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Welcoming the Stranger: A Public Theology of Worship and Evangelism
An astute rethinking of theology and pastoral ministry that overcomes sentimental notions of hospitality.
184 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1992
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February 14, 2020
Hospitable - Vulnerable - Redemptive
The title of the book references "public," and throughout author talks about hospitality. Reminders of Israel's and the Church's essential call to welcome the stranger, to make a place for the sojourner at table and at worship weave throughout the book's chapters. Hospitality is a central biblical theme! Especially for any contemporary congregation wondering how to grow in depth and in numbers, hospitality, welcoming people into our midst, particularly strangers, those apparently not like us or simply people we don't know who outwardly *do* look a lot like us is a very contemporary topic. Despite our baptismal identity as brothers and sisters in Christ and as siblings of Jesus Christ, church as "family" in terms of everyday interaction, comprehensive knowledge of the other person, and routine, casual, supportive interactions doesn't really apply.
But the book title pairs up worship and evangelism, and though the copyright date is 1992, one of the typical church stereotypes remains that structured, liturgical worship is un-evangelical, not good news to strangers and newcomers who might wander into worship or think about attending a nearby church. Chapter 3 opens by asserting,"Good liturgical worship and effective evangelism belong together, despite the commonsense idea that they are incompatible." [page 37]
Talk about intimacy, safety and freedom is prominent throughout Patrick Keifert's argument that includes a fair amount of "how to be" and "how to do" suggestions for any local church in almost any geographic setting. The so-called intimate society in which people may attempt to interact with strangers as they do with biological family and other long-time associates whilst expecting an institution like the church to function as the type of family started disappearing a century ago and has receded even further into the background. Back in sociology, in history, and anthropology classes we often discussed the chaos, anomie, confusion, and disorientation that resulted from the industrial revolution and the onset of modernization.
Patrick articulates clearly the danger and threat of strangers and strangeness in our midst, whether it's our locally familiar fifth church on the nearby corner or halfway across the world. On page 88 he reminds us strangers can be threatening, dangerous and challenging on physical, emotional and spiritual levels. He is sensitive to and knowledgeable about the strangeness of worship settings and liturgical practices to people not conversant with Church.
Israel remembered itself as the stranger hosted by God just as the church knows itself—read page 59 with the heading "Israel's Worship and the Stranger." Page 60: "Though God was free to be present everywhere, God promised to be present in Israel's worship." —just as the Church knows God's promised presence in the means of grace... page 61: "If God's gift of self-presence is understood as substance, it is easy to imagine God presenting grace wrapped in a box—the liturgy—with our job to pry the box open in order to get the gift." Not only a new humanity, but also a new creation arose from Jesus the Christ's birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Early on Patrick reminds us that creating, not redeeming, is God's primal work and, in fact, we are redeemed in order to continue as co-creators and co-stewards with God in the Spirit.
Page 113, "I call for recognition that the presence of God is embodied in the stranger and in Christian hospitality to the stranger." Page 129: "...God's presence ... on behalf of and through the stranger."
Like any social scientist, Pat recognizes that rituals of every kind have logical structure and relations that actually make public life possible. Ritual actions and structures possess power to bind people together, to create community among unlikes and unequals. Analogous to style, training and expectations of sports teams for games played at home versus games played away from home, Patrick describes possibilities for Home Worship and Away from Home Worship, both of which are opps for evangelism, for sharing and further incarnating, embodying the gospeled good news. Page 120: "Probably because the situation in general is characterized by a distrust of ritual and a broken ritual tradition within and without the church, both ritual competence and ritual resourcefulness are so urgent."
Despite the copyright date of 1992, I recommend studying this book as a resource for living out our baptism "on behalf of the world, with the world as horizon."
Originally reviewed January 2010
The title of the book references "public," and throughout author talks about hospitality. Reminders of Israel's and the Church's essential call to welcome the stranger, to make a place for the sojourner at table and at worship weave throughout the book's chapters. Hospitality is a central biblical theme! Especially for any contemporary congregation wondering how to grow in depth and in numbers, hospitality, welcoming people into our midst, particularly strangers, those apparently not like us or simply people we don't know who outwardly *do* look a lot like us is a very contemporary topic. Despite our baptismal identity as brothers and sisters in Christ and as siblings of Jesus Christ, church as "family" in terms of everyday interaction, comprehensive knowledge of the other person, and routine, casual, supportive interactions doesn't really apply.
