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| Must we be this forceful? Anglicans, by nature and disposition, are kind and genteel. Yet, there comes a time for force. |
Eegads, with Morning (MP) and Evening Prayer (EP), 365/52/24/7, we confess our manifold sins and wickednesses. There is good cause for these confessions.
Ask our spouses, children, grandchildren or fellow employees. Every disciplined BCP-Churchman well knows it, by experience. "We have erred and strayed from Thy ways like lost sheep.." Non-Anglicans have no concept of the daily confessions of the dutiful, yet they suggest that "Lent is some 40-dayish affair." Rather, we live with Lenten themes throughout the year. It's the stuff of daily living.
99.5%, perhaps 99.9%, of the United States knows nothing of these things, including liberal if not conservative Anglicans. Yet, following the BCP rubrics of the "order" for daily and evening prayer, we know otherwise. Lent informs 352/52/24/7.
What does "Christianity Today," an evangelical magazine founded by Billy Graham, a hothouse for American evangelicals, know of these things? Or, Carl Henry, another Anabaptist, a later editor of the magazine? A Baptist? Or Kenneth Kantzer?
What do the evangelical journalists at "World Magazine" know of these things?
Or John Piper? Or, Southern Baptist Anabaptist Ed Stetzer? Or Al Moher (who appears to have discovered Dordt in the 1990s)? As you might tell, not in any mood to listen to any Americans on the matter.
Or, at Ligonier Ministries, what does RC Sr. know of these things? Or his son, Junior, tossed and excommunicated from the RPGNA? RC Jr., in Virgina, in a quasi-theocratic at St. Peter's, was tossed for arrogances and for abusing his congregation. (We anticipated that, actually...but nuff there.) RC Sr, nor Jr, wasn't reared on old BCP doctrines and pieties. They weren't and aren't old school Anglican Churchmen. Their monthly magazine shows few, if any signs, of such involvements. Hence, there are justifiable rebuffs to those--throughout the entire nation, east to west, north to south--who know nothing of these doctrines and pieties, including the Reformed (who, honourably, are more educated than Anabaptists and evangelicals).
Or, what do the Professors at WTS or RTS know of these things? The varied Drs.? Bob Godfrey? Mike Horton, who once flurted with the BCP? Vern Poythress? Richard Gaffin? R. Scott Clark? John Frame, eegads, horrors no? Carl Trueman? Kim Riddelbarger? Or, other denizens of White Horse Inn? (Never mind the White Horse Inn hosted Anglicans.) The names could be expanded. What do they know of Anglican Churchmanship? Any of them? Never mind liberal Anglicans, I'm talking about disciplined, classical, confessional, historic and old school Prayer Book men, 352/52/24/7, that is, Cranmer-men. While that may be an old model, it was a modelled-model and lived by by 1000s of old school clerics.
Never mind T4G, ACE or the Baptyerians? What about Together for the Gospel, hosted by the Anabaptist Mark Dever? Or another Anabaptist Al Mohler? Forget Mahaney, the nearwise-sunk Baptacostal (with cause). Or, horrors, Driscoll? Or, the consummate Baptyerians, Ligon Duncan and R.C. Sproul? Again, 99.5%, if not 99.9% of Americans, know ANYTHING, ZERO, and ZIPPO about the daily disciplines of the old BCP. Hence, when they talk about Lent, they must be dismissed immediately. Short version, they're ignorant.
We earnestly submit they know nothing about old school Anglican doctrines, worship, and daily pieties...352/53/24/7.
They have nothing, of warrant, to say about Lent and Easter, in the larger scope of discussing the liturgical calendar.
What do the Reformed Professors know of this daily worship and piety? (Dr. Philip Edcumbe Hughes, Church of England, WTS, a godly and former Professor...alas, an honourable, scholarly, tweedy, cigar-smoking, Biblical, English, Prayer Book and Anglican Churchman towering over the likes of youngsters like Frame and Poythress...both of whom had no Anglican backgrounds.)
Never mind so-called evangelical seminary Professors, e.g. Carson. What do the divines at Trinity Divinity School know of these doctrines, worship and pieties? These disciplines, lections, rhythms, collects and pieties? Who can follow the modern worship dicta arising amongst "evangelicals?"
