All revolutions result in tumult, chaos and bloodshed, and the so-called liturgical revolution of the 1960s and 70s was no different. The liturgical, ceremonial and textual innovations introduced into the post-Vatican II Roman Catholic Church and Western mainline Protestant Churches resulted in a multiplication of rites, a confused and often embittered laity, and the decline in the number of Sunday worshippers.

Nevertheless, despite the disorder wrought by these post-modern liturgists, bishops and liturgical committees, the task of liturgical revision continues unabated--indeed, it has increased almost exponentially. And those who have bought into this program do not seem to realize that they are involved in a wholesale declension not a renewal.

Yet, we who continue to hold up the formularies and the classic text of the Common Prayer tradition as the paradigm for orthodox, biblical Christianity as well as the most potent vehicle for a life of genuine love and godliness, must provide an answer, as St. Peter admonishes us to do (1 Peter 3:15).

Why, then, the 1928 edition of The Book of Common Prayer in 2001 in America?

Firstly, we hold to the classic prayer book because it is biblical.

Whilst modern liturgical texts and rites seem informed by post-modern ideals of humanism, egalitarianism and existential fulfillment, the formularies and texts of the historic Book of Common Prayer were created by men and a culture that were steeped in the words of Holy Scripture. The classic prayer book knits together into glorious English prose not only the very words and phrases of the Bible, but the overarching themes of creation, the Fall, covenant, redemption, atonement, grace, faith, righteousness and glorification. The result is a form of worship of the one, true and living God which is both transcendent and pleasing to Him who is Lord of heaven and earth.

Secondly, we worship with the classic prayer book because it is balanced.

One of the great corruptions in medieval Western worship was that almost every worship service centered around the sacrifice of the Mass. Priests celebrated Masses alone daily. Weddings, funerals and baptisms all ended with a Mass. In the medieval church, the Mass was understood as a propitiatory sacrifice which assuaged the wrath of God. The Protestant Reformation provided the biblical corrective to this Roman error, and restored the Holy Communion to its proper role in Christian worship. However, the heirs of the Reformation, to distance themselves from papal excesses, had over time, a tendency to subjugate the sacrament to the preaching of the Word and reduce the frequency with which the Holy Communion was celebrated.

The classic prayer book, however, is the perfect balance of Word and sacrament. There is an inherent logic and order to The Book of Common Prayer, both in its individual services and in its entirety. The preaching of the Word is important, but it does not eclipse the celebration of the sacrament. The sacrament is important, but in the classic prayer book it does not eclipse the declaration and exposition of the Word of God.

In Morning Prayer, Litany, Holy Communion we have a balance of prayer, sacrament, praise, thanksgiving, confession and preaching to take any soul on a successful pilgrimage from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City.

And finally, we commend the classic prayer book to the Church and the Christian world because it is beautiful.

"Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness," the psalmist cries, "let the whole earth stand in awe of Him!" Modern worship is man-centered and focuses on entertainment and the meeting of our felt-needs. It drags God from His throne and makes Him our celestial therapist, if not our equal. The classic prayer book takes us rather to heaven, with the angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven, and causes us to fall down before this great and mighty God, and to offer Him our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving with wonder, love and praise.

Christian worship ought to be beautiful because God is Beautiful, and His holiness is both awe-inspiring and attractive. Our worship of God must involve the best we have to offer, rendered in the most beautiful and eloquent phrases, because this God whom we worship deserves nothing less.

So then, while the modern liturgical scholars and theological revisionists scurry hither and yon to multiply liturgical texts and try to represent every human condition under heaven with a rite, we shall remain wedded to and in love with the classic Book of Common Prayer. It is Gospel. And where else can we fly? It contains the words of eternal life.