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The Book of Common Prayer is fundamental to the Anglican Church - indeed, it's almost as important as the Bible itself because it helps define Anglican beliefs and worship practices on every level. What many may not realize, however, is that the Book of Common Prayer has not only changed several times through history, but appears in different editions in several nations. It is supposed to define the "common" or shared means for prayer, but at the same time it's varying and variable.


Summary

Title: The Oxford Guide to The Book of Common Prayer: A Worldwide Survey
Author: Charles Hefling and Cynthia Shattuck
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195297563

Pro:
•  Very comprehensive
•  Includes perspectives from all over the world

Con:
•  Not for general audiences - more appropriate for scholars, libraries, specialists

Description:
•  Comprehensive analysis of the history, development and use of the Book of Common Prayer
•  Describes how it was formed and how it has changed according to cultural developments
•  Explores future issues and questions for today

 

Book Review

It has been argued that one of the strengths of the Anglican Church has been its ability forge a relatively unified church out of diverse religious and cultural practices that vary by time and place all around the world. Too little variety is inflexible and prevents an organization from adapting to changing circumstances. Too much variety prevents the development of a cohesive sense of belonging. Thus a balance is needed, and this is something which Anglican leaders have struggled to maintain over the decades.

Recently this balance has suffered greatly in the debate over gay marriage, the status of homosexuality, and whether gays can legitimately serve as priests, bishops, or in other clerical offices. This debate has, in turn, affected the lives and politics of people in surrounding communities - even those who are not personally Anglican. It may be that the long-standing unity of the Anglican Church is effectively at an end, but much can be learned about how the balance was developed through the development of the Book of Common Prayer itself. Knowing more about how a religion balances internal and external pressures and agendas should, in turn, help reveal the ways in which religions develop in response to broader cultural shifts.

Perhaps the best resource on this may be The Oxford Guide to The Book of Common Prayer: A Worldwide Survey, edited by Charles Hefling and Cynthia Shattuck. This 600+ page book gathers together essays from Anglican scholars all over the world. Topics covered include the origins of the Book of Common Prayer, how it has impacted social life, how it changed when it was taken outside England, how it has changed in various regions around the world today, how it is used in the family, and what sort of future it might have.

The Book of Common Prayer is a thread which links Anglican Churches from past to present and from Asia to Europe, but it is a thread which itself changes as it winds its way through various eras and cultures. Thus this guide helps explain both what unites and divides Anglicans at a time when the divisions seem to be looming much larger than the commonalities.

The chapters on how African, Asian, and South American churches have adapted the Book of Common Prayer to their own cultures are especially important today when the churches from the southern hemisphere are becoming ever more important in the direction taken by worldwide Christianity. These chapters also help reveal something few people take much notice of: the degree to which local or national culture shapes religion - including Christianity.

People forget just how much their Christian practice and beliefs are shaped by the culture around them. Instead, many imagine that Christianity as they practice it is the only "true" Christianity and the way it has been practiced throughout history. Ignoring the cultural aspects of one's religion means failing to appreciate it for what it really is.

This is an important book, but it's definitely not a book for everyone. It's large, detailed, and at times very academic. It will obviously appeal to those with a specific interest in Anglican history or Christian scriptures and liturgy, but it might also prove very handy to people who want a richer background to understanding the current debates and difficulties within the Anglican Communion.