Abstract:In recent years, authorities in mainland China have renewed their call for the sinicization of Christianity through theological discourse. Given that Christianity is largely expressed in visible, worship-based ways, such as music (songs), rhetoric (sermons), rituals (sacraments), symbols (crosses, garments, banners, etc.), posture and gesture (genuflecting, lifting hands, etc.), one wonders at the implication of this development. Might there be an alternative approach to sinicization? This essay seeks to investigate the feasibility of sinicized Christianity from the ontology of musicking as purveyed through the practice of congregational song.
Asian church music as an indigenous congregational expression in Christian worship was first documented in the pioneering work of two individuals, Daniel T. Niles and I‐To Loh, through their editorial endeavors in two groundbreaking hymnals, the East Asian Christian Conference Hymnal (Tokyo, 1963) and Sound the Bamboo Hymnal (Hong Kong, 1990, 2000) respectively. It is through Niles' contribution that the world church caught the first glimpse of a distinct repertoire of musical resources. Quite unlike traditional western hymnody, Asian melodies were juxtaposed with a western harmonic treatment. Through this approach, his effort served to present an accessible, unified, and homogenous Asian hymnody. Indeed, this work was well received and led to several reprints until the early 1970s. However, as Asian churches became more receptive to local influences, Loh became the champion for a different approach in Asian hymnody. As a result, the Sound the Bamboo Hymnal contained a wide variety of musical styles within a single hymnal. This time round, Asian church music exhibited a greater sense of diversity unlike the earlier more homogeneous style of East Asian Christian Conference Hymnal .
This article examines current research methodologies being deployed to investigate ways in which music and its performance practice can relate to practical theology. Various pathways towards developing a theo-music aesthetics approach are considered.Zusammenfassung: Der Artikel untersucht derzeit angewandte Forschungsmethodologien, um zu ermitteln, auf welche Weise Musik und Aufführungspraxis sich auf Praktische Theologie beziehen können. Es werden mehrere Wege zur Entwicklung eines theo-musikalischen Ästhetikansatzes bedacht.
In the gardening world, potting refers to the cultivation of plants by cutting, layering, and replacing nutrients-depleted soil with new soil in larger pots to accommodate the growth process. This understanding seems helpful in describing ecumenical worship. There are two perspectives about this phenomenon. On one end of the liturgical practice spectrum, it is perceived as a “least-common-denominator” worship form where contested expressions are cast aside and replaced by elements that are acceptable by everyone. As a result, ecumenical worship is held up as a product of complex negotiation but displays a remarkable lack of spiritual depth in its outcome. On the other end, there is the World Council of Churches—a fellowship of 350 churches that is regarded as the epitome of ecumenism in practice particularly its worship celebration. The assembly, convened every eight years, is seen as a “best practice” showcase for ecumenical worship. In fact, many of the “global songs” being sung by our congregation were premiered in this ecumenical setting. How might we make sense of these perceptions? To that end, this article seeks to describe a suitably appropriate method in planning ecumenical worship and to identify elements that this worship genre needs to consider in its rendition. The efforts of the 2022 assembly worship planning committee of the World Council of Churches serves as the case study. Theo-liturgical principles that define this worship design are examined and discussed. By this, insights may be garnered to help local congregations appreciate this distinctive liturgical form that has its raison d’etre as an expression of Christian reconciliation and unity and to understand what is needed to successfully design such services. In so doing, the work of congregations may be strengthened to face the resurgence of racism and xenophobia in their local contexts.
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