Title: Worship as meaning: a liturgical theology for late modernity. Author: Hughes, Graham Worship as meaning 330 p. Publisher: Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2003

Jacobsen, David Schnasa

English

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 30
Issue 2 Festechrift: Faith Elizabeth Rohrbough Article 21
11-1-2005
Worship as meaning: a liturgical theology for late
modernity
David Schnasa Jacobsen
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Jacobsen, David Schnasa (2005) "Worship as meaning: a liturgical theology for late modernity ," Consensus: Vol. 30 : Iss. 2 , Article 21.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss2/21
Worship as Meaning:
A Liturgical Theology for Late Modernity
Graham Hughes
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003
302 pages, $37.95 Softcover
This is an important book for liturgical theology. It is not that such
books have not been written before. The last few years have
witnessed important works by liturgical scholars like Gordon
Lathrop, Don Saliers, and others. What is different about Hughes’
book, however, is the way in which it seeks to pursue the task of
liturgical theology. The author seeks to ground his approach in an
overall theory of meaning: in this case, dominated by the semiotics of
Charles Peirce. In doing so, Hughes also places his thought in a
context. The backdrop for his work on meaning is not the arbitrary
world of continental post-structuralist theory and post-modernist
thought (although the author is conversant with these and treats them
in nuanced ways), but “late modernity.” As such, the question is not
how to do liturgical theology in an arbitrary Christian ghetto that
walls out the (equally arbitrary) post-modern world, but how to
articulate what liturgy can and does mean both as we “find” it in late
modernity and “make” meaning with it. 
The outline is tripartite. Part I focuses on the making of meaning.
It identifies by means of a hypothetical worshiper’s visit to church the
nature of the problem(s) of meaning in worship. Its chapters also deal
with the more general philosophical problems of meaning in
modernity and its comprehension. Part II uses some exemplary
worship situations to surface the problem of identifying liturgical
signs. This same section then goes on to contrast continental
semiotics with Peirce’s semiotic theory in order to identify three key
signs useful for the liturgical-theological task: icons (dependent on
shared similarities, e.g., the picture and that which it represents),
indices (dependent on contiguity, e.g., the weathercock and the
wind), and symbols (arrived at by convention or tradition, e.g., the
traffic sign). Hughes then considers the value of Peirce’s semiosis for
liturgical theology and how matters of sign production and sign
reception actually work with the kinds of meaning they engender.
Part III represents the payoff for all the hard theoretical slogging
through the first two parts. Here Hughes lays out a liturgical theology
Book Reviews 145
Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005
that looks at meaning “at the edge of the known.” For Hughes,
liturgical theology is about “making sense of God in a disenchanted
age.” The result is an approach that goes beyond merely “church
theology” (the liturgy says what it says and acts as if it were unaware
of late modernity), “evangelical theology” (modernity in any form is
inimical to Biblical authority and is the “foil” for belief), and
“mainline Protestantism” (modernity is the place where we seek to
identify God’s presence). For Hughes liturgical theology assumes
that late modernity is important because it provides the means by
which meaning is made. Nonetheless, as Hughes notes, late
modernity is a place of disenchantment and thus forces liturgical
theology to move to the boundaries, to mystery in order to be true to
its own theistic frame of reference. While it can make no claims to
finality or completion, it can represent a “best account” that is
meaningful for those who both discover meaning in liturgical signs
and make meaning with them in late modernity.
This is indeed an important book; yet it is also a challenging book
to read. On the one hand, this is due to the subject matter. Peirce’s
semiotic theory, for example, is demanding – as not doubt Hughes
himself would acknowledge. Yet Peirce’s promise for Hughes’
ambitious undertaking is clear: here we have a semiotic theory that
does not subsume gesture under linguistic sign as continental
semiotics does. On the other hand, however, the critique also applies
to the structure of Hughes’ subject matter. The author is not content
to leave us either in antipathy to or mere sympathy with modernity.
Occupying this tensive space for the sake of liturgical meaning,
however, we are required to engage in a kind of thought to which
liturgical theology has been hitherto unaccustomed. Perhaps for this
reason most of all, Worship as Meaning is worth the effort.
David Schnasa Jacobsen
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
Waterloo, Ontario
146 Consensus
http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss2/21


