church. It points out that this idea has remarkable similarities with the central theme of the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium-SC)-the notion of active participation of all bap-tized in the liturgy. The theoretical dominance of eucharistic approach in ecclesiology can be seen as a liturgical reorientation of both Orthodox and Catholic ecclesiologies which implies that how we see our liturgical partici-pation determines how we perceive the way-and the reason-to be the church. This reorientation was fruitful for ecumenical theology but has still untapped potential for further ecumenical convergence through pastoral changes in experience and awareness of the faithful of their role in liturgical celebration.
This article explores Anglican-Orthodox ecumenical dialogue through the lens of eucharistic theology, focusing specifically on the influential contributions of Alexander Schmemann and Kenneth Stevenson. It argues that Anglican and Orthodox traditions, despite historical and liturgical differences, converge profoundly around shared understandings of eucharistic offering, participation, and eschatological identity. By examining foundational documents from the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue-particularly the Moscow (1976) and Dublin (1984) Agreed Statements-the article identifies a theological trajectory emphasizing the Eucharist as ecclesial communion, sacrificial participation, and revelation of the Kingdom. I analyze Schmemann's The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom to demonstrate his vision of the liturgy as transformative participation in the heavenly Kingdom, while highlighting in Stevenson's Eucharist and Offering the historical significance and theological richness of sacrificial language and anaphoral intercession. The article concludes by suggesting that this theological convergence provides fertile ground not only for ongoing Anglican-Orthodox dialogue but also for deepening mutual ecclesial recognition, anchored in the eucharistic liturgy as a sacred act of offering and Kingdom manifestation.
Baptism in the Church of the Nicene era demanded much of neophytes. The newly baptized were required to renounce the devil, make firm and rigorous commitments to Christ, and adopt a radical new way of living. A sense of precarity permeated the Christian world. Life on earth is temporary, and Baptism made each Christian a citizen of God's kingdom. The task of committing to the life in Christ was urgent since a long life was not guaranteed. The Church of the twenty-first century has recently experienced a heightened sense of precarity in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and the crisis of multiple wars. Today's Church has an opportunity to retrieve the legacy of the Nicene-era Church by drawing from its baptismal theology to address the contemporary crisis of trauma.
This article explores bell ringing in Orthodox Christian practice, particularly in Slavic churches following the Byzantine Rite. Presenting a brief history of these bells, some of the rubrics for usage, and the development of particular forms of ringing, this essay focuses on how the bells participate in the iconic program of the church and are a means through which the church tells time, proclaiming the presence of God's realm. A particular pattern and combination of ringing, specified for Great and Holy Friday, provides a study for this focus. Engaging liturgical theology, history, and liturgical practice, and written from a participant-observer viewpoint, this essay provides an orientation to this unique form of church bell ringing and shows how the bells, as aural icons, participate in the proclamation of the gospel. The essay includes video demonstrations of this form of bell ringing and examples of more complex peals.
Responses to revivals, whether critical or celebratory, often reveal more about our own liturgical preferences than about the events themselves. While critical discernment remains vital, it must be tempered by humility and charity. Drawing on Augustine's reflections on praise, this essay invites readers to reflect on how their reactions to different expressions of worship might uncover deeper truths about their own posture toward God. Ultimately, revival can serve not only as an object of study but as an invitation to renewed self-examination and worship.
Utilizing the idea that Christian worship is a mingling of both divine and human agencies as the vantage point, this article explores how religious "revival" was understood as both a liturgical phenomenon and a technical term by participants in the First and Second Great Awakenings. A close examination of contemporaneous descriptions by these participants highlights recurring tensions, tendencies, and affirmations in how Western Christians have approached the wonder of worship generally. Investigating recent developments among Christian Nationalists shows some of the problems that can arise when a proper balance-and humility-in the mingling of agencies is not maintained.
