ETF President Responds to Article On Church "Swan Song" in NY Sun

ETF President Irving P. Graeb wrote this Letter to the Editor of the New York Sun in response to Jay Akasie's article "Episcopalian Swan Song," in which Akasie wrote:

"Today there's less than half the number of Episcopalians in America as there were in 1960. Its once-magnificent Book of Common Prayer, largely unchanged since the days of Thomas Cranmer, was watered down in the mid-1970s to appease, among other special interest groups, radical feminists intent on omitting male references to God.

"The Episcopal Church's hymnal suffered much the same fate in the early 1980s; hymns with lyrics that were deemed politically incorrect by the church's liberal elite were either rewritten or deleted entirely."

The Editor
New York Sun

In response to the excellent article by Jay Akasie in the Sun (Feb. 20), I'd like to expand upon his statement: "(The Episcopal Church's) once-magnificent Book of Common Prayer, largely unchanged since the days of Thomas Cranmer, was watered down in the mid-1970s to appease, among other special interest groups, radical feminists intent on omitting male references to God."

This is all too true; but it tells only half the story. Yes, the liturgy was watered down. However, the original magnificent liturgy to which Mr. Akasie refers remains very much in use, and is accessible to all Episcopalians.

The relatively recent radical changes in the church that Mr. Akasie mentions can all be traced to the prayer book revisions, which make all things permissible.

Words have meaning, "Liturgy" means words with which we worship. When the revisionists rewrote the scripture-based liturgy, they changed it to further their secular humanist movement. For example, see the "Baptismal Covenant" in the 1979 Prayer Book. Compare it to Holy Baptism in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. It's worth noting that Episcopal liberals invoke the 1979 "Baptismal Covenant" frequently to justify their "social justice" agenda.

When The Episcopal Church (TEC) introduced the 1979 Prayer Book as its "official" liturgy - despite the negative reaction to its "trial use" by most of the laity -- its governing body voted that the 1928 Book of Common Prayer remain in continued use along with the 1979 (and subsequent revisions). This resolution was further reinforced by a second resolution by General Convention in 2000. These measures were passed only because alert traditional Episcopalians saw through the ruse and spoke up.

Episcopalians across the USA should insist that their clergy conduct services from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, which is God-centered, rather than man-centered as are the later rites. All Episcopalians should be aware that TEC approves use of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, even though liberal bishops and clergy repeatedly have lied to the laity by telling us otherwise.

I've attached an article by Nancy Von Klemperer, Chairman Emeritus of Episcopalians for Traditional Faith (ETF). Her article, which appears in the Easter 2008 issue of the ETF newsletter Update, gives a concise summary of what has happened since TEC foisted the 1979 Prayer Book and subsequent rites on us.

Best regards, ETF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the use of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer within the Episcopal Church. Our website is currently being updated and will be up and running by Easter: gt;www.etf1928.org.

Irving P. Graeb

Irving P. Graeb Chairman, Episcopalians for Traditional Faith February 27, 2008