Abstract:
Two conceptual strands of research within the field of cathedral studies have theorised the
capacity of Anglican cathedrals to engage more successfully than parish churches with the
wider non-churchgoing community. One strand has explored mobilising cathedral
metaphors, and the other strand has explored the notion of implicit religion. Both strands
illuminate the power of events and installations to soften the boundaries between common
ground and sacred space. Drawing on a quantitative survey among 978 people who attended
the pre-Christmas son et lumiere at Liverpool Cathedral during December 2022, the present
study analyses the qualitative responses of 123 participants who never attend church
services. Three categories of themes emerged from these data, concerning the Cathedral
itself, the installation, and discordant experience.
CONTRIBUTION : Situated within the science of cathedral studies, this article draws on original
qualitative data to illuminate the experiences of participants who never attend church
services when engaging with the pre-Christmas son et lumiere at a major cathedral.
Conceptualised within the framework of implicit religion, these data confirmed how the son
et lumiere succeeded in softening boundaries between the sacred and the secular and
provided a deeply moving experience. As one participant said, ‘I am not religious, but I had
the best experience ever’.
Description:
DATA AVAILABILITY : Data are available from L.J.F., the corresponding author.
This research is part of the research project, ‘Biblical Theology and Hermeneutics’, directed by Prof. Dr Andries van Aarde, Post Retirement Professor and Senior Research Fellow in the Dean’s Office, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria.
