The Flash Mob as Postmodern Ritual: Implications for Liturgy
by Rev. Jennifer Weetman, BA, MDiv, STM (Doctoral Student in Homiletics, Emmanuel College)
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Is ritual in postmodernity dead? Have examples of ritual
been reduced to mere ritualized behavior, like the rush hour commute, or
limited to explicitly religious ritual like liturgy? Does ritual itself have
the ability to carry any weight, any depth of meaning and affective impact, in
a secular postmodern context? And, if so, what can we learn from it that
translates into faithful and effective liturgical ritual? Join us, as we
explore these questions (and more!) through the lens of the flash mob.
Rev. Jennifer Weetman, BA, MDiv, STM, is a doctoral student
in homiletics at Emmanuel College and a Lutheran (ELCA) pastor. Following
theological studies at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, she served
congregations in New Jersey, Georgia and California. She was the winner of the
national David H. C. Read Preacher/Scholar Award, and wrote her STM thesis on biblical
hermeneutics, preaching, and the ways in which sermon audiences hear pericope texts in worship.
