Liturgia Dei

""In this absorbing and well-argued book, Adam Couchman relocates worship from something we do to something fundamentally going on beyond us, in the Son's communion with the Father, in which we participate by the Spirit. In this he subtly critiques a widespread assumption that worship is an anthropological category and defines it squarely as a theological process. Furthermore, he shows the significant consequences of this apparently recondite argument, leaving the whole church greatly in his debt."" --Samuel Wells, Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields ""Liturgia Dei offers an original and thought-provoking contribution both to Christology and liturgical studies alike by pushing to its logical conclusion the claim that Jesus is both fully human and divine. If the human and divine natures are not to be pitted against each other, then Jesus worships as a human being and also as God. The concept of God as a worshiper is a fresh and challenging insight that takes us into the theo-drama enacted within God and within the life and witness of the church. I highly recommend this book, richly creative, even daring, in its theological claims and in the wisdom of its insights."" --Glen O'Brien, Professor of Christian Thought and History, University of Divinity, Melbourne, Australia ""This book presents an argument that is as compelling as it is pertinent today. Relying on a wide variety of both classical and contemporary sources, Couchman makes a radical yet subtle case for God-centeredness in understanding liturgy. For indeed, all too often, worship is approached with the help of mere anthropological categories, the risk of which is that the divine agency is no longer theorized. Christian liturgy, however, is all about a sharing in the life of the Trinity and the encompassing work of God's redemption. Couchman's work is a very welcome voice in the growing choir of theologians of the liturgy who seek a proper balance between what the humanities can offer and the theological tradition."" --Joris Geldhof, Vice Dean for Research, KU Leuven ""Adam Couchman articulates the consequences of conceiving of the liturgy as formative theological practice. Worshippers--in, through, and with the high priestly work of the vicarious humanity of Christ--are given to participate within the infiniteness of the self-communicative mystery of the God whose life is life-giving. Human beings, therefore, are irreducibly grounded within the beneficence of divine creativity, and are materially incorporated into relations of mutual responsibility."" --John McDowell, Professor of Philosophy, Systematic Theology, and Moral Theology, University of Divinity