Worship as meaning: a liturgical theology for late modernity

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 30Issue 2 Festechrift: Faith Elizabeth Rohrbough Article 2111-1-2005Worship as meaning: a liturgical theology for latemodernityDavid Schnasa JacobsenFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationJacobsen, David Schnasa (2005) "Worship as meaning: a liturgical theology for late modernity ," Consensus: Vol. 30 : Iss. 2 , Article 21.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss2/21Worship as Meaning:A Liturgical Theology for Late ModernityGraham HughesCambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003302 pages, $37.95 SoftcoverThis is an important book for liturgical theology. It is not that suchbooks have not been written before. The last few years havewitnessed important works by liturgical scholars like GordonLathrop, Don Saliers, and others. What is different about Hughes’book, however, is the way in which it seeks to pursue the task ofliturgical theology. The author seeks to ground his approach in anoverall theory of meaning: in this case, dominated by the semiotics ofCharles Peirce. In doing so, Hughes also places his thought in acontext. The backdrop for his work on meaning is not the arbitraryworld of continental post-structuralist theory and post-modernistthought (although the author is conversant with these and treats themin nuanced ways), but “late modernity.” As such, the question is nothow to do liturgical theology in an arbitrary Christian ghetto thatwalls out the (equally arbitrary) post-modern world, but how toarticulate what liturgy can and does mean both as we “find” it in latemodernity and “make” meaning with it. The outline is tripartite. Part I focuses on the making of meaning.It identifies by means of a hypothetical worshiper’s visit to church thenature of the problem(s) of meaning in worship. Its chapters also dealwith the more general philosophical problems of meaning inmodernity and its comprehension. Part II uses some exemplaryworship situations to surface the problem of identifying liturgicalsigns. This same section then goes on to contrast continentalsemiotics with Peirce’s semiotic theory in order to identify three keysigns useful for the liturgical-theological task: icons (dependent onshared similarities, e.g., the picture and that which it represents),indices (dependent on contiguity, e.g., the weathercock and thewind), and symbols (arrived at by convention or tradition, e.g., thetraffic sign). Hughes then considers the value of Peirce’s semiosis forliturgical theology and how matters of sign production and signreception actually work with the kinds of meaning they engender.Part III represents the payoff for all the hard theoretical sloggingthrough the first two parts. Here Hughes lays out a liturgical theologyBook Reviews 145Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005that looks at meaning “at the edge of the known.” For Hughes,liturgical theology is about “making sense of God in a disenchantedage.” The result is an approach that goes beyond merely “churchtheology” (the liturgy says what it says and acts as if it were unawareof late modernity), “evangelical theology” (modernity in any form isinimical to Biblical authority and is the “foil” for belief), and“mainline Protestantism” (modernity is the place where we seek toidentify God’s presence). For Hughes liturgical theology assumesthat late modernity is important because it provides the means bywhich meaning is made. Nonetheless, as Hughes notes, latemodernity is a place of disenchantment and thus forces liturgicaltheology to move to the boundaries, to mystery in order to be true toits own theistic frame of reference. While it can make no claims tofinality or completion, it can represent a “best account” that ismeaningful for those who both discover meaning in liturgical signsand make meaning with them in late modernity.This is indeed an important book; yet it is also a challenging bookto read. On the one hand, this is due to the subject matter. Peirce’ssemiotic theory, for example, is demanding – as not doubt Hugheshimself would acknowledge. Yet Peirce’s promise for Hughes’ambitious undertaking is clear: here we have a semiotic theory thatdoes not subsume gesture under linguistic sign as continentalsemiotics does. On the other hand, however, the critique also appliesto the structure of Hughes’ subject matter. The author is not contentto leave us either in antipathy to or mere sympathy with modernity.Occupying this tensive space for the sake of liturgical meaning,however, we are required to engage in a kind of thought to whichliturgical theology has been hitherto unaccustomed. Perhaps for thisreason most of all, Worship as Meaning is worth the effort.David Schnasa JacobsenWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryWaterloo, Ontario146 Consensushttp://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss2/21

https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1192&amp;context=consensus

Worship as meaning: a liturgical theology for late modernity

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