CONTRA FATUM

Robert Barclay. In his doctoral thesis from April 2011, Yasuharu Nakano offers a compelling reading of Robert Barclay's thinking and its implications for contemporary theology (get it here ). Nakano discusses Barclay's historical background from Augustine to the reformers, and the debate between Calvinism and Arminianism, as well as his later reception in Evangelical and Liberal Quakerism. He also relates aspects of Barclay's thought to contemporary debates on pacifism and ecclesiology, e.g. Yoder and Hauerwas.

"Liturgy (Greek: λειτουργία) is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions." (Wikipedia) "“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes." (Luke 12:35-37) What is the function of liturgy? Why do people in Church play music, sing songs? Why sometimes dress in certain ways, put up pictures, use certain symbols and so on? What is the right way of doing worship? Such questions are eagerly discussed nowadays.