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In Spirit and in Truth Philosophical Reflections on Liturgy and Worship

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In Spirit and in Truth Philosophical Reflections on Liturgy and Worship In Spirit and in Truth Philosophical Reflections on Liturgy and Worship Wm. Curtis Holtzen & Matthew Nelson Hill, editors CLAREMONT STUDIES IN METHODISM & WESLEYANISM Samuel M. Powell, Series Editor In Spirit and in Truth Philosophical Reflections on Liturgy and Worship ©2016 Claremont School of Theology Press 1325 N. College Ave Claremont, CA 91711 ISBN 978-0692774830 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Holtzen, Wm. Curtis and Matthew Nelson Hill In Spirit and In Truth: Philosophical Reflections on Liturgy and Worship / Wm. Curtis Holtzen and Matthew Nelson Hill, Samuel M. Powell, Series Editor p. cm. –(Claremont Studies in Methodism & Wesleyanism) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 978-0692774830 1. Subjects: 1. Liturgics 2. Religion—Philosophy— Christianity 3. Methodist Church—Influence BX107 .W47 2016 Cover Photo Credit: Tim Green https://www.flickr.com/photos/atoach/ No modifications made. To Roman Holtzen and Connor, Anna, Lucas, and Eva Hill Table of Contents Abbreviations xi Acknowledgments xiii Preface xv Introduction 1 Wm. Curtis Holtzen & Matthew Nelson Hill Liturgical Repetition and Reenactment 7 Nicholas Wolterstorff The Role of Phenomenological Description in 37 Investigating Language Joshua Kira The Eucharist as Linguistic Iconic Bodily Encounter 53 Brent Peterson After Fire, Words: Lévinas and the First Order of Language 71 Eric Severson Gadamer’s Hermeneutic of Trust—Ontological and Reflective 87 Wm. Curtis Holtzen & Matthew Nelson Hill Legitimating Our Lives before God 109 Amanda DiMiele Worship as Compatible with Both Proper Human Autonomy and Relational Autonomy 129 Joyce Ann Konigsburg Four on the Floor 147 John Brittingham Beyond Syncretism 165 Abbreviations Rustin Brian A&K Analyse & Kritik Divine Retribution in Evolutionary Perspective 181 ATR Anglican Theological Review Isaac Wiegman IJPR International Journal for the List of Contributors 203 Philosophy of Religion JAAR Journal of the American Bibliography 207 Academy of Religion JAT Journal of Analytic Theology Topical Index 221 Man World Man and World: An Author Index 229 International Philosophical Review RES Religious Studies SPCK Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge SJR Social Justice Research [L Acknowledgments We would like to thank first of all the authors in this book, not only for their fine essays but also for their diligence to meet deadlines, patience with the editors, and all-around enthusiasm for the project; to Nick Wolterstorff for his very fine lectures, which gave birth to this book and his gracious offer of a chapter; to Baylor Smith, who willingly tackled some of the monotonous aspects of editing; to Thomas Jay Oord, who was first to suggest and encourage this project; to Roberto Sirvent, who read proposals, strategized concerning essays, and was profuse with invaluable enthusiasm; to Claremont School of Theology Press for their support; and finally to all those who were ready with advice when asked and encouragement when needed, among others: Joseph Grana, Christian Smerick, Daniel Speak, and Blair Wilgus. All scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version. [LLL Preface Not long ago I would have said liturgy and philosophy were best kept entirely separate. After all, liturgy is about worship, ritual, devotion, and feeling. Philosophy relies upon reason, analysis, and criticism. Real philosophers would not be concerned with the symbolic, non-rational, or similar matters of the impenetrable heart. Thankfully, my mind has changed. I now think liturgical ideas and practices can be fruitfully explored by philosophers. Such exploration can take a variety of forms and be done by philosophers working from various philosophical traditions and intuitions. And for Christian philosophers shaped by and interested in Christian liturgy, the move to explore worship and liturgy makes perfect sense. Whether conscious of it or not, liturgists have always drawn from and been shaped by philosophy. Those leading worship or crafting liturgies may think their practices and language are solely theologically or ecclesially derived, but philosophy has always been influential. Think, for example, of the Christian debates about what is really happening when the Eucharistic bread and wine are consecrated. Consider the rationale given for how God “inhabits” our praise. Ponder the meaning of what God is doing at the “invocation,” what believers are doing when they “hear a word from the Lord,” or why so many have wondered what liturgical language really means. [Y This book, edited by Curtis Holtzen and Matthew Hill, further deepens my conviction that liturgy and philosophy can