Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical [Hardcover]

Frank C. Senn (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 747 pages
• Publisher: Fortress Pr (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800627261
• ISBN-13: 978-0800627263
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Senn will rapidly become the standard for the field., September 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical (Hardcover)

Phrases such as "exhaustively researched," "brilliantly argued," and "magisterial treatment" are overused. Nevertheless, these phrases are simply descriptive of Senn's CHRISTIAN LITURGY.

Senn presents chapters on "The Repertoire of Rites" (informed by, but not merely a re-hash of, Eliade and Douglas) and "The Incarnational Reality of Christian Liturgy." Part One: "From Meal to Mass" takes us up to the Late Middle Ages in about 260 pages, with some excellent insights into Syrian, Alexandrian, Roman/North African, Gallican/Mozarabic, and other rites. Part Two: "Reformation Liturgical Traditions" gives greatest attention to Lutheran liturgical development in the 16th century, though Senn does provide useful material on Unitas Fratrum, Anabaptists, Reformed Liturgy, the Anglicans, and the Catholic Reformation. Part Three: "Liturgical Loss, Retrieval, and Renewal" brings us up to the present, including "The Feminist Critique" and "Reaching the Unchurched." The book ends with an Epilogue on Postmodern Liturgy. Fortunately, the Epilogue is a detailed treatment and not just a few pages of vague rhetoric (which more often than not marks epilogues these days).

The Bibliography is extensive (almost 30 pages) and is divided into a variety of topics--historical, theological and theoretical. The Indices are also usefully divided, into Subject, Persons, Biblical References and the various orders and rites.

Senn's focus on liturgy is not exclusive. He does not describe a cloistered people separated from the world in which they are housed.

Throughout we find clear implications for ecclesiology, mission,evangelism, and outreach.

This goes on the shelf right next to Dom Gregory Dix's THE SHAPE OF THE LITURGY, some parts of which have now been eclipsed by Senn.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough critical analysis of the history of liturgy, January 27, 2006

By 

Matthew Gunia (Justice, Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical (Hardcover)

Frank Senn is greatly qualified to write this book on the history of Chrisitan worship. Currently serving as the pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Evanston, Illinois, he had served as a professor at the Lutheran School of Theology (Chicago) and lectured at Seminex and the University of Chicago. This book is an attempt to tackle a huge topic: the history of worship that is both "catholic" (with an awareness with their connection with the whole Church through the ages--usually through the historic liturgy) and "evangelical" (applying this historic liturgy in a modern way, with an eye toward contemporary needs and even the unbeliever). He thus places his focus on the liturgies of the Roman Catholics, Anglicans/Episcopalians, Lutherans, United Church of Christ, and Methodists. Modern a-ligurgical worship, Eastern Orthodox worship, and informal Calvanist worship is only touched upon briefly.

This 700+ page book was difficult for this reader. The first major division (Worship from c.30 AD to the Reformation) was covered at lightning-speed so that I found it difficult to "keep up" with Senn; the second major division (the Reformation) was just the opposite--really, really slow; the final major division (Reformation to the present) was by far the most enjoyable section of this book.

"Christian Liturgy" definately requires a substantial degree of prior liturgical knowledge and church history. German and Latin abound in this book; historical churchmen are referenced frequently; and technical jargon is employed liberally. In between these things are brilliant summeries and insightful critical analysis of both theology and liturgy. He also effectively balances the "what happened" and the "so what? Why should I care." Senn shows that both the pastor and church-goer should care a great deal about the historical development of the liturgy.

By far, his best section (especially from the "so what?" standpoint) is his third section (Reformation to present). He covers the rapidly-changing-yet-rapidly-growing-together liturgical movements and explains why the various denominations worship as they do. His epilogue on worship in a postmodern era was excellent and has influenced the way I think about modern free-form liturgy.

In sum, this book is recommended for professionals (pastors, professors) who have an interest in the historical development of the "historic Western liturgy." If you don't have the linguistic or historic background knowledge, don't let this book intimidate you, it would be worth it to take your time and work through the book--it will enhance your worship and your appreciation for liturgical worship.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A monumental work, June 13, 2003

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical (Hardcover)

When I say that Frank Senn's book 'Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical' is a monumental work, that description takes several dimensions. The book itself is very large (nearing 800 pages) and covers virtually all aspects of worship practises in Christianity from the earliest beginnings to the present innovations and continuing reformations/reconstructions both in denominational senses and a broader, more ecumenical sense.

Do not be deceived by the subtitle Catholic and Evangelical -- these words have specific meanings that go beyond denominational or sectarian confines. In a sense, every Christian group or denomination strives to be catholic, universal. 'Liturgy that is catholic is that which serves the public proclamation of the gospel in word and sacraments as celebrated by the whole people of God in Christ Jesus.... With or without bishops, the Churches of the Reformation (Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican) were also concerned with catholicity. They embraced whole peoples of territories and nations in established or state churches, and in that sense, they were not sects.... Liturgy that is catholic is that which expresses the faith and way of life (i.e., culture) of a whole people, but within an ecumenical shape by which it maintains a sense of continuity with catholic churches of other times and places.'

In another sense, every Christian group or denomination strives to be evangelical, outreaching and proclaiming. 'The evangelical content of liturgy has served sometimes as a corrective of the catholic tendency to root liturgy in the culture of a people. Words and ceremonies derived from indigenous cultures are not always shorn of their heathen connotations.'

The first section, The Prolegomena, covers aspects of the rituals in Christian worship in terms of theology, philosophy, and symbolic meaning. The roles of symbols and rituals, the roles of myth and music are explored as an underpinning for all subsequent specific discussions.

Senn early in the writing confesses the inadequacy of this or any book to encompass with equal emphasis the performance of liturgy in every time and place. Given the wide variance in history, geography, and denominational/confessional group, the history of liturgy is vast and diverse. Giving a nod to other recent scholarly efforts at liturgical development (The Study of Liturgy by Oxford Press, Dix's The Shape of the Liturgy, et al.), Senn nonetheless argues that this volume is a valuable contribution because of the breadth of coverage both historically and geographically.

In this book one can see the early developments in the eastern church come alive once more in modern liturgical 'innovation'; compare and contrast Reformation liturgies from Scandanavia and Germanic regions with the more Roman Catholic Mediterranean regions, with the more static eastern orthodox liturgies struggling to remain faithful in territories dominated not by other denominations but by other religions.

This is great resource for scholars and for those looking for liturgical ideas and innovations. The final chapters, which include social considerations to be included in liturgical development, including how to reach the 'unchurched', can be particularly useful. The Indices are arranged by Subject, Persons, and Biblical References and Documents. There is an extensive bibliography for further research and reading.

Useful for reading or for research, Senn's book is a valuable resource for anyone concerned for the art of liturgy.