The very expression of worship is shaped by the culture that shapes those who worship. Every person inherits styles of language and music, conventions of communication and greeting, and patterns of thinking and feeling from the culture in which he or she lives. These are inevitably reflected in countless ways in worship: The style of language of hymns and prayers, the ways worshipers greet each other or pass the peace, and the types of physical expression deemed appropriate are all shaped by...
Although the challenge of swiftly changing cultures is especially characteristic of recent years, the cultural adaptation of Christian worship has a long and fascinating history. This article identifies many of the most important adaptations of worship through the early history of the church.
One of the most significant developments in Roman Catholic worship in the twentieth century has been the increasing sensitivity to the cultural setting in which worship is offered. The landmark decision of the Second Vatican Council, which called for all worship to be offered in the vernacular language, is only one example of important developments in the process of liturgical inculturation. This article describes the process, concentrating on the important decisions of the Second Vatican Council.
The following article introduces the reader to four different approaches to liturgical inculturation and to the variety of scholarly disciplines that can aid liturgists in thinking about the relationship between worship and culture.
Roman Catholic liturgical inculturation begins with the texts that are approved for use in Catholic parishes around the world. Liturgists are charged with discerning how those texts and related ritual practices may be appropriately expressed in various cultural settings. Key issues include the translation of liturgical texts and the development of indigenous arts, music, vestments, and gestures.
The following essay situates the issue of liturgical inculturation in terms of the larger question of the relationship between the church and culture, attempting to highlight both the inevitable shaping of the church by its cultural environment and the important mission of the church to work for the transformation of culture. Unlike some recent Roman Catholic approaches to inculturation, which often begin by discussing how the text of the liturgy should be adapted to a given cultural situation, this essay describes a framework in which all aspects of worship can be considered in their cultural context.