Discovering the Book of Common Prayer: A Hands-On Approach

A.J. Pell is rector of Christ Church in Hope, B.C., editor of the
Canadian Evangelical Review, and an instructor of Liturgy, Anglican
Studies Programme at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C.

From 1549 (in the midst of the Protestant Reformation in England) to the
present day, the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) has been the central point
of unity for Anglicanism. Since World War II, that point of unity has
been strained by great changes in the English language and by an
ever-widening variety of languages and cultures among those who call
themselves Anglicans. Yet despite the publication of “alternative”
worship books, the BCP has remained the official worship book of
Anglicanism.

This book is the first of a two-volume series designed to reintroduce
the BCP to Anglicans who may have seen little of it in recent years and
to assist those new to the denomination to become familiar with it.
Careless, an Anglican and a journalist, writes of the concept of
“common prayer” and provides a detailed commentary on the “prayer
services,” both the less formal services for family use and the more
formal Morning Prayer (or Matins) and Evening Prayer (or Evensong) for
public use. The book is well researched, the writing is clear and
simple, and the content can be easily understood by a layperson with
little experience of public worship.

The problem with this book is the sheer volume of material. In addition
to material about the Prayer Book, there is an extensive chapter on
prayer. Where the BCP is directly treated, Careless at times swamps the
reader with information, not all of which is necessary for a layperson.
For example, the appendix (“Exploring Words Used in the BCP” by
Diana Verseghy) is thorough and valuable in its own right, but would
probably have been more useful if published separately as a booklet to
be tucked into a personal Prayer Book. But for those prepared to tackle
the volume of information, this will prove to be a worthwhile book both
to read and to use as a reference work.