But the book title pairs up worship and evangelism, and though the copyright date is 1992, one of the typical church stereotypes remains that structured, liturgical worship is un-evangelical, not good news to strangers and newcomers who might wander into worship or think about attending a nearby church. Chapter 3 opens by asserting,"Good liturgical worship and effective evangelism belong together, despite the commonsense idea that they are incompatible." [page 37]
Talk about intimacy, safety and freedom is prominent throughout Patrick Keifert's argument that includes a fair amount of "how to be" and "how to do" suggestions for any local church in almost any geographic setting. The so-called intimate society in which people may attempt to interact with strangers as they do with biological family and other long-time associates whilst expecting an institution like the church to function as the type of family started disappearing a century ago and has receded even further into the background. Back in sociology, in history, and anthropology classes we often discussed the chaos, anomie, confusion, and disorientation that resulted from the industrial revolution and the onset of modernization.
Patrick articulates clearly the danger and threat of strangers and strangeness in our midst, whether it's our locally familiar fifth church on the nearby corner or halfway across the world. On page 88 he reminds us strangers can be threatening, dangerous and challenging on physical, emotional and spiritual levels. He is sensitive to and knowledgeable about the strangeness of worship settings and liturgical practices to people not conversant with Church.
Israel remembered itself as the stranger hosted by God just as the church knows itself—read page 59 with the heading "Israel's Worship and the Stranger." Page 60: "Though God was free to be present everywhere, God promised to be present in Israel's worship." —just as the Church knows God's promised presence in the means of grace... page 61: "If God's gift of self-presence is understood as substance, it is easy to imagine God presenting grace wrapped in a box—the liturgy—with our job to pry the box open in order to get the gift." Not only a new humanity, but also a new creation arose from Jesus the Christ's birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Early on Patrick reminds us that creating, not redeeming, is God's primal work and, in fact, we are redeemed in order to continue as co-creators and co-stewards with God in the Spirit.
Page 113, "I call for recognition that the presence of God is embodied in the stranger and in Christian hospitality to the stranger." Page 129: "...God's presence ... on behalf of and through the stranger."
Like any social scientist, Pat recognizes that rituals of every kind have logical structure and relations that actually make public life possible. Ritual actions and structures possess power to bind people together, to create community among unlikes and unequals. Analogous to style, training and expectations of sports teams for games played at home versus games played away from home, Patrick describes possibilities for Home Worship and Away from Home Worship, both of which are opps for evangelism, for sharing and further incarnating, embodying the gospeled good news. Page 120: "Probably because the situation in general is characterized by a distrust of ritual and a broken ritual tradition within and without the church, both ritual competence and ritual resourcefulness are so urgent."
Despite the copyright date of 1992, I recommend studying this book as a resource for living out our baptism "on behalf of the world, with the world as horizon."
Originally reviewed January 2010
December 13, 2024
The author, Patrick R. Keifert, taught systematic theology (more on that in a moment) at a Lutheran seminary at the time of publication. His stated purpose is to explore the “public character of Christian thought and life in a culture of pluralism.” When he uses the word “public” he is distinguishing Christian thought and life from the private, intimate aspects of Christian worship and life. I appreciated that Professor Keifert also takes into account that American Christian worship takes place in a “culture of pluralism.” American freedom of religion has this impact on how Christian worship is shaped. In Lutheran Germany, for example, Christian worship finds many Lutheran assumptions – the nation observed Pentecost and Ascension as holidays, for example.
From the title, “Welcoming the Stranger,: A Public Theology of Worship and Evangelism” Professor Keifert is declaring from the cover that this book will use the biblical metaphor of hospitality to the stranger to bring together two aspects of Christian life that are often considered separately: worship and evangelism. On the other hand, he points out that this is not a “how to” book on using worship to evangelize. Rather, in keeping with his seminary specialty, this is a work of “systematic theology,” a term used in theological education for teaching Christian doctrine – systematically organizing what the Bible says on a subject.
As a Lutheran and one who cherishes liturgical worship, I deeply appreciate Professor Keifert’s look at liturgical worship deployed within a mission-oriented strategy. He cites Carl George of the Fuller Institute for Church Growth in favor of the assertion that this can result in growth in mission.
It is important to clarify what is meant by showing hospitality to a stranger. It is less a matter of making the stranger feel at home (a common Western view of hospitality), and more a matter of opening one’s private world to the stranger. He also defines strangers broader than just “visitors to church.” The concept includes those within the church who are not part of the “inner circle.”
The above summary is from just the introduction to the book, but it gives the flavor of how the author dissects our practice so that our worship brings strangers into the light of the gospel. Note the chapter titles:
Introduction: Public Worship and the Stranger
1. Public Worship in an Intimate Society
2. Undercurrents of Individualism
3. Undercurrents and liturgical Renewal
4. The Stranger and the Self-Giving God
5. A Gospel-Centered Public Worship
6. Liturgical Evangelism
7. Ritual as Hospitality
8. Ritual Strategies
9. A Public Imagination
10. Planning Public Worship
Postcript: On the Road to Emmaus
The book is over 30 years old. In those years and especially since the COVID epidemic of 2020, worship has moved more to the private, intimate expression of religion which Professor Keifert warned against, and many are turning away from public corporate worship. Some of his observations may be more timely than ever. Although this is not a “how to” book, it is intended to shape our perceptions in helpful ways to include the stranger in our public worship. I didn’t read the book closely, and sometimes he puzzled me. He asserted that Old Testament temple worship is focused on the stranger, with the Lord being the host and all Israel being His guests. I personally don’t think that Old Testament worship worked well for evangelism, despite its clear message of the need every human has for a sacrifice for sin. He suggests that although the Old Testament sacrificial system has ended, the New Testament provides us with a new model of temple worship in Christ (especially Hebrews).
