The Episcopal Church Acted Against Its Best Interests When It Re-wrote The Traditional Book of Common Prayer

The change in the Prayer Book is the result of many influences, and it came upon us like lightning.

There is a saying that in every large organization 5 percent of the people make things happen, 5 percent of the people prevent things from happening and 90 percent of the people say, "What happened?" I think this was the reaction of the membership at large of the Church when the General Convention approved the new Prayer Book, and at the same time made every effort possible to eliminate the traditional Prayer Book.

I obtained a can of Coca-Cola today from a machine. You may remember that in 1985 the Coca-Cola Company wanted to increase their sales and improve their profits, so they came out with "New" Coca-Cola.

Immediately , there was such an outburst of grief and rage that they did what any sensible corporation would do. The Board of Directors announced that they would drop "New" Coca-Cola, and bring back Classic Coca-Cola, and this is what we have today, 17 years later- "Classic Coca-Cola".

The Coca-Cola Company did what any normal corporation would do. They acted with reason, discretion, common sense, and a concern for the bottom line.

Their action was absolutely contrary to what the leaders of our Church have done. The new Prayer Book was prepared. Trial services were held, meeting overwhelming disapproval. The delegates and bishops at the General Convention had already made up their minds; they were going to produce a new Prayer Book, regardless.

Church Leadership Ignores Traditional Episcopalians

The Prayer Book Society (PBS) at that time attempted to object and raise concerns. Some very intelligent members of our Board prepared theological and philosophical criticisms of the new Prayer Book and the changes involved, and sent them to the Liturgical Commission before the new book was approved.

We were totally ignored. There was not even a reply. The 1976 convention on the first reading approved the new Prayer Book.

The PBS knew that we had to take stronger measures. We brought in the services of George Gallup, the national pollster. Part of the Gallup Polling Company was a separate body, the Institute on Religion in America. Gallup was very knowledgeable and has statistics of great volume on the subject of religion in America.

Laity Opposes new Prayer Book by 3 to 1

The PBS commissioned Gallup to conduct two polls: the laity and the clergy. The result was overwhelming disapproval-at least 3 to 1 - by the laity of the new book. Even though it had been already adopted on the first reading, the laity, by an overwhelming margin of 7 to 1 wanted to continue using the classic Prayer Book. On the other hand, there was an approval rating of 8 to 1 by the clergy of the new book. There was a huge rift between the laity and the clergy of the Church.

We presented these findings to the leadership of the Church. They totally disregarded them. We met with Presiding Bishop John Allin. He said to us, "We're prepared to lose 200,000 members. We're prepared to take that loss into account." Now, this is the chief shepherd of the flock speaking!

Church Loses One-Third of Its Membership after Prayer Book Revision

The result was that the Episcopal Church lost 1,200,000 members- one-third of its membership- and probably more. The highest point we reached in membership before the Prayer Book controversy was 3.6 million. We're roughly now at 2.4 million. Knowing the way statistics are kept, there's probably a 20 percent erosion in those figures. To ignore the strongly held feelings of the laity was a tremendous act of folly on the part of the leadership of the Episcopal Church.

A very interesting book was written by a great historian, Barbara Tuchman, "The March of Folly". In this book she chronicled events in the history of the world, showing how a great institution like a church or a nation can act in a totally foolish way. She defined folly as "deliberately following programs and policies that are contrary to the interest of the institution represented, where there are feasible alternatives."

For instance, she chronicled the Renaissance papacy, which was a period of terrible degeneration in the leadership of the Western Church. Immorality, dishonesty...foolishness were persisted in for years, and finally resulted in the Protestant secession.

Another area of folly she chronicled was the Vietnam War. She traced it from the beginning with our aid to the French because of the influence of General De Gaulle, until the very end, when we ignominiously had to withdraw.

A third area was the loss of the American colonies by the British government. It acted contrary to the efforts of the best statesman in Parliament, William Pitt and Edmund Burke, who opposed the war. The king and the dominating power in the House of Lords, the Privy Council, ignored all their wise and cautious words and acted foolishly all the way through.

The destruction of the Book of Common Prayer by the Episcopal Church fits that model of folly. It was an action contrary to the best interests of the Church where there were alternatives possible- carried out by the people who, for one reason or another, believed they were doing the right thing, in spite of all evidence to the contrary.

Renewed,Comforted, Forgiven

The classic Prayer Book contains all the elements of worship: praise, thanksgiving, sacrifice, penitence. Through its use we can give up ourselves for an hour of two and receive God's Spirit, and then go back to our busy or humdrum lives refreshed, renewed, comforted, forgiven, and inspired. This is what the purpose of worship is. It is meant to be an experience that is not marred by conflict.

In previous revisions by the Episcopal Church, a resolution was adopted by General Convention that there should be no change in the doctrine of the Prayer Book. Only the language was to be updated. In the Episcopal Church's revisions of 1892 and 1928 this was done. No such resolution was adopted regarding the revision of the 1979 Prayer Book. The result was a radical change, not only in the language, but also in the doctrine.

