What's the Difference?

A Traditional June Wedding Is Beautiful And Meaningful with 1928 Prayer Book

June, by far the favorite month for weddings, is a good time to delight in what the traditional Prayer Book offers. Couples who choose the 1928 Book of Common Prayer for their marriage ceremony will be blessed indeed, for the collect "At a Marriage" asks:

"Eternal God, we humbly beseech thee, favourably to behold these thy servants now (or about to be) joined in wedlock according to thy holy ordinance; and grant that they, seeking first thy kingdom and thy righteousness, may obtain the manifold blessings of thy grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." (page 267, 1928 Book of Common Prayer). The couple will know that they are married indeed, when the minister joins their right hands and intones: "Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." (Page 303, 1928 BCP) The Solemnization of Matrimony in the 1928 BCP is the best choice for a wedding in June -- or any other month -- because

It rescues guests from having to listen to a tacky ceremony written by the bride and groom, or a pagan rite about juicy fruit cobbled together by Prayer Book revisionists.

" It does so in poetic, reverent language that lifts the spirits of the blessed couple and all present.

" Most important, it is based on holy scripture: "(Holy matrimony) is an honourable estate, instituted of God, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church: which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence and first miracle that he wrought in Cana of Galilee . . ."

" It demonstrates that the Word of God is upheld with true belief and rejoicing by the people of God, no matter how far some of our church leaders themselves might stray from their vows and responsibilities.

The marriage ceremony has been weakened bit by bit since the revisionists first adulterated it with the 1979 Prayer Book changes. Note the difference between the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the 1979 versions:

1928 BCP: "With this ring I thee wed." 1929 BCP: "I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you."

In her pamphlet, What's the Difference? Nancy Von Klemperer comments: "The 1928 BCP words denote that a mystical and spiritual action is taking place - that of 'wedding' someone. The 1979 words describe the more mundane actions of giving a symbolic gift and of 'honoring' someone.
"Surely 'wedding' is more than 'honoring.'"

The 1979 adulteration of the marriage ceremony was the first step in an incremental process toward deconstructing marriage between a man and a woman. More is to come: In June 2004 the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church approved a process leading to a "church-wide conversation on the subject of marriage," and published a lengthy bibliography that includes works on same-sex marriage. This is bound to be another one-way "conversation." It doesn't take a wizard to see where this is going, as the 2009 General Convention approaches. The Episcopal Church revisionists have deleted the meaningful words of a scripture-based, inspirational marriage ceremony meant to fulfill the promise of Christ's miracle at the marriage at Cana. In their place, they've substituted words that mean something entirely different.
What can we do? If you're planning a wedding in the Episcopal Church, ask - no, insist - that the rector use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. And don't take "No" for an answer. It's perfectly all right, by the church's own resolutions, to use this liturgy. Its use should be encouraged by all who believe it is God, not man, who has prepared the way for all of us to walk in. -- jm

More on the Topic of Marriage and other Vows

Bishop's Daughter by Honor Moore was released in May.
In her book, Ms. Moore "outs" her late father, Bishop Paul Moore, Jr., who had long led a double life -- active homosexual on one hand, and on the other, family man and Episcopal bishop of New York -- the huge diocese encompassing Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, and Sullivan counties.
In a diocesan letter released after an excerpt of the book appeared in the March 3 New Yorker, the bishop of New York, the Rt. Rev. Mark S. Sisk, admits that Moore's "offense" was brought before then Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning, yet only now are the rank and file of the Episcopal Church made aware it.
"Sadly the violation of trust that Ms Moore reports is consistent with behavior recorded in complaints about Bishop Moore's exploitative behavior received by the office of the Bishop of New York," he writes. "As Canon Law required, the concerns of those complainants (who wished their identities held in confidence) were duly conveyed to the then Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning for disposition."
Bishop Sisk refers in his letter to "offense," "violation," and "exploitative behavior," yet apparently was unable to bring himself to write the word "sin." Even in the Catholic Church's new catalog of contemporary "sins," a sin is called a sin. (See article on the Seven Deadly Sins.)
"Ms Moore's article brings to light what appears to be her father's decades long violation of his wedding vows," Sisk writes. "This was an offense of the most serious nature. Any person who has extra-marital relations commits an offense. (There's that word again.)

“The long term extra-marital relationship that his daughter describes was begun, according to her account, with a young man who had come to the Bishop for counseling.” Why the Episcopal Church kept silent on the matter, which allegedly was common knowledge among the church hierarchy and along the streets of Greenwich Village in Manhattan, is anyone’s guess.

June, June, June

Also in the news is the announcement by Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire that he and his companion plan a “wedding” in June, the month most favored by brides and grooms for their nuptials. This event will take place shortly before the Lambeth Conference in England, a gathering of bishops of the worldwide Anglican Communion that occurs only every ten years.
Bishops and their spouses attend Lambeth by invitation of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Robinson was not invited, but he's going anyway. This will be the second "marriage" for Robinson, who left his wife and children to live another sort of life. One wonders if he, like so many others, chose June because it's such a pleasant month. Or is he very publicly thumbing his nose at the worldwide Anglican Communion by scheduling the limo, caterer, florist, and church just before Lambeth?
As our liturgy is incrementally rendered meaningless, expect to see more outrageous behavior. What example does the person in the pew follow? "Things fall apart, the center cannot hold," wrote Yeats. We see this every day in the church's liturgical train wreck.
Long before Robinson outed himself and Moore's daughter outed him, the lifestyles of these two men were widely known or at least surmised. Instead of calling them to account, the Episcopal Church shielded one and rewarded the other by making him Bishop of New Hampshire.
Don't Leave!
Online journalist David Virtue comments: "(Presiding Bishop) Mrs. Jefferts Schori continues to argue that only a miniscule number of churches (1%) are leaving The Episcopal Church. . . She may continue to believe her own propaganda, but with the departure rate of Episcopalians rising to well over 1,000 a week -- all dues paying members one should hastily add -- there is little doubt that the national church's budget is being affected by the loss of income from these fleeing orthodox Episcopalians!" Episcopalians for Traditional Faith (ETF) encourages Episcopalians to stay put. This won't last forever. Don't let the secular humanists and social engineers take your church away from you.
Stay in the church in which you grew up or were confirmed as an adult. Choose your wedding ceremony, baptize and confirm your children, bury your dead, worship every Sunday from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. You don't have to use those other ridiculous rites that have been foisted on you by revisionists who hate everything the Church stands for. This book is a constant guide in an uncertain world. Don't abandon it. Stay with us. Encourage your friends to do likewise.

Write to us and ask for help in getting the true liturgy back into the pews of your church. We'll be glad to help.