The 'right' theology for the Book of Common Prayer

Been following a couple of conversations about the use of language in Episcopal liturgy. Mainly, someone will pose a question like, "If the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) is to be rewritten, should we continue to use the word Lord to refer to Jesus?" And then the question will be batted around - some arguing yes and some no.

It's easy to get caught up in the theological debate, for sure. But among all the various reasons and arguments, the conversation has one common element  - the assumption that there is a right answer and a wrong answer and if we just do 'better' theology or make our case with enough passion (and better theology) we will land on the right answer that should then be incorporated into a new BCP. 

But the argument goes on and on and on...because ultimately there is no right answer. Or better yet, there is no wrong answer.

Ultimately, the use of language in liturgy is both theological and contextual. Theologically we can make a good case on either side of this question. Contextually I'm betting there is a choice in terms that makes the most sense for the worshipping community.

However the Book of Common Prayer isn't really built that way. It is kind of a one-size-fits-all when it comes to the words we say.

Bottom line, when considering questions such as this one (or the myriad of others that may need to be addressed) my hope is that we focus the conversation on how the Book of Common Prayer can be opened up and contextualized to allow a reflection of the local theology....not simply engaging in neverending debates about the right theology.

Comments

[Rex McKee]

Well done...I suspect that 'in the beginning' when the BCP was first published Elisabeth needed a one size language to pull together the factions at that time...a contextual solution if you will. I certainly agree that whatever prayers and service liturgy we use needs to center the community, and not disrupt. I suppose that said that 'centering' will for some on the edges be uncomfortable.

I am not clear that the BCP as we know it can be rewritten or revised in this post modern context. We move at the speed of light now (twitter, facebook, texting, utube, etc) and whatever we publish will be outdated before it goes to press. Perhaps we move to a Kindle environment where the words are always in flux.

Further, I have always been uncomfortable with the Lordship, Kingdom, language....it certainly speaks to the times of the first BCP.