Ritual for Reformers? On the evangelical recovery of liturgy
Is a renewed evangelical interest in liturgy and ritual helpful, or a dangerous step back to pre-Reformation Christianity?
Thanks for reading! Read on for my evolving views on liturgy, but first, a few updates…
Thank you, Tim Keller
I’m immensely grateful for the life and ministry of Dr Timothy Keller. I saw the news while at Hutchmoot, and many of us there have been profoundly touched by his ministry and writing.
He was wise Bible teacher and thoughtful and nuanced in his cultural engagement – he’s profoundly shaped my ‘theological vision’ as he terms it in Center Church. I’m grateful to God for his gift of Keller to the church, and I pray for Keller’s family and church now as they grieve him, all while remembering the resurrection hope that he held to so firmly.
You can hear me talking about Tim Keller’s Center Church as one of the books that shaped me on TWR’s The Books that Shaped Us podcast, recorded last summer:
Hello Hutchmoot!
I’m writing this on my way back from Hutchmoot UK 2023. It was a great time of creative community! I was blessed by hearing Doug McKelvey talking about weakness, and how our weaknesses are not barriers, but divine invitations to depend on God and draw near to others in community. I enjoyed hearing Andrew Peterson talking about the art of writing. I loved having many fascinating conversations with friends old and new. A big wave to everyone I met there!
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Rediscovering liturgy
Evangelicals have long been suspicious of ritual, liturgy and spiritual disciplines. But there’s been something of a sea-change in recent years, with a renewed interest in these practices among evangelicals – myself among them. What should we make of this – is it passing fad, dangerous flirtation, or spiritually helpful?
My journey with liturgy
I first encountered liturgy at L’Abri through the chapel services there, and at the nearby International Presbyterian Church, and while it seemed foreign to me at first, I discovered a real richness to it that can be lacking in the very informal independent evangelical style that I’m used to.
I’ve also been using the Church of England’s Daily Prayer app regularly in my quiet time for several years now, and it helps me feel more connected to a wider body of believers than just taking my own individual meanderings through scripture, and gives me more Bible and less pre-packaged answers than your average evangelical ‘Bible reading notes’.
I also appreciate the deeply integrated spirituality of Every Moment Holy, which has liturgies for all sorts of occasions, from making coffee and changing nappies through to coming to term with the death of a dream or facing the loss of a loved one.
Voices for and against
One influential voice in support of liturgy has been James K A Smith’s book You Are What You Love (Brazos Press, 2016), which argues that we need to recover these practices for faith to flourish in a secular age. I found Smith’s book helpful and convincing. But not everyone is persuaded: its review by Pete Woodcock and Tom Sweatman in Evangelicals Now under the title “Reversing the Reformation” (paywalled) called it a “dangerous book” that “could even lead people back to pre-Reformation religion”.
Now, I know Pete and Tom from serving on the Christian youth camp Contagious with them and have a lot of respect and affection for them, and take their concerns seriously. But does this reflect what is Smith really saying? Is recovering liturgy a betrayal of our Reformation heritage, or essential for shaping our hearts to love God?