A Cultural Flip-flop

A CULTURAL FLIP-FLOP
From Koinonia, October, 2008

Did you feel it? A big change just occurred in the life of the Episcopal Church. No, it has nothing to do with Gene Robinson, or Lambeth Conference, or General Convention. It is much more important than any of those things, and it will affect us much more. It is a cultural reversal.

Through most of the twentieth century, we believed, and most Episcopalians still do believe, that our liturgy is our strength and our gift to the Christian world. In confidence, we expect that most Christians, if they will only attend our liturgy a time or two, will be captivated by it, and will respond to its allure indefinitely, long enough to become thoroughly immersed in our theology as well, which we know to be our true glory.

It worked for me, and for many of us. I can remember, in 1977, experiencing 1928 BCP Morning Prayer for the first time, having the awareness that I had no idea whatsoever what was going on, but knowing that I liked it. Familiarity and appreciation for the teaching of the church came more gradually.

So what’s wrong with that formula? Only that suddenly, and unexpectedly, it is no longer true. Oh, there are a few who “get” liturgical worship, even as young people. But by and large, younger adults in our culture are not only not attracted, but positively repelled, by our way of worship. They don’t understand it at all. It does not speak to them.

Yet our theology, Anglicanism’s peculiar grasp of the gospel message, does speak to contemporary Americans. We do not hold or teach any doctrine that could not be found in some other Christian body, Protestant or Catholic. It is our combination of key understandings of the church, catholic and reformed, that is unique. The world today needs desperately to hear that one does not have to be wack-o to be a Christian, and that heaven can actually be a large and festive place. It needs to know that Christians can be friendly and respectful of the created order and that science is neither our enemy nor God’s.

We must change our approach, however. We can no longer count on liturgy making sense of theology. We must find ways to help theology make sense of liturgy.