Throughout my reading on the churching of women, I’ve noticed a frequent theme of the tension between (stated) belief and practice. It seems to me that churching is a particularly interesting example of the way we in the church often say we believe one thing… and if we poked at those beliefs we might discover that what we “really” think is a slightly different second thing… and when it comes to real life, what we’re actually enacting is in fact a third thing. As Natalie Knodel writes, “...the historical development of the rite commonly called ‘the churching of women’ provides an interesting case study in the history of liturgy. It shows how diverse theological development and popular perception can be.”
the churching of women: belief and practice
the churching of women: belief and practice
the churching of women: belief and practice
Throughout my reading on the churching of women, I’ve noticed a frequent theme of the tension between (stated) belief and practice. It seems to me that churching is a particularly interesting example of the way we in the church often say we believe one thing… and if we poked at those beliefs we might discover that what we “really” think is a slightly different second thing… and when it comes to real life, what we’re actually enacting is in fact a third thing. As Natalie Knodel writes, “...the historical development of the rite commonly called ‘the churching of women’ provides an interesting case study in the history of liturgy. It shows how diverse theological development and popular perception can be.”