Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Is the Church of England ashamed to preach Christ crucified?


The Church of England is experimenting with a new baptism liturgy (Common Worship on the left; alternative 'experimental' texts on the right). The 'Liverpool Motion' gives the background to the innovation. Essentially, clergy were worried that many of those requesting or participating in services of baptism had little or no understanding of some of theological and historical points of reference. They asked for alternatives to be developed in "culturally appropriate and accessible language".

His Grace was initially relatively chilled about this: after all, the moment you translate Scripture you concede the need to adapt; the moment you modernise you concede the need to trend. Millennia of scriptural evolution have seen shifts from Classical to Mishnaic Hebrew; from Hebrew to Koine Greek; from Greek to Latin; and from Latin to Middle English, Elizabethan English, and thence to a plethora of modern English versions (New Revised Standard, Modern Literal, New American Standard, New International, New Living, Good News etc., etc., etc.)

If Scripture may mutate into the vernacular in order to facilitate the comprehension of sound doctrine and the plan of salvation, it stands to reason the liturgy might also reasonably adapt: those who prefer the Book of Common Prayer 1662 are (sadly) a dwindling minority. This was supplanted by the Alternative Service Book (1980), which was itself supplanted by Common Worship (2000). And let us not pretend that BCP 1662 was the first draft: the version of 1549 was adapted in 1552 and again in 1604 in order to make it more 'common'. If you create a 'Liturgy Commission', cram it with the prosaic, and then ask a democratic Synod to approve it, you can't complain if the result is banal and wishy-washy. Keep reading

Also see
Church of England Responds to Criticism That It Is Dumbing Down Baptism Service Wording
Sin? People think it's about sex and cream cakes, says Archdeacon in baptism service row

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