Worship Today: Understanding, Practice, Ecumenical Implications

by Thomas F. Best

Worship is central to the church and to churches; and issues of common worship are central to the ecumenical movement. Yet many discussions of worship reveal a lack of detailed knowledge about what unites - and divides - the churches in their worship today. This book offers a wide-ranging and fascinating survey of the contemporary state of Christian worship. Some thirty liturgists, theologians, church leaders and pastors present their church's current understanding and practice of worship. The impact of the liturgical renewal and ecumenical movements on worship is considered. Two ecumenical communities, Iona and Grandchamp, explain how their distinctive worship life is rooted in Christian tradition, and two essays reflect on the significance of worship in ecumenical contexts. In a concluding section, five prominent liturgists reflect on the current state of Christian worship and on opportunities and challenges facing the churches, both individually and ecumenically, in their worship today.

322 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004