Example of a “Postmodern” liturgy?

Rachel Parkinson recently completed a survey of the worship styles of congregations in the Hyde Park area of Leeds as part of her training for the Methodist Ministry. Below is some of what she had to say about the worship at All Hallows.

“Let me summarize some of the key characteristics of this new postmodern world in which we live. It is a world in which people now reject truth claims which are expressed in the form of a dogma or absolutes. It is a world in which dignity is granted to emotions and intuition, and where people are accustomed to communicating through words linked to images and symbols rather than through plain words of simple statements. It is a world in which people have come to feel a close affinity with the environment, and where there is a strong sense of global unity. … And perhaps most importantly of all, it is a world in which the spiritual dimension is once again talked about with great ease.” (Tomlinson, The Post Evangelical, 140)

Of the churches studied, it is All Hallows which appears most clearly at home in a postmodern culture. It may be instructive to note how its liturgy reflects postmodernity as characterised by Tomlinson above.

The most obvious liturgical juncture at which it appears that dogmatic or absolute truth claims are being made is the point at which the people affirm their faith. It is customary in most churches to use one of the creeds, or an alternative authorized affirmation of faith. The liturgy at All Hallows frequently employs alternative forms of affirmation, often arising from Christian poetry or hymnody. This is an important signifier that the All Hallows community has a different understanding from many churches of the nature of the truth it proclaims. It displays what Gallagher calls a “new, epistemological humility” which can be characteristic of postmodernity and which has the potential to open doors to faith.

At All Hallows, the truth proclaimed is to be journeyed towards rather than captured. The aim is to catch a vision of Jesus rather than to be able to make propositional statements about who he is. “Truth” is more often conveyed through motif and story rather than through doctrinal statements.

Strong motifs in liturgies are the redemption of violence and the desire for forgiveness and healing. The Eucharistic practice is built upon the parable of the great banquet, which is a foundational story for the community. This is used not to deny but to supplement the story of the Last Supper. It is of note that other “stories” are also brought within the Eucharistic circle formed by the congregation around the altar. The faith stories of the other world religions and the story of the environment and its destruction are welcomed for the wisdom they bring. This is typically postmodern.

The liturgical space created within All Hallows consciously aims to be a place where people’s feelings are accepted. In this, it has been influenced not only by postmodernity but also by the culture of the therapeutic communities. The “informal formality” creates a relaxing atmosphere. Opportunities are provided for people to attempt to name their religious experience, and a healing ministry is exercised during intercessory prayer on a monthly basis. It is a space in which both gay and lesbian Christians find affirmation.

There is, within the liturgy, a culture of spirituality in which image, music and symbol all play a part. The power of symbols such as anointing with oil and the laying on of hands is recognised and utilised.

In these and many other ways, the liturgy of All Hallows bears the hallmarks of the postmodernity Tomlinson describes. Yet, in an important departure from the postmodern approach, the liturgy recognises a clear boundary. That boundary is the structure of the Eucharistic service as enshrined within the tradition of the Western Church. Thus every main service of worship at All Hallows on a Sunday will be recognisably shaped as a Christian Eucharist, containing a gathering, confession and absolution, proclamation of and response to the word of God, etc. In this sense, All Hallows is a very traditional liturgical community because it has a strong sense of the importance of the liturgy and believes in the power contained within its structure.

This sense of being located within the Christian tradition is what saves churches like All Hallows who dialogue with postmodern culture from its most lethal aspect — the postmodern form of relativism which seeks to undermine all truth claims. Without such an anchor, it is easy to imagine that a truly postmodern inculturation of liturgy might rapidly evolve in such a way that it ceased to be definitively Christian.

Rachel Parkinson is a Methodist Student Minister, training part-time on the Northern Ordination Course, and living and working in Leeds.

This page was last updated on Saturday, 07 May 2005

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