Lord, who may abide in your tent? (Psalm 15,1) A question of mutual hospitality for thinking about the future of churches
Abstract
Based on the words of Psalm 15:1: ‘Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle?’ and the notion of mutual hospitality, this study sets out to take a fresh look at the future of churches. In a context marked by strong secularisation, with the corollary of weakening Christian communities and declining economic resources, the future of a number of places of worship seems under threat. Before giving in to the binary logic of ‘keep’ or ‘get rid of’, this study looks at the tension inherent in Christianity as regards the place itself. While the place of worship is a strong marker of identity and presence, and has a manifest symbolic force, God cannot be confined within it. Based on Sacrosanctum Concilium 7, a middle way is envisaged in order to identify the threefold function of the church: epicletic, anamnetic and kerygmatic, as a means of discerning the genius of each place and rethinking its practical use for this purpose.
Keywords:
churches, theology of the liturgical space, ecclesiology, pastoral care, futureReferences
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Authors
Michel SteinmetzUniversität Freiburg, Schweiz Switzerland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6633-5271
Prof. Dr Dr Michel Steinmetz is a full professor of liturgical studies at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland (Av. de l'Europe 20, CH-1700 Fribourg, Suisse-Switzerland). He holds a doctorate in anthropology of religion and history of religion from the Sorbonne, a doctorate in theology from the Institut Catholique de Paris and is a priest of the diocese of Strasbourg, where he worked in pastoral care. He is a member of the research team UR4377 at the University of Strasbourg and also a member of the research team ‘Rites et Spiritualité’ (Pôle ‘Textes et Herméneutiques’ of the research unit ‘Religion, Culture et Société’ EA 7403), the editorial committee of the journal La Maison-Dieu and theAKL (working group of Catholic liturgical scholars in the German-speaking area).
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