In continuing Anglicanism one encounters all sorts of old school phrases that are quite fun to say aloud in an English accent. The 1940 Hymnal has notes indicating how a hymn should be sung. Some of these are:
- Unison, with Stately Movement
- Without Dragging
- With Serenity
- In Unison, with Vigor
Ritual Notes, the classic manual of anglo-catholic ceremonial, uses phrases such as:
" .... this is strictly forbidden..."
"... an unedifying amount of movement..."
"...as is sometimes improperly done..."
The 1928 BCP has its share of interesting phrases too, such as "it is meet and right so to do", and "fie on thee" (in the Psalter). Too me, these phrases are beautiful. They show how seriously every aspect of worship is to be taken, and/or are memorable and unique ways of expressing things. To those who want to change the language of the liturgy I say, "Fie on thee! So to do is strictly forbidden!"
Monday, January 31, 2005
Friday, January 28, 2005
Anniversary of the Denver Consecrations
Today is the 27th (I believe) anniversary of the Denver Consecrations, when Morse, Doren, Mote, and Watterson were consecrated the first bishops for the Anglican Church in North America. This was one of the beginnings of the continuing Church - the APA actually began a couple of years earlier. And the REC began almost 100 years earlier. Well, so obviously the bishops and the Church they founded back in Denver did not stay together. They could not work out differences with regard to divorced and remarried clergy, churchmanship, canon law, etc. And I think there were personality issues as well. I won't rehash all of the details... they hardly matter anymore. A lot of those people involved are either old, retired, or dead. They point is that the Church (and by this I mean the traditional Anglican continuing "churches") needs to move on into the 21st century with timeless truth of Jesus Christ. We are basically one Church that is morally and doctrinally, but not corporately, unified - thanks mainly to the bishops, who are supposed to be a sign and symbol of unity. It is a sad but true fact that a few bishops have really hindered the growth and ministry of the Church.
This is beginning to change. As we discussed before, there are good talks going on. The old guard is passing away, or passing into retirement. New people are taking over, and people - especially bishops - are beginning to realize that a "house divided cannot stand". That we have stood for so long is a testimony to God's grace, but we need to take this tremendous gift He has given us, and one that we must now consiously use for His glory. Egos must be put aside, and "he who would be greatest among you must be least." And I want to clarify that there have been many godly continuing bishops over the years. They have served the Lord with gladness, and Jesus will say to them one day, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
We should take this day to remember our clergy in our prayers, and especially our bishops. I am sure that Satan wants to "sift them like wheat", so we need to pray to Jesus that He would minister to them and protect them. And we need to continue to pray for unity, and ask our leaders about it, and promote it at diocesan and provincial meetings, and so on. Innumberable benefits come from unity! May we be one as God and Christ are one!
This is beginning to change. As we discussed before, there are good talks going on. The old guard is passing away, or passing into retirement. New people are taking over, and people - especially bishops - are beginning to realize that a "house divided cannot stand". That we have stood for so long is a testimony to God's grace, but we need to take this tremendous gift He has given us, and one that we must now consiously use for His glory. Egos must be put aside, and "he who would be greatest among you must be least." And I want to clarify that there have been many godly continuing bishops over the years. They have served the Lord with gladness, and Jesus will say to them one day, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
We should take this day to remember our clergy in our prayers, and especially our bishops. I am sure that Satan wants to "sift them like wheat", so we need to pray to Jesus that He would minister to them and protect them. And we need to continue to pray for unity, and ask our leaders about it, and promote it at diocesan and provincial meetings, and so on. Innumberable benefits come from unity! May we be one as God and Christ are one!
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Lectionary for Mass
In almost all cases, the parishes in my jursidiction use the 1928 BCP and/or the American or Anglican Missal (the 1928 BCP mass and propers are included in the missal). There are some parishes which have joined us recently from ECUSA that have been given a dispensation to use Rite II in the short term. One of the advantage of the 1979 BCP is that it uses the 3-year lectionary. The 1928 has a one year lectionary, so you do not cover as much scripture during mass. Now, if a person reads morning and evening prayer in the 1928, and goes to mass regularly, he will cover most of the Bible. But many parishioners do not read morning and evening prayer on their own. They just pray, maybe do some spiritual reading on the side, and come to mass on Sundays. They may not be disciplined, or not be very "proficient", but that is what they do. That is a problem. And the Church has to respond to that. So I think a 3-year mass lectionary is a good thing to have. It gets people to hear more of the scriptures.