This article examines how the principles from Pine and Gilmore's "The Experience Economy" are reflected in the worship practices of modern evangelical megachurches. It highlights how these churches craft engaging, emotionally rich experiences that draw in and keep attendees by addressing their emotional needs, but also cautions against overemphasizing human effort in worship and confusing emotional experiences with divine presence. It calls for a balanced theological perspective that acknowledges both divine action and human involvement in worship and suggests a deeper appreciation for the long-term, transformative work of the Holy Spirit.
In conversation with liturgical theology, disability theology, child liberation theology, and the educational model of Maria Montessori, this essay argues that revival in liturgical participation, especially participation by children, requires attention to the worship environment-including furniture, space design, and social norms and expectations around reverence and participation. Reviving participation in worship requires viewing children at every age as primary theologians. The essay concludes with some brief practical suggestions, drawn from Maria Montessori and the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, for preparing the environment for a revival of liturgical participation.
Trauma-informed worship can participate in God's revival of assemblies. This essay explores parallels between Charles Finney's revivals and trauma-informed practices. Finney's emphasis on spiritual renewal through conviction, repentance, and reformation shares similarities with some trauma-informed practices that foster authenticity, emotional engagement, and communal healing. At the same time, differences are also clear: while revival may arouse emotions to catalyze transformation, trauma-informed practices tend to settle the body to facilitate openness and healing. Although quite different in method from Finney's revivals, trauma-informed worship practices can also revive the church by acknowledging brokenness, nurturing connectivity, noticing God's movement, and settling bodies.
This article examines how nostalgia, revival, and liturgical song shape Christian subjectivity. Through analysis of YWAM Korea's Puhung: Revival (1997) album, historicization of Korean Protestant affinity for the 1907 Pyongyang Great Revival, and engagement with affect theory, the author elucidates the ways in which nostalgic revival in Korean Christianity orients worshipers' political desires around the singular futurity of North-South reunification. As such, this article prompts a consideration of liturgical leaders' responsibilities to steward memory and historical narrative in relation to global capitalism's emotional infrastructures.
The Azusa Street Revival of 1906 animated and profoundly impacted the religious landscape of the U.S. and abroad, uniting Christians in one of the most diverse worship movements of the twentieth century. Some eighty years after the height of the Revival, Elder Carlton D. Pearson started the Azusa Conference to unite believers across racial and denominational lines. Pearson helped establish a place for Pentecostalism, and specifically Black Pentecostalism, within the scope of Evangelicalism. His conferences offered complete, spirited worship experiences that resonated across racial, denominational, and generational lines. Pearson's work is a paradigm for present-day music and worship ministry leadership.
This article examines the Asbury Outpouring, a spontaneous Christian revival event, that took place on the campus of Asbury University in February 2023. A brief history of the Outpouring orients the reader before focus shifts to the practice of the "consecration room," a special room that worship leaders used during the Outpouring for spiritual and personal preparation. The article concludes with several lessons that can be gleaned from the consecration room for local churches of various denominations and styles.
Recent social preference for the priority of the individual over the community makes Christians ask how to make clear the historic and contemporary communal meaning of Christian language. Its meaning can be found in weekly participation at worship, where for example the biblical readings for Trinity Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary insert the baptized individual into the believing community.
This essay focuses attention on how liturgical participation forms faith, asking how the liturgy has shaped the worshipper into Christ over time in different modes. A shift has taken place from formation as cognitive knowledge (which may be confined to the individual) to the communal experience in liturgy. Looking carefully at the words "sacramentality," "symbol," and ontology," or the study of existence. In the end, sacramental participation shapes life in accordance with the paschal mystery which not only transforms the individual and the church community but the world.
In the same way that individuals create memories as members of a social group, worshipers in the liturgy are not present as isolated individuals but as part of the corporate ecclesial body that is participating together in the same experience. The protective function of tradition conserves the corporate memory so that it can be applied to new situations over time in response to ever-evolving historical circumstances. Historical distance is not an empty void between modern interpreters and the scripture text, but is imbued with the continuity of tradition, memory, and ritual, which influence the thoughts and understandings of contemporary worshipers. In each liturgical proclamation of scripture, tradition itself is both preserved and created, and the corporate memory continues to evolve.
