In Beyond Ritual, Siobhan Garrigan uses Habermas's theory of communicative action to suggest two things: first, a method by which theology can access the ritual symbols by which faith is formed; and secondly a metaphor of intersubjectivity with which theology can propose an interpretative, rather than an instrumental, understanding of sacramentality - and thus of God.A Through fieldwork studies of both 'marginal' and 'mainstream' Christian Eucharists, Garrigan develops the conversation between Habermas's philosophy and Christian theology, showing how ritual interactions form, and challenge, our very idea of God.A

To almost everybodys great relief, the Good Friday Agreement resulted in the cessation of the paramilitary violence that had ravaged Northern Ireland for so long. However, it barely impacted a key underlying factor in that conflict: prejudice and animosity between Protestants and Catholics. This book argues that what Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland need now is a peace process that changes the hearts and mindsand not merely the civic structuresof their inhabitants. Toward this goal, The Real Peace Process shows how Christian worship can be caught up in sectarianism, and yet how it also offers a location in which sectarian ways can be challenged and transformed. Based on extensive fieldwork in Protestant and Catholic churches across the whole island, The Real Peace Process shows how worship practices that Irish and British Christians usually think of as benign can be implicated in wider cultural sectarian norms. By examining the spatial, verbal, symbolic, musical and interpersonal aspects of everyday worship services, Garrigan first sketches a liturgical anthropology and then proceeds to propose critical and constructive means by which ordinary congregations in the Republic and Northern Ireland can use their Sunday morning ritualizing to help them move beyond sectarianism.

To almost everybodys great relief, the Good Friday Agreement resulted in the cessation of the paramilitary violence that had ravaged Northern Ireland for so long. However, it barely impacted a key underlying factor in that conflict: prejudice and animosity between Protestants and Catholics. This book argues that what Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland need now is a peace process that changes the hearts and mindsand not merely the civic structuresof their inhabitants. Toward this goal, The Real Peace Process shows how Christian worship can be caught up in sectarianism, and yet how it also offers a location in which sectarian ways can be challenged and transformed. Based on extensive fieldwork in Protestant and Catholic churches across the whole island, The Real Peace Process shows how worship practices that Irish and British Christians usually think of as benign can be implicated in wider cultural sectarian norms. By examining the spatial, verbal, symbolic, musical and interpersonal aspects of everyday worship services, Garrigan first sketches a liturgical anthropology and then proceeds to propose critical and constructive means by which ordinary congregations in the Republic and Northern Ireland can use their Sunday morning ritualizing to help them move beyond sectarianism.

In Beyond Ritual, Siobhan Garrigan uses Habermas's theory of communicative action to suggest two things: first, a method by which theology can access the ritual symbols by which faith is formed; and secondly a metaphor of intersubjectivity with which theology can propose an interpretative, rather than an instrumental, understanding of sacramentality - and thus of God.A Through fieldwork studies of both 'marginal' and 'mainstream' Christian Eucharists, Garrigan develops the conversation between Habermas's philosophy and Christian theology, showing how ritual interactions form, and challenge, our very idea of God.A

What is the place of corporate worship in theological education? Certainly it is not unexpected to have ministry students attending seminary chapel, but what are the expectations for the students who attend chapel? Is it to form their liturgical sensibilities into conformity with a particular worship tradition or style? Or is it to provide a safe place to try things that one would be reluctant to experiment with in congregational worship? Although common worship for ministry students is almost a given in all theological schools, there are few common understandings about it goals and purposes.Common Worship in Theological Education is the first book to address the theological, pedagogical, and political issues involved in the planning and execution of seminary chapel. It offers voices from across the theological and ecumenical spectrum about chapel, as well as involving multiple disciplines in the conversation. This volume provides the first comprehensive survey of the worship issues at stake in seminary education today. The essays in this collection provide the foundation for a productive conversation within a seminary faculty or among colleagues within a theological discipline. This volume makes the case that the chapel ought to have a seat at the table when the education mission of a theological school is being discussed. So pull up a chair and prepare for a fascinating conversation.