My jurisdiction allows the use of the 3-year lectionary with the 1928 BCP. And while I think this is a step in the right direction, I do not think it is a perfect solution just yet. The reason I think that is because the Collects in the 1928 BCP, and the mass readings and readings for the daily office are all supposed to "go together" in theme and sentiment. The 1979 BCP changes the order of the collects around, and so has some slightly different readings. Put another way, the 79 readings and collects all "match", and the 28 readings and collects all "match", but when you mix them up a slight disconnect occurs. It may be relatively minor, but it is still important. The lectionary readings were chosen for a reason, so randomly combining and switching them is not very wise in my judgement.
What I think my province - and others - should consider doing is authorizing some of the 1928 daily office readings to be read as alternatives for mass. So a priest would have three epistles, three gospels, and some OT readings to choose from.... though we continuers do not really have "OT" readings in our liturgies. That way we would still be using the 1928 lectionary. (Isn't it somewhat hypocritical to say the 79 BCP is "revisionist", but we will still use its lectionary, or other parts if it suits us?) Either that, or several of the continuing provinces need to create a new lectionary to serve our pastoral needs. But again, mixing and matching is not very wise in my judgement.
My jurisdiction allows the use of the 3-year lectionary with the 1928 BCP. And while I think this is a step in the right direction, I do not think it is a perfect solution just yet. The reason I think that is because the Collects in the 1928 BCP, and the mass readings and readings for the daily office are all supposed to "go together" in theme and sentiment. The 1979 BCP changes the order of the collects around, and so has some slightly different readings. Put another way, the 79 readings and collects all "match", and the 28 readings and collects all "match", but when you mix them up a slight disconnect occurs. It may be relatively minor, but it is still important. The lectionary readings were chosen for a reason, so randomly combining and switching them is not very wise in my judgement.
What I think my province - and others - should consider doing is authorizing some of the 1928 daily office readings to be read as alternatives for mass. So a priest would have three epistles, three gospels, and some OT readings to choose from.... though we continuers do not really have "OT" readings in our liturgies. That way we would still be using the 1928 lectionary. (Isn't it somewhat hypocritical to say the 79 BCP is "revisionist", but we will still use its lectionary, or other parts if it suits us?) Either that, or several of the continuing provinces need to create a new lectionary to serve our pastoral needs. But again, mixing and matching is not very wise in my judgement.
Monday, January 24, 2005
People Still Love Traditional Anglicanism
This past weekend my girlfriend came to mass with me for the first time. She was raised in a very devout Mennonite family, and had never experienced the Anglican rite before. More important, she hasn't been to church in a while. Anyway, she loved it. She loved all of the symbolism, the formality, the dignity, and the language. The sermon - a strongly prolife sermon - was a bit short, she thought (about 10 minutes), but she had no negative comments about the subject matter. She said that the people were extremely friendly and nice. And more important, she wants to come back and maybe take the rector's study on the church year that he'll soon be offering.
This affirms more and more to me just how "relevant" (I hate that word) traditional Christianity - the true gospel of Jesus Christ - and the sacred liturgy of the church is to people today. They just need to be exposed to it. They need to be invited to mass, and we need to boldy proclaim who we are and why we are here. "We are Anglicans, and we are here to worship and glorify the Triune God, and to proclaim the faith 'once dleivbered to the saints'." When we focus on that mission - the Great Commission - people will come. Our Lord said, "I, when I am lifted up, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32)
This affirms more and more to me just how "relevant" (I hate that word) traditional Christianity - the true gospel of Jesus Christ - and the sacred liturgy of the church is to people today. They just need to be exposed to it. They need to be invited to mass, and we need to boldy proclaim who we are and why we are here. "We are Anglicans, and we are here to worship and glorify the Triune God, and to proclaim the faith 'once dleivbered to the saints'." When we focus on that mission - the Great Commission - people will come. Our Lord said, "I, when I am lifted up, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32)
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Reading for Orders 2
If a postulant must read for orders, the appropriate diocesen or provincal authorities should designate an official reading program. Areas that should be covered include philosophy; fundamental theology; philosophical anthropology; theological anthropology; christology; Old Testament (Pentateuch); Prophets; Poetical Books; Synpotic Gospels; Pauline literature; Catholic Epistles; ecclesiology; moral theology; philosophical ethics; social ethics; Greek; Latin; maybe Hebrew; Liturgy; Sacraments of Initiation; Eucharist; Orders; Penance and Annointing; Church History; and more.... There are too many to list.
