January 21: A Day for Episcopalians to Give Thanks!
For 460 years our Prayer Book — ancient, beautiful, and true — has endured,
despite attempts within the Church to destroy it.
JANUARY 21 marks 460 years of Common Prayer in the Church of England and, later, the American Protestant Episcopal Church, subsequently named Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA), and recently re-named The Episcopal Church (TEC). Church names have changed, but the classic, traditional, scripture-based BCP has remained essentially the same.
In 1549, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer issued the first Book of Common Prayer — written in reverent, beautiful language, accessible to all, and, most important, based on holy scripture.
Approval of this Prayer Book was carried through both houses of Parliament on January 21, 1549, by an Act of Uniformity which made its use compulsory throughout the Church of England.
In the United States, of course, we have a Constitution that states in the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .”
Our founding fathers left it up to the people, not the government, to establish our forms of worship. In 1789, the English Prayer Book of 1662, still in use today in the Church of England despite all assaults of the revisionists, was adapted for use in the United States with minimal changes and unaltered doctrine. Prayers for the king and royal family were deleted. Prayers appropriate to our new nation were added. But the creeds and other statements of our faith remained intact as they had through revisions in 1552, 1559, and 1604, and would through the revisions of 1892 and 1928.
And so our core beliefs endure through the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, still in use throughout The Episcopal Church and the Global Anglican Communion, despite constant battering from the sociopolitical left within our Church. In fact, TEC General Conventions of 1979 (“The Denver Resolution”) and 2000 affirmed that the 1928 BCP should remain in use within our Church.
The revised Prayer Book of 1979 was the first to depart radically from the “faith once for all delivered to the saints.” The revisions in this book and in subsequent rites and “trial uses” actually change the faith, splitting our Church into two religions — one Christian, the other secular; for example, imparting a human, but not divine, nature to Christ (Compare the Creeds 1928 and 1979), emphasizing social reform over repentance and forgiveness (Compare Baptism in the two BCPs), and weakening the marriage vows (Again, compare.).
Episcopalians for Traditional Faith (ETF) supports the use of the 1928 BCP within the Episcopal Church. We are a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization. For more information on ETF and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, subscribe to our free newsletter, Update, and browse through this website. Click on the image of the 1928 BCP to discover why this book is far superior to the 1979 and today’s cut-and-paste liturgy.
Thanks to the generous support of our readers, ETF representatives attended TEC General Convention in Anaheim, California in July. We report the actions of this 76th triennial GC on this website. We asked Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to reaffirm her assurance that everyone is welcome at the table of TEC, but she seemed unable to utter the words saying that conservative Episcopalians are entitled to the same “inclusiveness” as are the various agenda-driven factions represented at GC.
We attended committee meetings and legislative sessions. We spoke in support of the 1928 BCP — its true faith, its structure and order, and its splendid language. We reported daily from the Convention floor. We even visited Disneyland right down the street from the Convention Center, and found it less bizarre than the antics of some GC bishops and delegates. We networked with like-minded bishops, clergy, and lay persons who will join with us in furthering the practice of our religion. We found respite in a Holy Communion service from the 1928 BCP.
Please help ETF continue our work to preserve and increase use of the 1928 book of Common Prayer. Consider us as you plan your 2009 giving. Take time today to send a check to ETF, P.O. Box 361, Mill Neck, NY 11765. Or make a donation by clicking on the PayPal button. Donations are tax deductible. We appreciate any amount you can give — $10, $20, $50, or more. We’ll stay in touch to keep you informed on ETF activities made possible by your generosity.
Finally, please take time today to say a prayer of thanksgiving for our irreplaceable, reverent, and true Book of Common Prayer — from January 21, 1549 to this day, from age to age the same, ever constant in a world ravaged by secular change. — jm
History of ETF
by the Rev. Jerome F. Politzer
Episcopalians for Traditional Faith (ETF), dedicated to preserving and promoting use of the 1928 Prayer Book within the Episcopal Church, was formed in March 2002 on Long Island, NY. The original members had been active in the Long Island Chapter of the Prayer Book Society (see below) until the PBS disbanded its chapters. In the following article, The Rev. Jerome F. Politzer, member of the ETF Advisory Council, relates how the PBS, of which he is President Emeritus, began the movement to keep the 1928 Prayer Book in use.
Following the first approval of the new (1979) Episcopal Prayer Book at the 1976 General Convention in Minneapolis, Professors Aiden, Weatherby, and Sullivan resigned from the Prayer Book Society and left the Episcopal Church. The overwhelming majority of the laity in the Church who favored the traditional prayer book were left desolate, without leadership or voice.
Into the breach stepped three indomitable women who picked up the standard of the Prayer Book Society and marched forward. They were Julia Cunningham of the Diocese of Tennessee, Ann Robinson of the Diocese of Connecticut, and Nancy von Klemperer of the Diocese of Long Island. They were ably supported by three courageous priests who were not afraid to risk their careers for the sake of the truth, beauty, and moral integrity of the traditional prayer book. They were the Rev. Dr. William Ralston, Jr., the Rev James Law, and the Rev. Logan Jackson who became chairman of the board.
They rallied the membership and enlarged the board of directors. They were successful in obtaining passage at the 1979 General Convention in Denver of a resolution authorizing the use of the 1928 Prayer Book alongside the new 1979 Prayer book. And they were assured by the chairman of the Liturgical Committee of the House of Bishops that under this resolution no bishop could forbid the use of the 1928 Prayer Book.
Church Campaign to Censor Prayer Book
Unfortunately, this was not to be the case. Following the Convention, the House of Bishops unleashed a nationwide program attempting to stamp out all use of the 1928 Prayer Book. Traditional clergy and parishes were forced into compliance. Those who resisted were demonized and subjected to intense pressure. During the period of what was called “liturgical renewal” the Church lost one-third of her membership, from 3.6 million to 2.4 million. (Since then, as revisions proliferate, another half- million have left the Episcopal Church. — ed.)
The Prayer Book Society Publishing Company was established to foster the educational aims of the Society. It published the newsletter “Mandate” and the theological journal “Lex Orandi.” It also published three editions of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, along with numerous pamphlets and film documentaries promoting the teachings contained therein. A series of Sunday school lessons was prepared for traditional parishes and work was started laying the groundwork for a theological seminary to train men for the priesthood.
Although the Society was totally shut out from the decision-making process in the Church, it was able to defeat resolutions outlawing the use of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer which were proposed at the 1982 and the 1985 General Conventions. It also helped to prevent the Church from taking the first steps towards forming a “superchurch” as proposed by the Consultation on Church Union. (This scheme was called C.O.C.U. by its supporters and C.U.C.K.O.O. by its detractors.)
During the ten-year period from 1981 to 1991 the Rt. Rev. Clarence Haden, retired Bishop of Northern California, was patron, and the Rev. Jerome F. Politzer, Rector of St. John’s Chapel, Monterey, California, was president. Due to the devoted service of members of the Board and the loyal support of thousands of Church members, the traditional Book of Common Prayer (edition of 1928) was saved for future generations.
– The Rev’d Jerome F. Politzer, April 11, 2001
When PBS disbanded its chapter structure, members of the Long Island Chapter, led by former national PBS Secretary Nancy Von Klemperer, organized as a new organization, Episcopalians for Traditional Faith (ETF). In 2002, ETF became a nonprofit corporation in New York State. Since then, it has expanded throughout the United States. Our mission is to increase use of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer throughout the Episcopal Church, and, by doing so, to restore the faith that is being eradicated in the Church by means of changing the words with which we worship (the liturgy).
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