The Rise and Fall of the Incomparable Liturgy by Bryan D. Spinks
by Colin Podmore, Church Times
LONG described as incomparably excellent, the Book of Common Prayer is also incomparable in other ways. Though it ceased to be the mainstay of Church of England worship in the 1960s, it continues to hold a central place in Anglican identity. By contrast, many other Churches’ service books are solely of liturgical significance, which ceases when they are no longer used in worship.
Bryan Spinks’s survey of the Prayer Book’s history will, therefore, interest many who only rarely encounter it liturgically. Expanding and summarising earlier articles, chapters, and books, and adding new material, he has produced an even narrative with only one brief instance of repetition. Telling the story in just 160 pages, this highly readable account brings its main themes into sharper focus than longer studies do. It offers an overview without being superficial: many for whom the story is familiar will encounter new details and fresh insights.
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