They need to designate specific, in-print books. Sadly, many important Anglican books are out of print... such as Shepherd's Prayer Book Commmentary. So new books must either be used or written. Raymond Brown's "Introduction to the New Testament" is a great book to use, for example. I think reading Copleston's "History of Philosophy", or even Bertrand Russell's would be good - clergy need to be philosophically informed. All areas of systematics should be studied with reference to both the Church Fathers and modern scholarship. Wacko writers, such as feminist scholars, should be read as well.
The person reading for orders needs to have strong leadership throughout the process. His mentor must meet with him regularly and discuss the readings, ask various questions, assign papers, and so forth. And a regular schedule must be followed. The person reading for orders should do so within a timeframe, so that, like the person in a traditional seminary, he knows when he'll be finished his studies. People who read for orders are often very sincere, and pursue Holy Orders at great expense fo time and energy, so they should not be jerked around.
Indeed, reading for orders can be as complex for the candidate's mentor as it can be for the candidate himself! But it can be exciting too! A lot can be learned through theological discussions - sitting at a pub and discussing theology with someone who is very learned, for example.
They need to designate specific, in-print books. Sadly, many important Anglican books are out of print... such as Shepherd's Prayer Book Commmentary. So new books must either be used or written. Raymond Brown's "Introduction to the New Testament" is a great book to use, for example. I think reading Copleston's "History of Philosophy", or even Bertrand Russell's would be good - clergy need to be philosophically informed. All areas of systematics should be studied with reference to both the Church Fathers and modern scholarship. Wacko writers, such as feminist scholars, should be read as well.
The person reading for orders needs to have strong leadership throughout the process. His mentor must meet with him regularly and discuss the readings, ask various questions, assign papers, and so forth. And a regular schedule must be followed. The person reading for orders should do so within a timeframe, so that, like the person in a traditional seminary, he knows when he'll be finished his studies. People who read for orders are often very sincere, and pursue Holy Orders at great expense fo time and energy, so they should not be jerked around.
Indeed, reading for orders can be as complex for the candidate's mentor as it can be for the candidate himself! But it can be exciting too! A lot can be learned through theological discussions - sitting at a pub and discussing theology with someone who is very learned, for example.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Reading for Orders 1
This can be a hairy topic to get into, but I am going to give it a try. I have known several priests - both good and bad - who have read for orders. "Reading for orders" means that instead of completing a formal seminary training/educational program, the candidate for Holy Orders reads all of the books (or types of books) that one would read in seminary under the direction of a priest appointed by the bishop or some other authority. He is still responsible for passing all of the canonical exams, and basically has to do everything a seminarian does for te rest of his formation.... i.e. volunteer at his parish, sit in on various meetings, learn the basics of liturgics, and more. Reading for orders is ideal for men who have not completed college, or for some good reason were not able to go to college. It is also good for men who cannot, because of family and work commitements, attend a seminary. Further, it can be a godsend for those who wish to become priests but do not live near any theologate.
To briefly compare and contrast this approach with seminary from a traditional Anglican perspective, I find at three things worth mentioning. 1) Good and bad priests go to seminary and read for orders alike. Going to seminary doesn't necessarily mean a priest will have orthodox, pastoral theology, and reading for orders doesn't mean a priest will be a dunce or theological buffoon. 2) The contemporary continuing Anglican priest needs to learn all of the traditional liturgical ceremonial, and this is not taught in any seminaries anymore. The manual acts of the priest, and how to say mass, has to be taught by another priest who knows how to do it from way back when. So going to seminary will be little help in terms of learning to lead various liturgies (there are some small exceptions, such as learning how to do benediction, which may still be learned at a Roman seminary because they still do it pretty much in the old school way). It is learned in the parish. 3) Success in seminary or in reading for orders, as well as in ministry and in all other areas of life, depends on how seriously the individual takes it.
