The phrase “Postmodern Liturgy” is a phrase that has been rolling around in my head for several years. Perhaps the best place to start is with the admission that this phrase is more onomatopoetically correct than anything else. I have attempted to create an umbrella for everything I am interested in. So, to begin, this site is the intersection of Postmodern Theology/Philosophy, Liturgy (the work of worship), Music and Eco-theology (Creation Care/Environmentalism). As is often the case in postmodern work, I hope to add many other perspectives over the course of time. I have no problem admitting that my work, and the work of others on this site is no where near the “full picture.” I hope you go in with that assumption.
With all this being said, this site will have several main goals:
Personally, deconstruction was a very important tool in my faith formation. It has also become quite popular in North American culture. However, often times this pursuit is incomplete. I would argue that deconstruction is a well rounded process of refinement, but I often run into people at the point that they have “thrown every out” and now have nothing. In my view, this is only half of the deconstruction process, and I would like to help with the process of evaluating what to “put back,” and more importantly how to “put it back.” Deconstruction is not actually an endeavor to dismantle one’s faith but as John D. Caputo says, “what happens in deconstruction has an inner sympathy with the very “kingdom of God” that Jesus calls for (“What Would Jesus Deconstruct,” p. 33). In essence, Jesus was the greatest deconstructor.
I believe the arts, music for me in particular, have a great deal to do with creating environments for faith formation. Let’s just say, I think the church is doing a terrible job navigating these new waters. In fact, the church may be just sitting on the beach talking about what the water feels like. I would love to help the church better understand how to create environments for faith formation. But, if the church won’t do it, I would love to be a part of creating those spaces myself.
I believe care for creation is a foundational aspect of the Christian faith. It is also a foundational idea in worship. I’d love to convince you of that as well.
I want this to be a space where people can experience many different theological perspectives within the Christian tradition without the ridiculous cost of a theological education.
After saying all that, here is the bottom line, I am admitting that this site is an attempt to put everything I do and everything I am good at into one ‘thing.’ But most people don’t write this much on the introduction so let me give you my sales pitch: If you feel “messed up,” let’s see if we can help move you somewhere; if you don’t feel “messed up,” let’s mess you up. I think you’ll experience growth through the process.
Please explore the site to see if any of the “services” seem beneficial to you.
Anthony
