Comments on: Prayer book glossary to assist modern-day ordinands

By: Allan Pearson

Allan Pearson — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 20:49:07 +0000

If the Book of Common Prayer were to be the book most often used and used regularly this would not be an issue. With regular use comes familiarity and understanding. Same thing with Shakespeare and the King James Authorized Holy Bible. I read the KJV regularly and it is remarkable just how easy it has become to understand. In fact the KJV is easier to read than virtually all of the contemporary versions.

The Anglican Church of Canada needs to stop obsessing with fitting in with the current society and get back to being a vehicle for the Work of God. First step towards doing this is to get back to both the BCP and the KJV.

By: Tony Houghton

Tony Houghton — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 19:46:10 +0000

The Prayer book is not primarily a vehicle for evangelism . It is primarily for those who have already come to God .As is the Sunday service is not a service aimed at the “unchurched ” but to those who have come to worship God.

By: James Pratt

James Pratt — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 19:24:04 +0000

A worthy effort, although “holpen” is not the past tense of to help, but rather the past participle. And quite incomplete, one word that comes to mind as needed translation is “creatures” (as in “these thy creatures of bread and wine”). And how about “devices”, “hallowed”, “lighten” (in the Te Deum), “inheritance” (in the suffrages at Morning Prayer), “estate”, “unfeignedly”, “imagination” (in the Magnificat), “chambering” (collect for Advent I)

Not to disparage the BCP. It is beautiful poetry, and many of the modern versions of the collects have lost the cadence and beauty of the original. It has its place, and we need to remember our heritage, and the influence that it has had on the English language and on literature. But as far as reaching out to an unchurched generation, lessons in 16th century English are not going to be efficient evangelism.