Liturgy And Culture: Four Paradigms

The following article introduces the reader to four different approaches to liturgical inculturation and to the variety of scholarly disciplines that can aid liturgists in thinking about the relationship between worship and culture. Modern discussions about the cultural adaptation of the liturgy are related to fundamental theological convictions about the relationship between the Christian tradition and human culture. In general, four paradigms to the faith/culture relationship appear to be operative in modern American Catholicism. These are the conservative, liberal, radical, and neoconservative. The conservative paradigm maintains an absolute commitment to the inherited shape of Catholicism and has very little openness to modern culture. While conservatism often manifests strong commitment to traditional cultures in which religion and social life were integrated, it generally regards modern culture as inimical to authentic religious life and practice. Among the more notable examp…