be friends instead of foes. The essays herein are diverse yet strong. The topics of exploration range widely, as do the philosophical intuitions and commitments of the essayists. The editors rightly note that this book fills a gap in the philosophical literature. Finally, I want to note the context from which this book arose. As the introduction notes, most essays were written for a Introduction philosophy, liturgy, and worship conference conceived of and Wm. Curtis Holtzen & Matthew Nelson Hill th chaired by Holtzen. The event was the 14 annual Wesleyan Philosophical Society meeting. I was among the few who launched If one picks up practically any book on the philosophy of the society with the purpose of exploring a variety of issues from religion, one will find treatises defining religion, exploring the Wesleyan perspectives. I’m delighted that the society and its nature of religious beliefs, articulating possible relationships members have matured to the degree that this book, with its between faith and reason, and, of course, assessing theistic excellent essays, could become a possibility. arguments. However ubiquitous these avenues of study are, Thanks be to God! there is a glaring omission concerning the philosophy of liturgy Thomas Jay Oord and worship. As Christian philosophers it is natural for us to reflect on the nature of God, the boundaries of faith and reason, or the challenges of a world fraught with evil. But are not worship and liturgy just as foundational to the Christian as any other area of inquiry? Just as one can hardly claim to be a Christian—let alone a philosopher—without having thoughts about the nature of the divine, it seems equally as strange to be a Christian and not inquire about the nature of worship or the purpose of liturgy. While there are many fine books that address worship and liturgy from theological, sociological, or anthropological perspectives, the market is only sparsely dotted with books exploring the subject from a philosophical perspective. This book is a step toward filling that gap. Nowhere in scripture is “worship” explicitly defined—yet most often it is denoted as a “bending” or “prostrating” oneself as a sign of reverence. The Divine who is being esteemed by those who bow is said to be “worthy” of this act. To worship is to acknowledge and proclaim the “worthship” of the one who is honored. Worship is seen in customary practices such as prayer, [YL offerings, and singing—or in the less formal and more subjective of repetition in Christian liturgical enactments. He then analyzes feelings of awe and adoration. In John 4 Jesus challenges the the nature of reenactments and concludes that while enactments then-traditional notion of authentic worship, that it had to take of Christian liturgies are pervaded by repetition, they contain very place on the “right” mountain or by the “right” nation, and instead little by way of reenactments, and that, in particular, a celebration proclaimed, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must of the Eucharist is not a reenactment. worship in spirit and truth.” Jesus’s words invite philosophical Following Wolterstorff’s chapter is Joshua Kira’s “The reflection and they summon the philosopher to muse about the Role of Phenomenological Description in Investigating Language: meaning and aspects of worship. An Examination of Wolterstorff’s Methodology in Divine Throughout the centuries, Christian communities have Discourse.” In this chapter Kira seeks to investigate Wolterstorff’s enacted various liturgies not only to develop communal bonds methodology of investigating language and practice as through worship but to bring individuals corporately closer to the exemplified in his book Divine Discourse. Kira argues that divine. While all traditions rely on some form of shared worship, Wolterstorff provides a compelling position that can make sense one might question the nature and essence of specific liturgical of diverse phenomena and thus may be significant in practices. Based on a series of lectures by contributing author understanding liturgy. However, Wolterstorff may require Nicholas Wolterstorff, it is our attempt to locate this book at the supplemental methodologies and perspectives to assist in the intersection of philosophy and liturgy and to seek, in part, circumscription of the field of phenomena that is to be answers to some of the following questions: In what ways do investigated, in the provision of a teleological orientation that repetition of liturgical practices become reenactments? How do may be necessary for understanding the relationship between trust and skepticism impact an individual during worship? What divine and human speech, and in the attempt to address the do philosophical inquiries have to do with theological praxis? difficulty of linguist atomism. If this is done, then Wolterstorff’s
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