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Delight and Music: A Confucian Perspective on Christian Liturgy

Summary

Over the past decade, analytic philosophers and theologians have examined the significance of Christian liturgical practices (e.g., Cuneo, 2016; Wolterstorff, 2015), asking such questions as, “how, if at all, can liturgy be ‘true?’” (Coakley, 2013: 131). In this paper, I examine the function and significance of Christian liturgies using the lens of pre-Qin Confucian philosophy. I show how liturgies can be a tool for personal and collective transformation. In section 1, I examine Christian liturgy as ritual. Section 2 explores the meaning of rituals in pre-Qin Confucian philosophy, with a special focus on Xunzi, showing how ritual can help us to achieve self-transformation. Section 3 explores two examples of liturgical practice, confession and music, to understand how Christian liturgy shapes the self. Section 4 examines how Christians can achieve selftransformation through liturgy.

keyWord

Christianity, Liturgy, Confucianism, Xunzi, Ritual