Occasional Practitioners and the Concerns of Ritual Experts

Abstract This chapter explores the lived liturgical theologies of occasional religious practitioners with a focus on how non-expert participants in this research speak into themes that are significant for ritual experts, including God, tradition, and ethics. The participants in this research tend to describe God in general terms as “something more”; to value “tradition” as a source of history, continuity, and stability; and to connect worship and ethics through the desire to be “good people” and a sense that occasional participation in Christian worship can contribute to this goal. The insights of participants in relation to these themes point to how dialogue with occasional practitioners can challenge and enrich liturgical theological reflection.