Tyranny of the Minority

A small cabal of bishops, seminary professors, and clergy took control of the Liturgical Commission and General Convention and forced the new Prayer Book on the Church.

This is the core of our problem:The Episcopal Church is not a democratic organization. It is an episcopal church. That name is well chosen. The chief pastor is the bishop, and for good or ill, that is the way it goes. The laity have a very limited role: to pray and pay. The bishops and the clergy lead the church. This works well, unless they go off the rails.

General Convention is not really a democratic organization. Contrary to common belief, it is not similar to the United States government. It is said that the House of Bishops is like the Senate and the House of Deputies like the House of Representatives, but this is not so. In the Church, there is no separation of powers and no Supreme Court. In the Episcopal Church, the House of Bishops can pass anything they want. The clerical and lay deputies have little power.

The Presiding Bishop is primarily ceremonial, while the real power is in the House of Bishops. The House of Deputies is controlled by the Bishops, who are responsible for the selection of most of them. Most of the deputies either work for or are close to their bishop. This is why it has been so difficult for the laity to be heard in the face of this strong central power.

Severe Financial Downturn

In the long run, the Prayer Book revision has caused the Church to lose more than one-third of her members. This has had severe financial results; more and more dioceses are facing declining incomes. They are selling off property and assets. But this source of funds will soon run out.

Also, without a strong spiritual biblical emphasis, we don't attract the young people. The young married people, many of whom are starting families, are looking for traditional faith and a church where they can practice traditional Christianity. Churches like the Baptists and Evangelical churches are growing. We are not reaching out to younger people.

In the Episcopal Church, the average age of the membership is going up and up. I am not sure what it is now- probably in the mid 50's. Soon we are going to hit the wall. We can only go up so far. There is a great future for the traditional faith and for traditional worship, but it needs to be promoted and pushed. It needs to be developed.

A Different Prayer Book, A Different Religion

I want to say a word about the difference between the two prayer books because I think this is something that needs to be expressed. There is a major difference other than the language. It is something that is difficult for lay people in particular, and also for the clergy to understand.

We(clergy) are not trained in any depth in theology. We are para-clergy. We know how to marry people, bury them, hold services, and preach. But we are not trained in the theology, which undergrids the whole Church and its activities.

The document in the Episcopal Church that stands for the worship, belief, and discipline is the Prayer Book. The Evangelicals have the Bible to guide their worship and their belief and their behavior. The Catholics have another source of authority- the papacy. For the Episcopal Church, the basic teachings, the basic moral behavior standards and the worship patterns are all in the Prayer Book.

Elizabethans Didn't Talk That Way Either

This Prayer Book was developed in an extraordinary way in the 16th Century by Archbishop Cranmer and his fellow bishops. Its language is the appropriate expression for the deep, moving, religious themes contained therein. It is a marvelous balance of biblical and practical theology and Catholic and Protestant influence. This beautiful language is not the language of the streets of Elizabethan times. People didn't talk like that. This is liturgical language. It is a special language. Those of you who have studied English literature know this.

Much of the Prayer Book is written in iambic blank verse, which is the classical form of English poetic language. Iambic meter is a beat that resonates in our souls. It is the heroic meter of the age-old Anglican heritage. I am sure that this was the first thing that clashed when lay people began to hear the new Prayer Book.

"Stark Raving Mad"

The bishops didn't invite any great literary scholars or great writers to be on the Liturgical Commission. The people who wrote the new Prayer Book didn't seem to know what they were doing. I don't remember anyone (among the revisers)asking, "what about the rhythm of these words?"

In response to the new Prayer Book, W.H. Auden, the modern English poet, said, "The Episcopal Church has gone stark raving mad." Dr. Cleanth Brooks, who, we were privileged to have on the Prayer Book Society Board and who was the Dean of American English literature professors, said (of the 1979 book, "This book is writ in no language." Dr. Brooks' book on good writing is the textbook for every college literature class in the country.

The teachers of rhetoric in ancient times, such as Aristotle and Augustine, said that when you speak of unimportant things, use simple language. When you speak of great things, use great language. This makes sense. So when you speak of those great mysteries of God with their tremendous joy and deep sadness, of sin, death, resurrection, new hope and new life, you have to use language that befits them. Most of us cannot write this language unless we have been given the gift to do so.

Compare the iambic meter of the words of the consecration prayer in the traditional Communion Service. "For in the night in which He was betrayed..." with the words of Rite II in the 1979 book. The 1979 words sound like an airplane going along the tarmac but never taking off. The language is not appropriate to the subject, and leaves the worshipper disillusioned and disappointed.

Changing the Words Changed the Doctrine

In all the sacraments in the 1979 book, the classic biblical doctrine has been changed-very subtly, very successfully. In its place is a modernistic viewpoint which is based, not on biblical teachings or the teachings of the patristic fathers, but on modern european theological philosophy.

The purpose of this movement was to demythologize the Christian faith. These theologians eliminated from the New Testament everything they considered to be mythology, which was everything that had to do with the supernatural.

