Worship as Meaning

How,inthisChristianageofbelief,canwedrawsensefromtheritualactsofChristiansassembledinworship?Convincedthatpeopleshapetheirmeaningsfromthemeaningsavailabletothem,GrahamHughesinquiresintoliturgicalconstructionsofmeaningwithinthelargerculturalcontextoflatetwentieth-centurymeaningtheory.Majortheoriesofmeaningareexaminedintermsoftheircontributionorhindrancetothismeaningmaking:analyticphilosophy,phenomenology,structuralismanddeconstruction.DrawingparticularlyupontheworkofCharlesPeirce,Hughesturnstosemiotictheorytoanalysetheconstruction,transmissionandapprehensionofmeaningwithinanactualworshipservice.FinallythebookanalysesthewaysinwhichvariousworshippingstylesofwesternChristianityundertakethismeaningmaking.Takingaccountoflatemodernvaluesandprecepts,thisground-breakingbookwillappealtoteachersandstudentsoftheology,toclergy,andtothoughtfullayChristians.