The time for a strenuous rebuke is ordered up.
Lent is 365/52/24/7.
This is offered in MP and EP. “Let us ever beseech Thee to grant us daily repentance and Thy Holy Spirit, that those things, that we do at this present, may be righteous in Thy sight…and evermore grant us…” Disciplined Churchmen know these prayers, by day and by retirement at Eventide.
Any suggested delimitation of Lent to some mere season of 40-50 days is quite uneducated, quite sophmoric, quite shallow, quite unfortunate, and quite inexperienced. Can we say it, quite stupid. Any suggestion otherwise is quite puerile.
However, what can one expect from liberals, so-called “evangelicals” (Baptacostals) with not the slightest sense of liturgy or even, regrettably, Confessional Presybyterians? Worship at WTS was, well, nuff there. Frame on the organ…eegads, well, nuff there too. This much, this scribe knows that solid Reformed Churchmen wisely nod to the old BCP. Have some stories there.
Lent, that’s in the Anglican DNA throughout the year. That is, for genuine BCP-Churchmen . Nor is Advent a mere seasonal affair, which intrudes rightly into Lent and Holy Easter week. Advent is not a matter of a mere season either, but Advent and the Incarnation is 365/52/42/7.
Our daily prayers involve all these doctrinal loci.
Imputations otherwise are false. It's annoying to hear cads yak and jabber, but who know nothing of these things.
I’ve been singing wonderful Advent and Christmas hymns during Lent and Easter. These are 365-day affairs.
As to the Rev. Dr. Leithart, don’t know him or his writings, much. He’s a PCA Rector. He’s had FV issues. I’ll leave it there. But, for this scribe, Peter is not in the old Anglican way. His writings on Lent are modern and modest. Let him be.
While pausing to reflect on specific emphases during one season, the entire theological orbit is not dismissed, minimized or mitigated, at all, in that specific season. Who, pray tell, would make that imputation? Yet, the stupid imputation is made against BCP Churchmen.
Hence, a stern and stentorian USMC rebuke to non-Anglicans daring to offer ignorant rebukes about the liturgical calendar.
We confess the Apostles’ Creed daily. 365/52/24/7. In fact, at Morning AND Evening Prayer.
If one hasn’t lived in these annual cycles for hours, days, weeks, years and decades, they need to walk quite quietly. The Nicene weekly. If one has not lived in these lections, collects, Bible readings, and thoughts for days morning and nights, weeks, years and decades–as honourable Anglicans have–quietness and zipped-lips is righty suggested. And, for us exiles, though blooming with hope in the desert-exile, as do roses in deserts, while confessing the Reformed Confessions, we persist with faith, given us by His Triune Majesty. Many are standing the 352/52/24/7 watch.
Regards to all,
Donald Philip Veitch
PS…Sure beats (Pyromaniacs) Phil Johnson’s inappropriate and indecent FB and Twitter posts about GPSs today, on Good Friday, the day when the Theathropic Man, our Sovereign Redeemer, bore the weight of our manifold sins on the Cross. Stunning contrast. Disturbing, but what else from Anabaptists? Nuff there, but Phil is a predestinarian Anabaptist and one consummately undisciplined, untrained, and unguided by the daily worship, doctrines, pieties, lections, collects, and rhythms of an honourable, Bible, quiet, thoughtful, deliberative and decent order of worship.
This scribe writes from the exile, but with hope and trust in the redemptive promises of the Divine Majesty. Roses, hope, inspiration, and perseverence, indeed, can blossom in the Babylonian exile.
As Anglicans, we generally prefer something quieter, more genteel, more sophisticated and more thoughtful, but there comes a time for a stentorian and strenuous rebuke. Gentleness, mercy, kindness, and graciousness is in the Anglican DNA...it just is. Given our 365/52/24/7 confessions, we know our manifold wickednesses. But this nonsense about the calendar deserves strenuous rebukes. This old US Marine and Sailor rebukes, with force, strenuousness and earnestness, these and all American illiterates and half-whacks--99.9% of the nation or voices for them--offering their ignorant protests about Lent and the calendar.
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