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Dialogue Amidst Multiformity: A Habermasian Breakthrough in the Development of Anglican Eucharistic Liturgies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2009

Brian Douglas  and
Terence Lovat
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Abstract

This article argues that a breakthrough is possible in the development of Anglican eucharistic liturgies. A dialogue approach holds out the promise of distancing the process of liturgical development from party spirit and particular interest, and focusing it instead on the self-reflection and intersubjectivity of communicative action, while also recognizing the multiformity of philosophical assumptions underlying the Anglican eucharistic tradition. Such a process has potential to emancipate the Anglican eucharistic tradition from conflict and centre attention on a more critical self-reflection on the discourse of the tradition. Eucharistic liturgies in use in Australia are considered in terms of their underlying philosophical assumptions, and recommendations are made for the use of a dialogue approach based on Habermas’s theory of communicative action.

Keywords

Anglicancommunicative actionEucharistHabermasliturgy
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Anglican Studies , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , May 2010 , pp. 35 - 57
Copyright
Copyright © The Journal of Anglican Studies Trust 2009

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Footnotes

1.

Brian Douglas, Rector St Paul’s Anglican Church, Manuka, Australia; Lecturer in Theology at St Mark’s National Theological Centre, Canberra and Conjoint Lecturer, University of Newcastle, Australia. Terence Lovat, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Arts) University of Newcastle, Australia.

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