From Plague to Purpose: Sacred Wandering and the Postmodern Church
Ebook
Pilgrimage has been a part of Christian experience since biblical times. Creating new stories, pilgrimage affords sacred travelers experiences that transcend nationalism, denominational identity, and cultural borders, melding their individual constructs of meaning with communal experiences to create new insights. On these pilgrimages, music has played a significant role in the development of community. While pilgrimage is an independent act, it is also a shared existence with other pilgrims, with music serving as a bridge between these two realities. With an estimated 100 million people undertaking pilgrimages at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the rediscovery of pilgrimage, and the music that accompanies it, has meaningful connections for the postmodern church struggling to find a new identity. The ecumenical communities at Iona and Taize provide particular case studies for the role of music in forming community among disparate travelers. The individual and communal nature of pilgrimage, the ability of pilgrimage to provide commonality in a diverse society, and the role of singing and traveling music calls for the reexamination of this ancient practice for the postmodern church.
“Joshua Taylor reframes this season of dislocation for institutional religion into a time of pilgrimage from what has been to what God wills the church to be. Amid the anxieties such times bring, he offers practical ideas for us to sing our way to God’s tomorrow, building community along the journey. His practical experience born of his own pilgrimage directing worship in the church proves to be a trusted guide for us all.”
—Joseph J. Clifford, pastor, Myers Park Presbyterian Church
“This book could reenergize your ministry and spiritual journey as congregations emerge from COVID-19 isolation. Joshua Taylor brings a diverse constellation of musical gifts and a wealth of varied experiences to this pilgrimage guide. Pilgrimage is both a classic metaphor for the spiritual journey of people of faith and a path for congregations to move beyond the security of their worship edifices and encounter unexpected holiness in unaccustomed places, with unfamiliar people.”
—C. Michael Hawn, Southern Methodist University, emeritus
- Title: From Plague to Purpose: Sacred Wandering and the Postmodern Church
- Author: J. J. Taylor
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666757583, 9781666757576, 9781666757569, 1666757586, 1666757578, 166675756X
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666757583
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-12-22T07:31:39Z