Worship and Christian Formation

Catalog description

Theological tradition suggests that human life is expressed and claimed most fully in and through the praise and worship of God. Such a claim, often overlooked by educators and pastors, suggests that Christian liturgy is a critical context for considering issues of education and formation in communities of faith. This course explores how the patterned 'holy things' of worship (book, bath, table and calendar) may enact persons into storied identity. It considers how worship offers a curriculum and embodied pedagogy for Christian life. It also examines why the aesthetic 'language' of liturgy—symbol, metaphor, ritual action and music—remains an especially effective medium for connecting human beings with grace-filled mystery and or accomplishing transformation in human lives.