Joyful Silence in the Liturgical Practices of Ghanaian Christianity

Noise and silence are both integral parts of Christian liturgy. The focus of this paper was to carry out an appraisal of silence in the liturgical activities of Christians in Ghana and its effect on the spiritual as well as environmental health of Kumasi. Using the descriptive approach, the liturgical celebrations of some selected churches from all five strands in Kumasi Metropolis were assessed. The study revealed that silent liturgies exist among the churches in the metropolis, even though the degree of emphasis varies from one strand to another. Also, some of the strands belittle the significance of silence in the liturgy primarily due to their misunderstanding and misinterpretation of scriptures relating to noise and silence. The study thus recommends proper theological and religious education to sensitize Christians on the contextual interpretation of the Bible. Keywords: Silence, Joyful silence, liturgy, Ghanaian Christianity