When We Pray: The Future of Common Prayer

The essays in this volume from liturgists in mainstream Christian churches in Australia and New Zealand gladly acknowledge that when we pray, we join with others.

We share a history, a way of worshipping, often a common language and established forms, with authorised prayer books designed to retain the theological and liturgical emphases of the various churches. Yet it is a subject that can divide as well as unite; with a variety of experiences, attitudes and aspirations, especially in a world where forms of worship are readily accessible from internet sources.

If worship and prayer express what we believe, who authorises forms of worship; who determines the authenticity of liturgy; what principles underlie and surround how people of faith worship in formal gatherings? These are some of the issues that inform the essays in this practical and ecumenical resource.

Stephen Burns is a presbyter in the Church of England. He is Professor of Liturgical and Practical Theology at Pilgrim Theological College, Melbourne.

Robert Gribben AM is a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia. He is Professor Emeritus of the Uniting Church's theological faculty in Melbourne and an honorary Research Fellow of the University of Divinity.