Many members, one body: A multilingual church in Central Australia
Many members, one body: A multilingual church in Central Australia Book Section
Language and Spirit: Exploring Languages, Religions and Spirituality in Australia Today
- Author(s): Moore, David
- Secondary Author(s): Moloney, Robyn, Mansour, Shenouda
- Published: 2022
- Publisher: Springer International Publishing
- ISBN: 978-3-030-93064-6
Abstract: The Alice Springs Lutheran Church is an unusual multilingual congregation. In the Northern Territory 30% of the population is Aboriginal, and speakers of Central Australian Aboriginal languages make up the majority of the Alice Springs congregation. Aboriginal languages are recognised in the church’s worship which alternates liturgy and hymns in Arrarnta and two languages of the Western Desert: Luritja and Pitjantjatjara. The church in Central Australia was started by South Australian Lutherans with German heritage, beginning at Hermannsburg mission station at Ntaria, in 1877. The United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia was vulnerable to persecution during the Second World War. The establishment of a base in Alice Springs was the first Lutheran Church in the Northern Territory. This paper explores the heritage of Lutheran engagement in language learning and translation and the impact of its heritage for congregational life in the Alice Springs Lutheran Church.
- Urls: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93064-6_7
- Publisher Location: Cham