Written by a seminary professor, I would say that pastors are the chief audience for the concepts laid out in this book. However, since the public worship service continues to be the major contact point of the church for unbelievers and new believers, church members concerned about evangelism could benefit from this book. It should not be read as a condemnation of what your church does, but how you can open your life more fully to others at church to share what Christ has done, and what He continues to do for His people.
From the title, “Welcoming the Stranger,: A Public Theology of Worship and Evangelism” Professor Keifert is declaring from the cover that this book will use the biblical metaphor of hospitality to the stranger to bring together two aspects of Christian life that are often considered separately: worship and evangelism. On the other hand, he points out that this is not a “how to” book on using worship to evangelize. Rather, in keeping with his seminary specialty, this is a work of “systematic theology,” a term used in theological education for teaching Christian doctrine – systematically organizing what the Bible says on a subject.
As a Lutheran and one who cherishes liturgical worship, I deeply appreciate Professor Keifert’s look at liturgical worship deployed within a mission-oriented strategy. He cites Carl George of the Fuller Institute for Church Growth in favor of the assertion that this can result in growth in mission.
It is important to clarify what is meant by showing hospitality to a stranger. It is less a matter of making the stranger feel at home (a common Western view of hospitality), and more a matter of opening one’s private world to the stranger. He also defines strangers broader than just “visitors to church.” The concept includes those within the church who are not part of the “inner circle.”
The above summary is from just the introduction to the book, but it gives the flavor of how the author dissects our practice so that our worship brings strangers into the light of the gospel. Note the chapter titles:
Introduction: Public Worship and the Stranger
1. Public Worship in an Intimate Society
2. Undercurrents of Individualism
3. Undercurrents and liturgical Renewal
4. The Stranger and the Self-Giving God
5. A Gospel-Centered Public Worship
6. Liturgical Evangelism
7. Ritual as Hospitality
8. Ritual Strategies
9. A Public Imagination
10. Planning Public Worship
Postcript: On the Road to Emmaus
The book is over 30 years old. In those years and especially since the COVID epidemic of 2020, worship has moved more to the private, intimate expression of religion which Professor Keifert warned against, and many are turning away from public corporate worship. Some of his observations may be more timely than ever. Although this is not a “how to” book, it is intended to shape our perceptions in helpful ways to include the stranger in our public worship. I didn’t read the book closely, and sometimes he puzzled me. He asserted that Old Testament temple worship is focused on the stranger, with the Lord being the host and all Israel being His guests. I personally don’t think that Old Testament worship worked well for evangelism, despite its clear message of the need every human has for a sacrifice for sin. He suggests that although the Old Testament sacrificial system has ended, the New Testament provides us with a new model of temple worship in Christ (especially Hebrews).
Written by a seminary professor, I would say that pastors are the chief audience for the concepts laid out in this book. However, since the public worship service continues to be the major contact point of the church for unbelievers and new believers, church members concerned about evangelism could benefit from this book. It should not be read as a condemnation of what your church does, but how you can open your life more fully to others at church to share what Christ has done, and what He continues to do for His people.
March 13, 2019
The academic prose is difficult to get through at times (bring your highlighter), but there are many important points for churches to consider. However, the book is definitely dated. An updated version, to include the influence of social media as just one example, is needed.
October 24, 2012
I found Kiefert's exploration of worship and hospitality disappointing. He approached his survey through the historical use of high liturgy and how to integrate that into a church's mentality of hospitality. Being that I have experience with high liturgy, but do not currently serve a church that uses the Lectionary and other forms of high liturgy I found that Kiefert's survey did not answer the questions I have about welcoming the stranger. In addition, I found that he often got trapped in exploring the history of liturgy and the revival of high liturgy within mainline congregations that he departed from the main idea of using worship as a tool of hospitality. I did find his survey of Abraham greeting the stranger to be good food for thought. Also, his postscript regarding the couple on the road to Emmaus was thought provoking. I wish that Kiefert had extended these passages and the metaphors inherent within these passages in such a way as to fully explore our calling to hospitality. I am left with very little opportunity to apply Kiefert's thoughts in my ministry setting.
January 5, 2010
Good basics on immigration policies/regulations/issues in the US. Easy-to-read and appeared to be non-biased.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews