Papers in this session engage theologies of neighborliness, diversity, and solidarity in matters of worship and translation.
2026 marks the 500th commemoration of Martin Luther’s 1526 Deutsche Messe, and so whether through Luther and the Wittenberg Reformers' commitment to worship in the vernacular German, embodied catechesis, or sacramental practice, the DM helped shape Lutheran theology in enduring ways. Luther's own translation work—whether of biblical texts or in matters of worship—also prompts us to ask: What role does language or translation play in matters of embodied theology in diverse and global contexts?
Our first paper engages the theme of neighborly theology in baptism and the mass. The second looks at Luther's own theology of translation and its relation to moral commitments of solidarity. Finally, our last paper examines contemporary debates about the use of vernacular languages for worship in Adivasi (indigenous) Lutheran churches in North India.
The year 1526 was an important one for Luther’s liturgical reforms, with the publication of both the Deutsche Messe (German Mass) and the newly revised Taufbüchlein (Baptismal Booklet). Both these texts deal with ritual practices that incarnate and externalize Luther’s neighbourly theology (the move from freedom to service, which are the ethical implications of Luther’s Christology) by (1) prioritizing contextualization that prevents imposing uniformity, (2) making practices accessible to people across the spectrum of faith development, and (3) seeking unity and familiarity when they are done in love. This paper investigates how Luther’s liturgical reforms are concrete examples of Luther’s neighbourly theology and can continue to impact the proclamation of the gospel today. Embodying Luther’s neighbourly theology may mean expanding liturgical practices beyond inherited practices, keeping Luther's concerns in mind, so that freedom, unity, and love are held together in practice – “to the glory of God and the neighbor’s good.”
In his 1530 writing “On Translation: An Open Letter,” Martin Luther offers a theologically and morally rich account of translating the Gospel. Faithful translation concerns the accurate rendering of words into new languages, but it includes more. For Luther, faithful translation is also grounded in a theological commitment to Jesus as the Word made flesh and in a moral commitment in which the translator seeks life together with those to whom she translates. Taken together, these commitments result in Gospel speaking that is faithful, understandable, and lively. This form of translation is evident in Luther’s sermons and biblical commentaries. It is also evident in the 20th century preaching of Helmut Thielicke and the contemporary liturgical poetry of Meta Herrick Carlson.
This paper examines contemporary debates about the use of vernacular languages for worship in Adivasi (indigenous) Lutheran churches in North India, attending to the material implications of linguistic diversity for ecclesial unity and evangelism. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork, I argue that the material investments required to support vernacular language use in multilingual contexts strengthen churches and create unity through a shared imagination of reproducible vitality.