05-4 Theology of the..

REVIEWS
“It is not many books that make men learned . . . but it is a good book frequently read.”
Martin Luther
Review Essay
What Is Liturgical Theology A Study in Methodology. By David
W. Fagerberg. A Pueblo Book. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical
Press, 1992. 342 pages. Paper. $22.95.
■ Lutherans don’t do liturgical theology; rather, we communicate
biblical theology in our liturgy. This conclusion is the product
(although not the purpose) of the profoundly prepared and
skillfully presented book by David W. Fagerberg, What Is Liturgical
Theology A Study in Methodology. Our distinctly Lutheran
emphasis on a gospel-driven theology even (particularly) in our
worship life became appreciatively clearer as I read this informative—and
formative—book.
David Fagerberg, a former Lutheran pastor who teaches at
Concordia College (ELCA), Moorhead, Minnesota, brings a
conscientiously critical eye to Lutheran liturgical and theological
studies. (In his introduction Fagerberg explains that the book
was written during his Lutheran pastorate, but is being published
after his entrance into Roman Catholicism.) Yet he also
opens up and underscores in an ecumenical context the real
value of a truly Lutheran theology in relationship to our
Lutheran liturgical heritage.
The relationship between worship and theology has been recognized
for centuries and in recent years has had renewed interest
in many circles. One needs only note the frequent references
to the phrase lex orandi . . . lex credendi (even by those who
never took a class in Latin!) in pastoral conferences and groups
discussing worship and evangelism. It is this phrase that Fagerberg
helps to clarify by distinguishing how the phrase is understood
in various Christian communions.
Fagerberg illustrates the distinctive ways in which theology
and liturgy are viewed in several mainline Christian denominations:
Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Orthodox.
Through his search for a method for understanding liturgical
theology, he draws numerous resources together that illustrate
denominational distinctives. Although it was not the intent of
his study, I appreciated Fagerberg’s ability to show the clarity and
distinctiveness of Luther’s theological method (and that of all
Lutherans who seek to follow Luther) in dealing with the liturgy.
Fagerberg differentiates three approaches to liturgical worship.
His pursuit throughout the book is to discover the unique
method of “liturgical theology” as distinct from “theologies of
worship” (illustrated by Regin Prenter and Vilmos Vajta) and
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“theologies from worship” (illustrated by Peter Brunner and
Geoffrey Wainwright). Fagerberg distinguishes the three concepts
in the following ways: “The concern of theology of worship
[practiced by Prenter and Vajta] is worship, while the concern
of liturgical theology is liturgical rite as an instantiation of
the Church’s lex orandi” (67). “[Brunner’s and Wainwright’s
works] exemplify theology from worship because of how they
go about their dogmatic task: they quarry a doctrine of worship
from the texts of the worship event. Having done so, they feel in
the position to offer theological critique of the event” (133).¹
Neither “theologies of” nor “theologies from” worship are precisely
what Fagerberg defines as liturgical theology, yet the distinction
is crucial for much of the worship discussion that
occurs in pastoral conferences and colloquiums on worship and
evangelism.
Fagerberg is asking a methodological question that, in many
ways, is not relevant to Lutherans. He repeatedly illustrates that
Lutherans do not have or practice a “liturgical theology.” Fagerberg
takes a stand that contradicts our distinctively Lutheran
practice by repeatedly arguing “Lex orandi establishes lex credendi
and not vice versa” (195). Such apparent irrelevance and
contradicting is quickly overlooked when he goes into his
detailed analysis of the three approaches toward the liturgy. As a
matter of fact, Fagerberg indirectly offers a gift that is extremely
beneficial for Lutherans as we cherish the theological heritage
that has affected and will continue to affect our worship practices
and vice versa. Others who desire to know what is happening
in ecumenical circles will also find that the methodological
inquiry about “liturgical theology” is informative.
The distinction between these three categories—liturgical
theology, theology of liturgy, and theology from liturgy—is the
essence of the book, although Fagerberg admits that his own
work actually falls into a fourth category, that is, an analysis and
observation of the methodology of “liturgical theology.” Aidan
Kavanagh’s On Liturgical Theology falls into this latter category
also, since it is not the liturgical event that is studied but “observations
about liturgical theology” (12).
A Brief Overview
After introducing his study, Fagerberg illustrates two theologies
of worship. He discusses the foundation studies on Luther’s theology
of worship by Regin Prenter² and by Vilmos Vajta.³ (Fagerberg’s
careful review and summary of these works alone are
worth the price of his book.) Fagerberg illustrates the difference