I am what I ritualise: identity, theology, and liturgy in secular context

Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK are often described as secular countries, as exemplified by the increasing numbers of unaffiliated and disaffiliated Christians – or the “nones” and “dones”.

Despite this cultural phenomenon, liturgical scholar the Reverend Canon Dr Lizette Larson-Miller says interest in religion remains high, but there has been a shift from people celebrating official liturgies communally, to widespread individualisation as people engage in parallel expressions of a continuing ritual desire.

This month Dr Larson-Miller will present an online public lecture hosted by the ACU Centre for Liturgy on the topic: I am what I ritualise: identity, theology, and liturgy in secular context.

The public lecture on Monday 8 May will explore the implications of a society where the dominant culture and the church are not in sync, and where religious practices in the domestic church – the household or family – and those in the official church no longer closely align.

Dr Larson-Miller will also explore the ramifications of virtual liturgies, and how post-COVID, continued accessibility to them in the online world has encouraged individualised curation and commodification of ritual expressions. Monday 8 May, 10am-11.30am AEST via Zoom.