John has been wondering about a recent CofE move to change the baptismal liturgy to something a little more accessible to those illiterate oiks who have never read the Bible, know no Bible stories, and have the theological eduation of a bean sprout. But the problem is more widespread, if we are going to appeal to the lowest common denominator of each and every gathering we should remember that there may be someone there who doesn't believe in God at all, even in the most watered down wishy washy new age way imaginable.
Because of this all church liturgy, sermons and songs should avoid things that someone in the room might not know about and should instead revolve around sports results, discussing the weather, and gentle exhortations to drive a little closer to the speed limit, recycle anything that isn't too much trouble, and be nice to people unless you are having a bad day. At all costs no sense of curiosity, wonder, challenge, or discovery should be risked otherwise someone might not feel as safe at church as they do in their own living room wearing nothing but their underpants and eating day old chips while watching reruns of Postman Pat.
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I blogged about this also if you're interested:
ReplyDeleteChurch of England approve change of Baptism Service language to be simplified and trendier
Getting a bit of stick already...
Very witty! :)
ReplyDeleteInstead of actually witnessing to people, we could just gobdown the street with a spray bottle and sprinkle them into the kingdom.
ReplyDeleteHey! I feel excluded, I know nothing of sports and their results and care even less.
ReplyDelete