A Rule for Worship in the Twenty-First Century

By Robin G. Jordan

Since the Reformation orthodox Anglicans have sought to conform their worship to what they believe are the standards of the Bible. In this regard orthodox Anglicans have generally fallen into two schools of thought. The proponents of what is called the regulative principle argue that we should do only what the Bible clearly enjoins. The proponents of what is described as the normative principle argue that we may do what the Bible does not expressly forbid. If we carefully examine the history of Anglican Church from the Reformation on, we will discover a tension between these two schools of thought.

Both schools of thought have their weaknesses. In the application of the regulative principle flawed hermeneutics may be used to claim a Biblical mandate for a practice for which there is no command or precedence in Scripture. The fact that a passage’s author mentions a practice in the passage does not ensure that the author intended that others should follow the practice. There must be satisfactory evidence in the passage itself, in the surrounding passages, or elsewhere in the book, gospel, or epistle that the author was seeking to establish a precedence, one he expected others to follow.

In the application of the normative principle the absence of a specific prohibition may be used to justify a practice that conflicts with what the Bible teaches or which is at variance with Biblical practice. For example, the Bible does not explicitly prohibit the invocation of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon material objects like bread and wine and water. However, one will find no genuine example of this practice in the Bible. What one does find is the practice of invoking the descent of the Holy Spirit upon people.

In his First Letter to the Corinthians Paul stresses the importance of orderliness and edification in worship. What we do should be done in an orderly and reverent manner. It should edify, or build up, the Body of Christ. Paul also stresses that what we are doing should be understandable to the visitors to our gatherings. The same examination of Anglican Church history reveals an uneven application of these principles. We have tended to overemphasize the first of these three principles and have been spotty in our application of the second. We have frequently neglected the third. Because we understand what is going on, we are apt to assume that guests understand it too.

A number of other principles that are applicable to our worship can be garnered from Paul’s epistles. Two particularly warrant our attention.

1. Because we can does not mean we should. We may have latitude to employ certain practices in our worship but doing so may not be the wisest thing to do.

2. Consider the consciences of others. Under certain circumstances it is wise to defer to their scruples even though we realize that there is nothing wrong in what we are doing.

Our risen Lord, before he ascended to the right hand of the Father, gave the Great Commission to his first disciples and to his Church. He commanded us to make disciples of all peoples. Earlier in his earthly ministry he had given us what is known as the Great Commandment, summarizing the Law and the Prophets into two commandments—to love God and to love others. The Great Commission and the Great Commandment form together the overarching guiding principle for our worship. While giving expression to our love for God and our love for our fellow human beings, our worship should also serve the task that our Lord has entrusted to us. This principle enables us to put the other principles in perspective. What it entails is sacrificing our own preferences to accomplish the priorities that our Lord has set for us. The danger is that we will be tempted to replace them with priorities of own. But if our worship is truly to glorify God, it must not stray from these three priorities.