Theopolitan Liturgy by Peter J Leithart

Theopolitan Liturgy by Peter J Leithart

Christians agree that worship must be biblical, but too many Christians focus on a handful of texts. To understand and do the Christian liturgy, we need to take account of the whole Bible.

In Theopolitan Liturgy, Peter J. Leithart examines the liturgical features of creation. The world is a temple. History is a dialogue with God. Life and society is sacrificial. Time follows a liturgical pattern.

Because creation is inherently liturgical, the liturgy isn't a retreat from the world. It's a transformation of the world. Church buildings use space as God designed it to be used, as space for worship. In the liturgy, we are trained to respond rightly to God's word, and learn the habit of living sacrifice. The church's calendar Christianizes time, imprinting the gospel on our days and years.

Leithart demonstrates that the liturgy isn't a retreat from engagement with the world. It is the church's primary engagement with the world. The liturgy is the initial Christianization of creation.

The introduction to the Theopolis Fundamentals Series was Leithart's book, Theopolitan Vision. Leithart's Theopolitan Liturgy is the first book in the series.

The early volumes of the Theopolis Fundamentals Series summarize the convictions of the Theopolis Institute in Birmingham, Alabama and James B. Jordan's Biblical Horizons about topics including biblical interpretation, liturgical theology and practice, and the church's cultural and political mission. The Fundamentals will be followed by a collection of Theopolis Explorations volumes that will examine Scripture, liturgy, and culture in more depth and detail.

Peter J.Leithart (PhD, University of Cambridge) is president of Theopolis Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, and adjunct senior fellow of theology and literature at New Saint Andrews College. He is also a former pastor. He is the author of several publications, including the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible's Traces of the Trinity, 1 & 2 Kings, and Athanasius in the Foundations of Theological Exegesis and Christian Spirituality series. He's also a Touchstone contributing editor and a regular blogger at firstthings.com.