The Labyrinth, Postmodernity and Ritual

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Concluding Remarks

The Labyrinth is an example of ritualisation as strategic practice in postmodern times. The times are characterised by an increased hunger for spirituality and decline in institutional religion. Consumption and communication and information technologies (CITs) shape the way 'tourists' and 'pilgrims' treat religion as a cultural resource to weave into the meaning routes they construct to negotiate their way through life.

The Labyrinth offered as a resource in this way is a strategic part of alternative worship groups' approach to inculturating the Gospel. The use of ritual is an effective means for negotiating change both within the church tradition and its power relations and for the transformation of individuals who walk the labyrinth. Just as the trickster crosses boundaries, disturbing notions of truth and property, the Labyrinth's blend of ancient, contemporary and the everyday opens the possibility of new worlds in the heart of the Christian tradition. The Labyrinth in this respect is a prophetic sign of hope for Christian spiritual practice in postmodern times.

This is an edited extract from 'The Labyrinth - Ritualisation as Strategic Practice in Postmodern Times' by J.M. Baker, a dissertation produced as part of the MA (Youth Ministry) course at King's College, University of London

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