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.