19 September 2014 A.D. Thomas Cranmer the Evangelical
19 September 2014
A.D. Thomas Cranmer the Evangelical
Kilgrour,
Chris. “Cranmer the evangelist.” Church
Society. 18 Sept 2014. http://churchsociety.org/blog/entry/cranmer_the_evangelist. Accessed 18 Sept 2014.
Cranmer the evangelist
Posted by
Chris Kilgour, 18 Sep 2014
As ‘Back to Church Sunday’ approaches (21 September), what
role, if any, does The Book of Common Prayer have to play? Is it, as it is
often seen, a hindrance to evangelism, or can it offer us something when we
think about evangelism?
Samuel
Leuenberger’s article, ‘Archbishop Cranmer’s Immortal Bequest: The Book of
Common Prayer of the Church of England: An Evangelistic Liturgy’, wants us to
see the evangelistic nature of the liturgies that lie at the heart of the
Church of England.
He starts
with a brief discussion of the sources of these changes, and it seems clear
that, while the words and structure are Cranmer’s, some of the inspiration came
from reformers like Peter Martyr, Martin Bucer and John Hooper (who studied
under Bullinger). All three emphasised the need for ‘conversion and the
appropriation of salvation through a personal decision for Jesus’.
Cranmer took the existing liturgies and modified them to suit both Reformed
theology, but also this need for individual conversion.
The key
component Leuenberger draws out (using Morning Prayer and Holy Communion as
examples) is that verses of scripture have been added to the liturgies which
are used to shape them towards a pattern of evangelism. These sentences are not
normally explained, but allowed to interpret each other to bring out an
individual’s need for salvation. Both the sentences and the structure of the
liturgies call for a recognition of personal sin (and the enormity of it), the
need for repentance, and forgiveness for those who do repent: a clear
evangelistic shape.
The article
has a very brief discussion of how we came to the 1662 book, and that it is
still the prayer book of the Church of England. He does raise some concerns
about the trajectory of the ASB (1980), some of which would equally apply to
Common Worship (2000). Thankfully, his fears have not been realised, although
it is a good reminder that the writers of the liturgy need our prayers so that
we can use every opportunity to proclaim the Gospel in our services.
The language
of The
Book of Common Prayer may be over 400 years old, but captured within it is a clear
evangelistic structure, based on scripture: a recognition of personal sin,
repentance, forgiveness and praise at God’s goodness. We may not use BCP
liturgies directly, but let us use the truths of scripture contained within for
our own good, the good of our families, our church and our nation, and
ultimately for the glory of God.
This article
is worth reading not just for its look at the BCP services, but also as a
reminder that the structure of our services can be evangelistic, not just our
preaching.
Leuenberger,
Samuel. Archbishop Cranmer’s
Immortal Bequest : The Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England: An
Evangelistic Liturgy.
Churchman 106/1 (1992): 20–33.
Chris Kilgour is Curate of St Mary's Church, Chalk, near
Gravesend.
- See more at: http://churchsociety.org/blog/entry/cranmer_the_evangelist#sthash.g0AxZXGq.dpuf
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