# Books about liturgy.



## Jash Comstock (Sep 15, 2011)

Hey, I was wondering if anyone could give me some resources/books about liturgy. As in, the argument for the use of liturgy; the history of liturgy; meaning of symbols in liturgy. Any of this would be very helpful


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## Contra_Mundum (Sep 15, 2011)

The request, if you'll pardon the expression, is a little vague.

Every church has a "liturgy," some are more regular or more defined than others; some are more ornate and professional than others; some are attached to some particular place and time in history, in preference to others of newer or later origin/reformation.

If you want "high-church" defenses of a non-Romanist or heirarchical type, you might want to inquire after certain Lutheran or Anglican resources.

"High" Presbyterianism can appear "high-church-liturgical" to people who are (or who think they are) "low-church," but a Directory for Public(k) Worship driven service occupies something of a middle-ground between low-and-high church worship. Likewise, a Reformed service that follows the Dort-approved order (A.D.1619, parts of which are as old as the 1566 _Psalter _of Danthenus). In my view, the reintroduction of certain high-liturgical elements into some Presbyterian churches has taken those churches back further than the Reformation; and the attempt to "reform" the Reformers is largely unhelpful. Most American Presbyterians with a background prior to the 1990s in conservative circles grew up accustomed to a "Low" Presbyterianism, that was still considerably higher (liturgically) than a typical Colonial or Early American Presbyterian.

What today is (sometimes derisively) called "traditional" worship, with a fairly fixed Order of Service having limited elements, is actually the vestiges of "Protestant" worship, which may range from a high at "Low-Anglicanism" to a low at "Primitive Baptist." The truth is that there once was little surface difference between the conduct of worship of any American Colonial church, with the exception of the Anglicans, who weren't that different. One anecdote tells of the Huguenot migration to South Carolina, where most assimilation took place toward the Anglicans, rather than the Presbyterians, due to the marked "lowering" of the liturgy among the Colonials, versus the higher expectations of the recent refugees from France.

An irony of more modern history is the observation that today's "rock-stage" church-entertainment, stripped of its cultural aesthetic, isn't low-church at all, but a huge production and highly orchestrated and manipulative. Essentially uber-high-church, despite often deprecating the "stuffy" types.


I will add, that the old Anglican Book of Common Prayer (not a modern revision) contains quite a bit of excellent devotional and prayer material. You can go to Concordia Publishing to look for some Lutheran materials defending their use of church symbols, historic liturgy, church calendar, saints-days, etc. for example their book "Behold the Lamb" (not an endorsement). These are traditions that stand a little closer to the unreformed traditions of the Medieval and Ancient periods; and are not typical Reformed or Presbyterian persuasions. 

But, if you are mainly interested in a defense of the shape of Reformed liturgy, this would be a good book: Amazon.com: Worship (Revised and Expanded Edition) (9780664225797): Hughes Oliphant Old: Books


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## sdesocio (Sep 15, 2011)

Im going to echo the above. Everyone has a pattern of worship - some are more intentional than others. I'd recommend. 

Three resources from most crucial to least - The last might be more for Presbyterians:
Amazon.com: Worship (Revised and Expanded Edition) (9780664225797): Hughes Oliphant Old: Books

Amazon.com: The Worship Sourcebook (9780801091728): John D. Witvliet, Emily Brink: Books

Eutaxia, or, The Presbyterian liturgies - historical sketches - Google eBookstore


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## bshpmark (Sep 16, 2011)

Jash: My account was activated. So, just to post these publicly since I sent them to you already:

Evangelical is Not Enough by Thomas Howard. I forgot to mention this but Thomas Howard is the brother of Elizabeth Elliot the wife of slain missionary Jim Elliot. Howard is now Roman Catholic but he wrote this book when he became an Anglican. This is a must read about the beauty of the liturgy.

For the Life of the World by Schmemann. He is an Orthodox writer. Great book though.

Ceremonies of the Eucharist. I wrote you the author's name in the other message. When I had postulants reading for Holy Orders, I always had them buy this book. This book is the "What, Why, and When to do it" book especially for new deacons. Covers everything like where to put the bishop's mitre when he takes it off, how does the altar get censed, where do you stand, what does this mean, etc etc etc.

The early church writing, The Didache, forms the basis for all liturgical style worship at least in the Anglican, Roman, and Orthodox churches.

When I was a Baptist pastor I remember someone telling me that if we had three hymns, the offering, a scripture reading, and a sermon, and we did it two weeks in a row, we had a liturgy. That is really true. 

+Mark


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## bshpmark (Sep 16, 2011)

Jash: One book I did not mention to you which I just remembered is a book entitled "Ritual Notes: a Comprehensive Guide to the Rites and Ceremonies of the book of Common Prayer of the English Church." Written in 1946 by Henry Cairncross. This book is rare and hard to find. Sometimes you can get it on eBay. It is about the ritual and liturgy of high-church Anglicanism, some may even say, of Anglo-Catholicism. If you can ever find a copy, get it! I was fortunate in that a friend of mine who was a fellow Franciscan priest, sent me a box of books about Saint Francis. Tucked away inside the box was a barely used copy of Ritual Notes. My jaw hit the floor because I had been looking for a long time for a copy. Although we are not high church in my particular parish I still love the book and what I can learn from it to make our worship more God and Christ glorifying.


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