Political worship
Bernd Wannenwetsch on the idea behind his book title, Political Worship: Ethics for Christian Citizens:
“The expression ‘political worship’ takes into account the fact that in the proper sense every public service of worship in which a Christian congregation engages has a specifically political character, since it is the assembly of ‘Christian citizens’, ‘fellow-citizens with the saints’ (Eph. 2:19), in praise of the God who, in the words of the hymn, ‘ruleth on high’. Christian ethics recognizes that it is political when it considers the forming of the congregation in worship as the formation of ‘a public’ in its own unique sense: the particular political form of life which is determined by ‘the law of the Spirit’ (Rom. 8:2).”
He goes on to say (all of this is found on p. 7):
“In my view, the political understanding of worship holds the key to an understanding of its meaning for Christian ethics in general.”
Category: Of Worship and Work Comment »