Must Liturgy Adapt to Culture or vice versa Essay

Must sacrament of the Eucharist Adapt to Culture or vice versa - examine ExampleIt would seem that the trend in the liturgical changes apexs to an adaptation to the peoples way of life or finale. In the light of an increasing secularisation of society, the question begs Must sacrament of the Eucharist adapt to culture, or vice versa? The Essence of Liturgy One essential rest upon the definitions of liturgy and culture to be open to take a handle on this question. The word liturgy comes from the Greek word liturgia which signifies an act of semipublic service done for the community. From a Christian point of view , and particularly Anglicans, as explained in the Guiding Principles of Christian Worship, liturgy has come to be known as the work of the people of God, or their public obligation to give God thanks and adoration. It is very important to establish the relevance at this early of the six guiding principles of Christian worship as contained in the Book of Common Prayer. These argon, one, that the holy place Scripture must be the foundation and the basic content of all Christian worship two, that tradition must be carefully respected three, that the language in edification must be relevant to and understood by the congregation four, that ceremonies need not be identical across cultures but must not also contradict Scripture or the Creeds five, that the words and the liturgies should seek ecumenical convergence with the Universal Church, and six, that these words and forms of the liturgies must maintain continuity with the Churchs historic tradition, while giving way to creativity and innovation in response to societal change. Liturgy then is the vehicle for the peoples expression of their faith. In the exegesis of the six principles, it is said that in finding such expression, nothing must contradict the Holy Scriptures, it being the foundation of worship. Such deference includes the use of words, concepts and images. It is also said that in the p rocess of expressing faith, tradition must be respected and preserved as close as possible to when it transpired as indicated in the Holy Scriptures. One can see where Fr. Kavanagh is coming from. The admonition to adapt culture to liturgy has all its foundation rested on the guiding principles but reflects a growing fear of the consequences of the reverse happening. Torevell (2004) observes that liturgy is becoming less universal and the reason he cites is that people no longer have that creative and restorative sense of rite but rather look at liturgy as a stable act of repetition. The Essence of Culture Culture, according to Davey (2012), is a framework of behavioural patterns, values and experiences shared within and by a social group. It is the order of life in which human beings construct meanings through practices of symbolic representations, according to Inda and Ronello (2008). Samovar (2009, pp.144-146) define it as a set of social rules that domiciliate the framework an d meaning to events, objects and people, to make sense of the surroundings and lessen the uncertainty about the environment. It provides a sense of identity, of self, of belonging. It is learned, transmitted via generations and acquired through interactions, observation, and imitation from art, proverbs, history, teachers, parents, books and media. It is symbolic and its symbols are used exclusively by the group. It is about the groups standards, their beliefs, their traditions, their habits, their peculiar way of living their lives or understanding