Alexander Schmemann

Fr. Alexander Schmemann continues to influence liturgical and sacramental theologies some thirty-five years after his death. Despite the wide acceptance within Protestant circles of his timeless classic, For the Life of the World, there has been relatively little written about him from an ecumenical context. This volume of collected essays seeks to explore his theological legacy and further his work. With essays from leading scholars such as David Fagerberg, Bruce Morrill, Joyce Zimmerman, and more, this volume is meant for both teachers and students of liturgical and sacramental theology. In an effort to introduce Schmemann to a wider audience and to celebrate his work through meaningful engagement and dialogue, contributors come from a wide variety of ecclesiastical backgrounds: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Free Church, and more. ＂＂The Eucharist is therefore the manifestation of the Church as the new aeon; it is participation in the Kingdom as the parousia, as the presence of the Resurrected and Resurrecting Lord. It is not the ’repetition’ of His advent or coming into the world, but the lifting up of the Church into His parousia, the Church’s participation in His heavenly glory.＂＂ Fr. Alexander Schmemann, Introduction to Liturgical Theology, p. 72. ＂＂We have waited too long for exactly this book! Alexander Schmemann was, without question, the most profound liturgical theologian of the twentieth century. Yet, though his writings are eminently relevant to the church in general, up to this point they have been seriously engaged almost exclusively by fellow members of his Orthodox tradition and by members of one of the other ’higher’ liturgical traditions. Here, at last, we have a truly ecumenical engagement with Schmemann’s thought. Top scholars from a variety of ecclesiastical traditions offer illuminating interpretations of Schmemann’s texts, subject his thought to critique when that seems relevant, and then use his ideas in their own theological reflections on liturgy. Altogether, a superb contribution to the cause of liturgical theology.＂＂ --Nicholas Wolterstorff, Yale University ＂＂In this collection, Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Reformed, and Evangelical essayists consider the life, work, and thought of Alexander Schmemann, whose contributions to sacramental theology, liturgical and pastoral reflection, and ecumenical engagement remain pertinent today. Readers familiar with Fr. Alexander will find here new interpretations by authors of different generations, while those not yet acquainted will come to understand the Orthodox theologian’s connections between theology, liturgy, life, Church, and world.＂＂ --Karen B. Westerfield Tucker, Boston University ＂＂Porter Taylor assembles an expansive ecumenical group of authors, often from unexpected corners of Christianity, to connect, challenge, and extend Schmemann’s work into encounters with new research and questions. What better way to honor such a foundational figure in the field of liturgical theology?＂＂ --Lizette Larson-Miller, Huron University ＂＂For over fifty years, serious students of Christian worship have been stirred by the writings of the late Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmemann. This volume of equally outstanding essays not only pays tribute to his intellectual legacy, but also advances exciting new lines of inquiry for the next generation of ecumenical liturgical theologians who seek to follow in his footsteps.＂＂ --Melanie C. Ross, Yale Divinity School ＂＂We Give Our Thanks Unto Thee, edited by Porter C. Taylor, brings together essays that honor Fr. Alexander Schmemann, both with its title, most apt for a eucharistic man, but also by means of its rich content. Roman Catholic, Reformed, Anglican, various evangelicals, and, of course, Orthodox join in offering perspectives by which we can better appreciate the light that continues to radiate to diverse places from this remarkable thinker and pastor, since

Porter C. Taylor is a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen where he is writing his dissertation on liturgical theology. He is a priest in the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh and serves at Church of the Apostles, Kansas City as Theologian in Residence. Porter lives in Kansas with his wife, Rebecca, and their three sons. His work can be found on his website www.porterctaylor.com