WORSHIP IN A SECULAR CLIMATE
As Western society becomes increasingly secular so there has been a decline in worshipping congregations, particularly amongst traditional denominations. This has had a devastating effect in Europe which is being mirrored in the United States. Traditional Worship is rapidly becoming a fringe activity.


The accusation made is that religion has become lifeless, dull and irrelevant. Whilst such comments are often fielded by those who show no interest in religion, what should concern us is that worship has also lost it's appeal to many within the believing community. It's just not scratching where they are itching.


Around the Mid 1960's a number of secular theologians, such as Harvey Cox in his book 'The Secular City' suggested that whilst prayer may not survive, religious ideals such as concerns for justice, peace and morality would remain. He identified five factors that mitigated against faith and worship.


1)  Our culture no longer needs God to explain everything. Science, economics, medicine etc.. had made God redundant.
2) Secular Society is pluralistic. Christendom has broken down. Society is no longer under the grip of the churches. People have different values and moral codes. The church is rejected.
3) Technology Dominates. Man has become intoxicared by the machine age. Society is in a constant state of change which effest the way people regard time. History is no loger valuable. Technology rests on experience of the present moment.
4) Secular culture relies less on the spoken word. It .utilises the visual. People are losing the capacity to listen.
5) Secular society is a mobile society. People keep moving, they are increasingly rootless. To take root in a church is not easy.


In the face of such trends the secular theologians concluded that liturgical, spiritual and devotional aspects of religion would eventually wither and die. By the end of the 1970's it was clear this was not going to be the case.


'Spiritual issues" once more came to the fore. Drugs, Mystical 'New Age' Religious practices, Occultism, Astrology, Wiccan and Earth Centered Spirituality, Semi-Christian sects, Hate Groups etc... emerged from numerous sources. An alternative lifestyle was being searched for. Western man seemed to be entering an age of peverse spirituality.


THE LITURGICAL MOVEMENT
Recognizing the diversity of belief and in a desire to see worship renewed a number of groups became concerned with the revival of worship. Whilst often functioning quite independent from each other their purpose was similar.


The phrase 'Liturgical Movement' is often associated with a movement within the Roman Catholic Church that may be traced to the work of the Benedectine Abbot Prosper Gueranger who sought to both reform the communion rite so as to bring it into line with primitive and pre-medieval liturgical practice and make it relevant to the pastoral and evangelistic needs of the present.


The reforms had effects reaching far beyond the community itself. The movement helped renew many parishes, (particular in new and growing population areas) and created a demand for more frequent communion celebration.


Protestants seemed slower off the mark. Following the Second World War the Church of England started to take notice. "The Parish and People" movement became concerned with the place of the family in worship.


The main service became morning worship. New Hymns were composed. Churches were redesigned. One of the outcomes was the already mentioned "Alternative Service Book" All this was part of a wider endeavor towards Parish renewal.

Ernest Southcott, minister of St. Wilfrid's, Halton in England stressed the need for the church to go out to the people, sometimes taking communion to them in their homes. His book 'The Parish comes Alive' became a focus for many renewal movements including the Presbyterian Church of Scotland's focus on 'The Face of my parish'.

Taize in France, a community of laymen committed to monastic life within the community, came into being. One of the communities aims was to recover worship. Through simple liturgy and reflective song the community continues to attract many to visit and their particular style of reflection has grown increasingly popular.

At Iona, an island off the Scottish Coast, Presbyterian George McLeod envisioned a community that came together in retreat and then went back into the world to serve. Central to their worship life was reflection and liturgy that reflected on issues of peace and justice. Their "Wild Goose Worship" publications continue to be influential.

All this led to different response across the denominations, but those involved  in what can broadly be described as the 'Liturgical Movement' suggested a number of key to be taken into account if Sunday Worship was to be given a new focus.

1) An emphasis on the Eucharist as a focal point in worship. The unique representation of Christ's life and work.
2) Worship involved the whole participation of the whole people of God. The meaning of all parts should be understood by all. People should be fully involved.
3) Preaching - profoundly important. Bible must be adequately read, understood and applied.
4) Christian Worship built around the Christian Year.
5) Worship was the offering of the whole life to God: Toil, leisure, joy, sorrow, time, money,… everything. To truly participate in liturgy meant going to church to offer yourself as a living sacrifice upon God's altar.