Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Pastoral Meanderings: Liturgical Antinomians

Pastoral Meanderings: Liturgical Antinomians

This Lutheran Pastor has used an excellent phrase: "Liturgical Antinomians."

Such a description aptly fits most of contemporary worship in the 21st century.

A careful review of God's character and presence in the Scriptures will highlight transcendance, awe, reverence, holiness, glory and more. Instruction from Exodus and Leviticus will show that one does not approach God in cavalier, self-willed, and a good-ole-boy piety. That is what informs most contemporary evangelical worship (mainline Protestants--at this point--cannot be termed "true churches" although slight emanations of light occur there).

Confessional Lutherans have a liturgy that is biblically informed and literate. Classical Anglicans do also (we remit the 1979 Book of Common Prayer to the shelf as a reference tool, not a Prayer Book). In fact, the 1662 BCP has no competitors, liturgically. Classical Presbyterians have an impoverished liturgy, having faltered on this point in the 17th century. Most of the rest are liturgical antinominians, e.g Methodobaptacostals.

A hat off to the Lutheran Pastor.

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