REVIEW OF “IN SPIRIT & TRUTH”
In Spirit & Truth: A Vision of Episcopal Worship. Edited by Stephanie Budwey, Kevin Moroney, Sylvia Sweeney, and Samuel Torvend. New York: Church Publishing Incorporated, 2020. 193 pp. $19.95 (paperback).
In the leadup to the 2018 Episcopal Church General Convention, two possible proposals for how the church might proceed with revising the Book of Common Prayer were on the table: a full process of revision over the nine years to follow, or a gradual engagement with the existing 1979 Book of Common Prayer with an eye towards a greater understanding of its depths of theology. (1) And for a few days, the Church appeared to favor the first option, which was passed by the House of Deputies. Instead, the House of Bishops opted to take the unwritten third option, passing a plan, in the great Anglican middle way, that would uphold the 1979 Book of Common Prayer as a liturgical standard while also continuing to walk the path for revised and expanded liturgical resources to better address the modern church.
From this, resolution 2018-A068 became the framework for the way forward, at least until the next General Convention convenes this year in Baltimore. This action created the Task Force on Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision (TFLPBR, which just rolls off the tongue), to engage in this work. Its first task - and the task of the wider Church — was to figure out the depths and implications of this complex resolution.
One such response from the wider church came from the Anglican Colloquium of the North American Academy of Liturgy in the form of a series of essays compiled in the volume In Spirit & Truth: A Vision of Episcopal Worship. Through fifteen chapters on the various issues before the Church, this book provides an in-depth exegesis of the text of the resolution A068 and the varying issues facing modern liturgical revision. Given that one of the underlying principles of A068 is to “engage worshiping communities in experimentation and the creation of alternative texts to offer to the wider church,” (2) this book is an offering to do precisely that. As expressed in the introductory pages, “we hope that churches across the country will now use this book and its discussion questions to begin the long and important process of preparing for liturgical revision” (p.ix). If we wish to uplift liturgical reform from the ground up, we ought to provide resources that are both detailed enough to address the myriad ways the Spirit is leading the church, while broad enough to speak to the average Episcopalian. Though imperfect, In Spirit & Truth does just that.
This book excels at setting the current revision process within the broader context of the history of Anglican worship. The book opens with an exploration by Bishop Jeffrey Lee on the sometimes fraught history of prayer book revision in the Episcopal Church, aptly titled “Changing to Remain the Same.” A common thread throughout is the themes of restoration and recovery of rites and language from throughout Christian history. This is most acutely seen in the continuation of the baptismal theology set forth in the 1979 prayer book, but has wide implications as we address the call to expand our language of prayer. As Stephanie Budwey notes in her essay on inclusive and expansive language, we already have a wealth of underutilized imagery from Christian tradition from which to draw before we even look to create something new. She offers the example of the Christmas hymn text “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” which more accurately translates as a neutral “From the heart of the Parent” (160). This, too, is an excellent argument for a parallel process to revisit our hymnal.
This book is not without its frustrations. Though no one resource could address every issue at hand, a few areas are lacking — ecumenical implications are unaddressed except for a specific chapter on the eucharistic prayers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; no mention is made of how the church can better utilize modern technology; and the great sticking point of A068 — what “memorializing” the 1979 prayer book means in practice — is only mentioned but not resolved. Only one chapter — William Petersen’s “Initiated but Unfinished” on the Baptismal Rite — makes any concrete proposals for a revised prayer book, though this is a book about principles rather than trying to do the work of revision.
But most challenging is the lack of citations, opting only to offer a list of references at the end of the book. As these references are not sorted by chapter, readers wishing to continue their learning beyond this book, particularly if one section is of interest, will need to work just a bit harder to find their way. Some chapters opt for occasional inline references, though these are inconsistent, and are at times ambiguous or even incorrect. In opting for a more casual style, the reader loses the easy opportunity to follow in the footsteps of each author’s path of exploration to draw their own conclusions. Given that the question of liturgical reform is far too great to address in any one volume, this book could do more to encourage further study.
The authors collectively draw on a wide range of resources for their studies, reflecting previous scholarship dating back to the introduction of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Though the revision process that continued after the introduction of our current prayer book has not been as centralized as the previous one (there is no real equivalent to the Prayer Book Studies series that outlined the work and theology in the decades leading up to 1979) In Spirit & Truth makes it clear that the church has a foundation of thoughtful research from which to draw.
So how might we use this book? The subject matter affects everyone who walks through the doors (or virtual entryway) of an Episcopal church, and In Spirit & Truth balances the academic with the practical in a way that speaks to those who have even a passing interest in liturgy. Organizing a multi-week study would not pose any great challenge, and the discussion questions following each essay encourage broad discussion and reflection. Such a study would benefit from a leader with familiarity of liturgical issues who could augment discussions, but the book provides ample background material for those who are less familiar with our bumpy history of revising the prayer book.
A parish could easily pair these essays with worship itself, drawing from the experimental resources already available, (3) or encouraging those engaged with this book to try their hand utilizing the principles outlined. Such a format would have the added benefits of promoting a culture of liturgical experimentation, in line with chapter 13, Kay Sylvester’s essay “Praying the Present and Future,” along with potentially sparking ideas for new liturgies from the “baptized up,” in keeping with the intent of A068.
But perhaps the better question is not how, but why. With so many options for parish formation, why ought a church community devote time to this book? Returning to the options before the 2018 General Convention, the second possible path — exploring the theological depths of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer — acknowledges broad formation in the church regarding our liturgy is lacking. The final text of A068 reflects this, too, in its emphasis on the full ministry of the baptized, and that the revision process ought to come from the people. In Spirit & Truth is not the solution to all of these deficiencies, but this book is a promising start.
https://extranet.generalconvention.org/staff/files/download/20944
https://www.episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/acts/acts_resolution-complete.pl?resolution=2018-A068.
As part of its work, the TFLPBR compiled existing resources online at episcopalcommonprayer.org, with a hope that this will remain a dynamic resource in the years ahead.