To briefly compare and contrast this approach with seminary from a traditional Anglican perspective, I find at three things worth mentioning. 1) Good and bad priests go to seminary and read for orders alike. Going to seminary doesn't necessarily mean a priest will have orthodox, pastoral theology, and reading for orders doesn't mean a priest will be a dunce or theological buffoon. 2) The contemporary continuing Anglican priest needs to learn all of the traditional liturgical ceremonial, and this is not taught in any seminaries anymore. The manual acts of the priest, and how to say mass, has to be taught by another priest who knows how to do it from way back when. So going to seminary will be little help in terms of learning to lead various liturgies (there are some small exceptions, such as learning how to do benediction, which may still be learned at a Roman seminary because they still do it pretty much in the old school way). It is learned in the parish. 3) Success in seminary or in reading for orders, as well as in ministry and in all other areas of life, depends on how seriously the individual takes it.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Seminary Ideas
Here are some basic ideas I want to throw out for a viable traditional Anglican seminary. For the basic foundations of a seminary you need an OT professor, a NT professor, a philosophy professor, a church history professor, and maybe 2-3 systematics professors (liturgics, general/fundamental theology, moral theology). They should all be in orders, and have pastoral experience. Pastoral theology can be taught by them through practicums, retreats, etc., as well as through their courses (i.e. how philosophical principles trickle down into everyday pastoral experience). They should all have earned Ph.Ds, or something very close, in their field. They do not necessarily have to be published writers, or "famous" scholars - pastor/scholars or pastor/teachers is closer to the mark. They should be in the traditional Anglican world (e.g. continuum, AMiA, FiFNa, etc.). A town needs to be located where a suitable facility may be purchased for use, such as Boston or Newark. One of the Catholic/Episcopal churches that are being closed in those areas could be bought (rectory and all) and used for classes, housing, and liturgy. An urban location that is also relatively affordable is essential. Students could live on or off campus at first, and then eventually (perhaps) they would be required tolive on campus. There obviously needs to be an endowment of sorts, and the tutors would need a way to make an income until the seminary was self-sustaining... perhaps by assisting at a local parish or doing chaplaincy work. The seminary should be open to all students of the continuum and other traditions (unlike the APCK one). Anyone who pays, and wishes to abide by the house rules should be invited to take classes. Though, it should be noted for those folk that the purpose of the seminary is to train pastors in the Anglican tradition - it's purpose is to serve the Church. It should eventually seek accredidation. It should not be a place for huge egos, or the fiefdom of some megalomaniac priest. And obviously it needs a small administration to oversee fundraising, classes, scheduling, etc. There would be daily mass and offices.
Organ-ization
We have probably the worst organ in the entire universe at my parish. It sounds like something you'd hear in an episode of "Tales from the Darkside". It is some relic from the 50's, I think, with vacuum tubes that are no longer made. Well, we finally approved the process to buy a new organ! Thanks be to God! In a continuing Anglican parish there simply must be a good music program/organ. We have too much music in our liturgy for there to be a bad instrument. Lord willing, our new organ will be installed in no more than a year. We want to raise 80% of the funds before buying. God will not bless reckless spending!
Now if we could just plan to get a nnew organist in a few years. We have a very sweet old lady that plays, but she always plays the Willan service... and I get so tired of hearing it. So does the rector, but he wants to tread carefully here, as organists are hard to find. We are lucky to have one at all. Anyway, she is a pianist by training, which also has its own problems, and she never uses the pedals. She often shows up five minutes before the service begins, and freqeuntly messes up the "Gloria Tibi", "Laus Tibi", and other standard old school Anglican pieces - which she plays every single Sunday! I just don't know how one could mess up pieces that are played so frequently! So, we have to see about replacing her later down the road.
But for now I a jjust thrilled that we are getting rid of our Dracula organ! Thank you blessed Jesus!
Now if we could just plan to get a nnew organist in a few years. We have a very sweet old lady that plays, but she always plays the Willan service... and I get so tired of hearing it. So does the rector, but he wants to tread carefully here, as organists are hard to find. We are lucky to have one at all. Anyway, she is a pianist by training, which also has its own problems, and she never uses the pedals. She often shows up five minutes before the service begins, and freqeuntly messes up the "Gloria Tibi", "Laus Tibi", and other standard old school Anglican pieces - which she plays every single Sunday! I just don't know how one could mess up pieces that are played so frequently! So, we have to see about replacing her later down the road.
But for now I a jjust thrilled that we are getting rid of our Dracula organ! Thank you blessed Jesus!
Thursday, January 06, 2005
The Incredible Shrinking Church
I have been to a "prominent" continuing church's website recently - won't mention any names - and see that they have the same people serving as clergy in their diocese as when I was in that denomination three years ago. Even the old geezers who were supposed to have retired are out working in parishes. It is sad, not because these men are old (on the contrary, it is great that they are willing to continue serving the Lord), but because it shows that the church hasn't grown much at all in three years. They have no vocations that result in ordination, no new parishes, etc. The postulants who were there when I was a member of that denomination are nowhere to be found. If a church, diocese, or parish is not growing - at least slowly, and if people's lives are not being changed for the good... i.e. people are not drawing closer to God through the redemptive love of Jesus Christ, then something is seriously wrong. In such a case they need to search their souls and spend a great deal of time in prayer asking God what to do, and asking God to bless their ministry for His glory.
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