Source: Church of England
The Book of Common Prayer, the devotional and liturgical book of Anglicanism, “is enjoying a revival in the Church of England,” writes Daniel French in The Spectator magazine (May 2). French, a vicar in the Church of England, writes that “Over the past two years, more and more churchgoers have asked me about a return to Thomas Cranmer’s exquisite language, essentially unaltered since 1662, for church services and private devotions. Other vicars tell me that they have had a similar increase in interest.” Much of the renewed interest came with last year’s funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the recent coronation of King Charles, and the use of traditional Church of England rites to mark these events. But it is the younger generation that is registering the most interest in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), as they appreciate the challenging and demanding nature of its spirituality that seems worlds apart from the generic worship of megachurches. Bradley Smith, the chairman of the Prayer Book Society, said that the organization has been overwhelmed with inquiries, interest, and new members. Churches are trying to plug into the enthusiasm for the BCP by holding events such as “Matins ’n’ Brunch” and “Evensong ’n’ Curry.” Even the Catholic Church is harnessing the interest through its Anglican Ordinariate, an enclave for ex-Anglicans. Some church schools have assimilated the BCP into their curriculums.
Smith finds that the new members of the Prayer Book Society are not only young but also tend to be male. Both he and French speculate that the new interest may be a spillover effect from such popular teachers as Jordan Peterson, who is said to have revived young men’s interest in traditional Christianity. The Prayer Book Society’s recent involvement with prison ministry may reflect this masculine spiritual appeal. French notes that the “revival also appears to transcend the normative Anglican tribal divides of ‘High’ and ‘Low’ church.” He argues that, however beautiful the text, the BCP revival is not so much an aesthetic as a theological enterprise, and that the BCP can be the guidebook on the route to spiritual awakening. “The 2022 census showed an ever-shrinking Christian population inhabiting a secular wilderness. Church attendance continues to decline. Nothing seems to work. Maybe the C of E can be renewed by vicars and laity salvaging the old Prayer Book from vicarage dustbins? Stranger things have happened in Church history,” French concludes.
