Liturgy, Crisis and Culture with the Very Reverend Father Chip Edgar

Looks don't matter. “It is what is on the inside that counts.”
Most of us grew up hearing some version of this. In reality, I'm
afraid this little ditty may not hold up so well, but at least it
causes us to reflect. Dating sites without photos don't go very
far. We want our partners to be deep and thoughtful and caring,
but we also want them to have an appearance we find appealing.


The weekly service structure for a church may be considered the
outside. Surely for the beginner or visitor, it is what gets
their attention. Historically we call it the liturgy; the basic
structure for a worship service which includes various readings,
creeds, hymns, rituals, and practices that are done in a certain
way. Some traditions even have what they call a liturgical
calendar, following the same readings and celebrations as others
on the same dates around the world.


Stand up, sit down is the stereotype common to the layman. To the
uninformed, it can seem meaningless, repetitive, and lacking in
relevance for daily life. The 1970s and 80s brought about a
spasmodic reaction to even the lowest of liturgies, perhaps most
dramatically symbolized by organs being replaced by guitars,
robes by open collars, rituals by attempts at relevance.


Ironically this non-liturgical form became its own liturgy of
sorts. While denominational distinctives became less obvious,
wording and music selections of the contemporary church movement
were surprisingly uniform. It seemed to be working to stem the
tide of attendance decline, for a while anyway.


Against this tide stood traditionalists of all forms,
denominations, and theological persuasions. Many of them were
overtaken by the waves they tried to stop. Others rode their
churches down until the doors closed.


Our guest today refused to be defined by those categories
swirling around him. He still wears a collar. His title
officially is “The Very Reverend Father”. He values the Book of
Common Prayer and the 39 Articles and considers himself in the
mainstream of the Anglican Community. If I keep going you are
going to think he is boring, but you’d be wrong.


Welcome to Church Hurts And The Very Reverend Chip Edgar, the
founding rector of Church of the Apostles in Columbia, South
Carolina.