Liberating Rites: Understanding The Transformative Power Of Ritual - Softcover

Driver, Tom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0813334551 ISBN 13: 9780813334554

Publisher: Westview Press, 1997

Synopsis

Originally published as The Magic of Ritual.In his introduction to Liberating Rites, Tom Driver writes, “At its most elemental level, this book is a response to what I shall call ‘ritual boredom.' This is a condition in which people have become fundamentally weary of rituals available to them for giving their lives shape and meaning.” Driver proceeds to illuminate ritual anew by removing it from its liturgical wrappings and presenting it as something raw, basic, and central to all living beings. He then examines the varied ways humans use ritual to give order to their lives, to provide a sense of security and control, especially in the face of extreme danger (witness the new wave of pilgrimage to Oklahoma City federal building's fenced-off shell). From there, Driver looks closely at how ritual creativity and performance are central to enacting religious beliefs and how rituals serve to transform individuals into members of communities.

About this title

About the Author

Tom F. Driver is the Paul Tillich Professor of Theology and Culture Emeritus at Union Theological Seminary, New York. His life-long interests in theology, theater, and human liberation have come together in his studies of ritual.

Edition details

• Publisher: Westview Press
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813334551
• ISBN 13: 9780813334554
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 270