Excerpts from HOLY THINGS: A LITURGICAL THEOLOGY written by Gordon Lathrop and reviewed by Madeleine Hall as part of the 2025 graduate class.  Maddy is a candidate for ordination as a Disciples of Christ minister.

When Christians gather to worship, they engage in two thousand years’ worth of sacred meaning found in ordinary things. The average church-goer may not be in regular, explicit conversation about the nature of Christian worship, but through their participation they contribute to this tradition of discovering meaning.  Holy Things is a work of “secondary liturgical theology,” responding to and reflecting upon the primary objects and elements that make up Christian liturgy. Holy Things builds upon the work of Alexander Schmemann (Introduction to Liturgical Theology) and Susanne K. Langer (Philosophy in a New Key). Lathrop positions Holy Things within the tradition of analyzing the Christian ordo by emphasizing the many juxtapositions present in Christian worship. Meaning and reflection arise from the primary element of juxtaposition itself.  Holy Things brims with rich questions that empower communities to rediscover and reexamine the primary liturgical theology at work in their gatherings. Just as Robert Mann claims, “The theology of the Christian faith is told through hymns,” Lathrop demonstrates how a trove of Christian theology dwells within the ordo.

After [a] thorough introduction, Holy Things dives into the most basic elements of Christian worship as an invitation for the reader into the work of liturgical theology. This middle section examines physical things (bread, wine, font), intangible things (time and structure), and the ways in which communities access them. The third part of Holy Things is a resource for liturgical theology in action. Lathrop’s collection of questions and reflections challenges the reader to imagine beyond their community’s current liturgical practices and to consider how the things of Christian worship might cultivate a clearer sense of God’s character. For Lathrop, the challenge of Christian liturgy is to preserve the mystery of faith despite the cultural forces that entice communities toward certainty.  The claims of Christian liturgy are not ones of unmoving certainty, but rather of newness and mystery found in simplicity, juxtaposition, and tension. It is this mystery that speaks to the community as they worship, and its depths are waiting for those who would join Lathrop in the work of liturgical theology. Holy Things paves the way for that journey.