wfn.org | Commentary: British worship book holds surprises

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May 19, 1999 Contact: Tim Tanton*(615) 742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-21-71BP{278}

NOTE: A head-and-shoulders photograph of the Rev. Leicester Longden is
available. Editors might want to use this commentary as a companion piece to
UMNS #279.

A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Leicester R. Longden*

"God our Father and our Mother, we give you thanks and praise." So begins
one of the optional communion prayers in the new worship book of the British
Methodist Church.

The amazing publicity this prayer received in the British press might lead
one to think that a revolution in prayer forms had begun in British
Methodist churches. Suddenly, the BBC, the national newspapers, and even
talk-show audiences were discussing Christian worship. And that in a country
where 90 percent of the population do not attend church.

I obtained a copy of The Methodist Worship Book and quickly began skimming
the pages, looking for the prayer that so exercised the press. Not until I
had gone twice through the book did I find it. Only once elsewhere in 605
pages did I find another prayer referring to God's mother-like character:
"Gracious God, like a mother you give us new life." How could these two
simple prayers cause so much discussion?

I asked a friend, a theology professor who travels widely, what he observed
on a recent trip to England. He told me that he found tremendous excitement
for the book among Methodist Evangelicals. They praised the book because it
is thoroughly trinitarian and orthodox -- that is, its prayer language
states the classic faith of the church. They rejoiced that the new worship
resource preserved and expressed the orthodox faith.

This explanation made me wonder even more about the media sensationalism
over two brief phrases in a long book. But I have come to the conclusion
that this misreading in the popular press is a marvelous enticement. Those
who know little of the depth and richness of Christian worship, as well as
those interested only in the political correctness of prayer language, may
well be enticed and tutored by this book into a surprising encounter with
the Christian faith itself.

Like the British Evangelicals, I am delighted with the approach taken by The
Methodist Worship Book. Rather than the trendy experimentation of those who
adapt the worship (or beliefs) of the church to satisfy the demands (or
comfort) of the surrounding culture, the editors of The Methodist Worship
Book chose to ground Methodist worship in the vital soil of basic Christian
doctrine. 

When the editors acknowledge the mother-like qualities of God, they do not
present them as a pushy, politically correct mandate. Instead, they ground
these prayers in a clear trinitarian setting. That is, they pray to God as
"Mother" in a way that neither replaces nor redefines the Father-Son-Spirit
name that is normative for orthodox Christian belief.

Some experiments with worship language among Methodists in the United States
have not been as careful. Well-meaning attempts to be inclusive and to avoid
references to God as "Father" have led some pastors and worship leaders to
substitute triads like "Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier" for the biblical
triune name. Yet, even some feminist theologians have demonstrated that such
a formula does not adequately name the three persons of the Holy Trinity.
The formula divides the unity of the Triune God into
three separate gods who have creating, redeeming and sanctifying functions.

Perhaps the British Methodist Church may help us overcome some cultural and
theological stereotypes. For example, many Americans tend to think of
themselves as "creative" and the British as "staid" or "traditional." In
addition, American Christians often set "creativity" over against
"orthodoxy." The "Preface" to The Methodist Worship Book applies a more
dynamic view to its forms of worship: "These forms are not intended to curb
creative freedom, but rather to provide norms for its guidance."

This dynamic understanding of how freedom and doctrine may dwell together in
unity has its roots in Christian worship of the Holy Trinity. God has
revealed to us the mystery of an eternal diversity-in-unity, an eternal
exchange of self-giving without domination. We can be grateful that The
Methodist Worship Book points toward this God. We can be grateful that the
worship of this God still catches our world by surprise.

# # #

*Longden is senior pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Lansing,
Mich.  He is a clergy member of the West Michigan Annual Conference of the
United Methodist Church, where he serves on the Conference Board of Ordained
Ministry.

Commentaries provided by United Methodist News Service do not necessarily
represent the opinions or policies of UMNS or the United Methodist Church.

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