This is what has been taught in the seminaries for the past 50 years. The Virgin birth is not historical truth. The Resurrection is not historical truth. All the teachings of a supernatural and miraculous nature are mythology and not actual events in history.

The leadership of the Church now felt they had a chance to bring the Prayer Book up to date, to conform to the "post modern" teachings of Christianity. As far as they were concerned, the former teachings were inappropriate- no longer applicable, no longer meaningful.

In the traditional Baptismal service the reason Jesus Christ came into the world and died for all mankind was to take away the stigma of original sin referred to in Genesis, Chapter 3. All mankind has fallen into a state of alienation from God. The prayers in the traditional Prayer Book refer to this alienation and affirm that there is no salvation apart from Christ.

In the new Prayer Book we are not to be redeemed from original sin. Instead, we are to be given guidance on how to create a better and more perfect world. "What is a better and more perfect world one might ask?"

In the new Prayer Book, the Christian is seen as an agent of change in society to seek the betterment of mankind. Liberation theology has replaced biblical theology.

The doctrines of the Incarnation, the Atonement, sin, and salvation all have been downgraded. Since the thrust of the teaching is into the secular world, the language of worship is reduced to the mundane and uninspiring.

What Can Traditional Episcopalians Do?

The Psalmist asks the question, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

There is a lot we can do. Your new organization is primarily a pressure group to lobby the leadership of the Church. You can write letters. You can put articles in the paper and on the Internet. You can attend meetings and speak out. You can send out press releases. You can publish a newsletter and pamphlets. You can support the traditionalist cause with your time and your treasure.

Most important of all, you can pray for the spread of Christ's kingdom. Nothing is too little and everything is not enough. Christ did not tell us to be successful. He told us to be faithful in spite of the world and all its folly.

Church Is a Victim of Its Own Folly

We are now the inheritors of the Church leadership's folly. We must live in the shadow of their activities. We tried to have the traditional Prayer Book-what I should call the "classic" Prayer Book- officially authorized. We were able to get adopted a resolution at the 1979 Convention to that effect. In fact, the chairman of the Liturgical Commission, with whom we had to negotiate for days, said: "Now no bishop will be able to forbid use of the 1928 Prayer Book."

We were assured that this was the result of that resolution. We came home feeling, "We still are on board. We can continue to use the traditional Prayer Book alongside the new Prayer Book."

That was not to be the case. Immediately the House of bishops clamped down on traditionalists and said, "We will not let you use that 1928 Prayer Book."

Parishes and priests were thrown into turmoil. People left the church in grief and rage. Clergy friends of mine suffered all kinds of physical and emotional ailments and were forced into early retirement. It was a regular pogrom- a period of persecution. Some of you remember that period of persecution.

Persecuted for Righteousness' Sake

But some people don't give up under persecution. They get stronger. This was the first time I really understood what the New Testament was talking about: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake." We Episcopalians have never been persecuted in this country up until now.

The most crucial and most important council of the Christian Church in the early days following the apostolic times in the New Testament was the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Constantine, the Emperor, called together the leaders and bishops from throughout the Roman Empire to decide a controversy that had split the Church.

The leading Dioceses of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, all over the Mediterranean, Syria, Armenia, Egyptian Churches, sent their bishops to decide the question whether Christ was of one substance with the Father, or as a famous heretic by the name of Arius was teaching He was of like substance- similar to the Father.

That might seem to be a split hair, but it's a dividing line, a precipice. Like the Continental Divide, take one direction you go one way, take another direction and you go another way. The fate of Christianity hung on that Council.

If He is of like substance, the heretical Arian position, Christianity would eventually have been absorbed into all other pagan religions. The Council voted overwhelmingly for the orthodox position, which we have in the Nicene Creed: "...being of one substance with the Father..."

Martin Luther wrote movingly of that Council. He said from all over the Roman Empire came these bishops, one with a leg missing, others with only one eye, others with fingers broken on the rack, others with scars from having been whipped and beaten and tortured. These bishops all came out of the last great Roman persecution of Diocletian. They had fought, and struggled and faced death for the faith. They were worthy to make that decision. They were able to do that because of their having suffered for the faith.

They made that great decision, and then spent the rest of the time arguing over who should take precedence in the final procession. They were also very human.

I think all of us who have had some small taste of opposition, and persecution, and disapproval can feel proud of that and not look upon that circumstance as something that's contrary to what a Christian ought to experience.

As St. Paul said, "If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities." And I'm sure we all have many of these.

I'd like to close by wishing you Godspeed with your new organization, the E.T.F. I think it would be great news for the bishops to know that a new vital, traditional organization has been formed in the Episcopal Church and that they'll be hearing a lot more from you!

The Rev. Jerome Politzer, BD, STM, of Carmel, California, was keynote speaker at the first meeting of Episcopalians for TRaditional Faith (ETF) June 2, 2002, at St. Mary's Parish Hall, Carle Place, Long Island, N.Y. Fr. Politzer, President Emeritus of the Prayer Book Society, serves on the ETF Advisory Council.