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One Bread, One Body: Exploring
Cultural Diversity in Worship
(The Alban Institute, 2003)
Description
As a troubadour for global music and an instigator of cross-cultural worship
for more than 15 years in a variety of denominational settings, including
congregational, national, and international venues, Michael Hawn has observed
many faithful people who find that a taste of Pentecost in worship is
refreshing and invigorating. In One Bread, One Body: Exploring Cultural
Diversity in Worship, Hawn seeks to help bridge the gap between the
human tendency to prefer ethnic and cultural homogeneity in worship and
the church's mandate to offer a more diverse and inclusive experience.
He offers a rainbow vision of the universal church where young and old
joyfully and thoughtfully respond to the movement of God's Spirit in multicultural
worship.
Hawn and four colleagues from Perkins School of Theology in Dallas formed a diverse team in ethnicity, gender, academic field of study, and denominational affiliation to study four United Methodist congregations in the Dallas area that are grappling with cross-cultural ministry. Their four case studies illustrate both the pain and the possibilities encountered in capturing the Spirit of Pentecost in worship. Hawn also offers a concise and practical theological framework as well as numerous strategies and an extensive bibliography for implementing "culturally conscious worship." This book is invaluable for congregations that want to undertake the hard work of cross-cultural worship. Foreword by Justo González.
Author
C. Michael Hawn has been on the faculty of Perkins School of Theology,
Southern Methodist University, since 1992 in the areas of church music
and worship. He previously taught at two Baptist seminaries and
served as a church musician in congregations throughout the South.
He has published over 80 articles and two collections of congregational
songs.
Endorsements
"Michael Hawn is one of our most astute guides to the power
of worship and the arts. Here in this stimulating volume he has
found some remarkable multicultural congregations, and he opens up their
worship treasures so that all of us can learn and benefit as we move toward
worship that is lively, faithful, and open to all."
—Thomas G. Long, Candler School of Theology, author of Beyond
the Worship Wars
"Michael Hawn makes an important contribution to the challenges
and possibilities of designing worship in a multicultural context in One
Bread, One Body. Rooted in the experiences of four multicultural
congregations, Hawn's research raises the issues that are confronting
more and more of our local churches and provides ten strategies for cultivating
common prayer."
—Kathy Black, Claremont School of Theology, author of Culturally-Conscious
Worship
Vital Worship, Healthy Congregations Series with The Alban Institute
This series is designed to call attention to instructive examples of congregational life and to explore these examples in ways that allow readers in very different communities to compare and contrast these examples with their own practice. To find all the books in this series, go to Publications and under "Publisher," select "Alban Institute."