[Magdalen] Here We Go Again.

[Jim Guthrie]

> It was fifty years between revisions last time, which was one reason there
> was such turmoil over it.

Keep in mind that there was  a 23 year gap between 1928 and the first Prayer
Book Studies leading to the 1979.

But 27 years passed between the first Prayer Book Studies and adoption.

EOW was out nine years after the 1979, but keeping with the studies-to BCP
timeline we're past due.

But with the BCP 36 year sold, we're still 16 years away from matching the '28

There were only 36 years between the 1892 and 1928, and only 21 years
between the 1871 and 1892, so one could say we've become laggards.

Note that much of Rite II consists of the ICEL/ICET language -- not something 
TEC created --
adopted by the RCC and other Mainline Protestants in that great sense of
ecumenical unity that permeated churches in the Kumbaya era of the 1970s.

Everyone else has moved
on, which also means we're pretty much stuck with the dreadful service music in
the 1982 hymnal because there's little incentive for composers to do new stuff,
and there's an element that disdains any of the stuff the Romans used  (insert
ancient nincompoopery about why Romans can’t sing here if you must).

> As for the hymnal, some churches have folks juggling between three books
> now, sometimes in the same service! When I can select the music, I make it
> a point to use just one book for the entire service. It would be nice to
> have one book with more variety, especially for smaller churches that can't
> afford more than one set.

I would not want to be in the room where the arguments for and agin' the Fanny
Crosby in LEVAS II or the Mallotte Lord's Prayer, for that matter was duked out.
Ditto some of the other traditional Protestant hymns "Children of the Heavenly
Father," "Love Lifted Me", We've a story to tell to the Nations."  in LEVAS II
<g>. I can hear the "traditionalist-minded organists sneering toward the LEVAS
II people with great disdain that the populist approach is not appropriate in
**real** worship.

Having sung every hymn in '82 in a choir, I can think of about 50 hymns that
could profitably be omitted. I can think of only a dozen from WL&P that I'd add.

I would also suggest a close look at Brian Wren's songbook and the rest of his 
hymnody, especially if inclusive/modern language is a goal.

Perhaps what we need to do in the short run is add some service setting to the
1982 hymnal, just as we did in the 1958 revision to the 1940 that added four new
service settings and other service music. This was in response to a survey of
parishes discovered a significant number were still using the Stainer from the
1916 (Merbecke was second) hymnal, found scattered around in the 1940 (we fixed
their wagon in the' 82 -- by scattering the setting around as per the Stainer in
'40 but omitting the Stainer altogether and reworking the Merbecke to make it
unsingable <g>).

I would nominate the Stainer, the rest of "Community Mass" (only represented by
the Sanctus in '82) and adding Proulx "Missa Emmanuel" for Advent and his "Mass
for the City."  as well as the Gloria for the Schubert and perhaps some Taize to
at least get people singing without an organist <g>.

As for a new BCP -- I think we'd be heading toward books of Danielle Steele
size -- which would include Rite I, Rite II and an inclusive language Rite II,
along the lines of some of the stuff in the current experimental liturgies and
the NS Prayerbook.  The biggest expense would not be for the books themselves,
but for all the parishes who;d need to significantly enlarge their bookracks in
the pews <g>.

A also suspect that the strong Rite II supporters might create a "Prayer Book
Society (Rite II) that would make the 1980s version look positively charitable
by comparison, hence the need for three language sets bulking up the book.

>> I'd love to see us move in the direction of the New Zealand PB. It's not
>> authorized for our Sunday use, but many clergy use it for the Daily Office
>> or for midweek and other more informal services.

Finally one of Bp +Spong's "Heresies" in some quarters is that he authorized use
of the NZ Prayerbook on Sunday mornings. To the best of my knowledge only 2-3
parishes took him up on it. I don’t recall if it was diocese wide or on a
parish-by parish basis, but it was the first time I encountered a full service
from the book (interspersed with Spanish).

Cheers,
Jim