(Excerpt) Among Lutherans liturgical inculturation is not a novelty. When Martin Luther translated the Latin liturgy into German and adopted popular songs for church services, he embarked on liturgica..
(Excerpt) Among Lutherans liturgical inculturation is not a novelty. When Martin Luther translated the Latin liturgy into German and adopted popular songs for church services, he embarked on liturgical inculturation. The vernacular, unlike Latin, is a living language and is thus a sure vehicle of culture. It expresses the people's thought and behavioral patterns and is an established bearer of their values and institutions. In short, the use of the vernacular in the liturgy is in itself a sign that inculturation has taken place.