By Rev. Fr. Leon Golding, ContributorAT THE time of the Reformation someone remarked, 'The pulpit has been raised above the altar'. It is a perceptive comment and one that has profound implications for the Anglican Church universally and locally. It brings into focus the need for putting much more emphasis on pulpit delivery over liturgical elements of worship.
The above conclusion made by our brother Billy Hall I find a faulty one. His quote from the Reformation is just simply a commentary on what happened in many areas of the Church at that time. The emphasis at the time became the word as text. By Altar I assume he means the celebration of the Eucharist (Holy Communion, the Mass) which was and is the major liturgy of the Church. Liturgy in the early Church and up to the Reformation would not have been seen as a separation of the pulpit (word) and the altar (Sacrament). In fact, liturgy was seen as 'the womb of Scripture'. The Bible is the Church's book and the New Testament took its shape in the context of worship. As the early Church worshipped they recalled their experience of Jesus, read the letters received and interpreted Old Testament Scripture in light of the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Our brother also speaks of "liturgical elements" as something separate from the preaching of the word referring only to ceremonial of the sacrament. Liturgy means 'the work of the people' and refers to all that we do when we meet to worship God, pulpit and altar. Simply put it is the order of service. Every denomination has a liturgy structured or unstructured. It is the framework in which worship takes place. Billy Hall starts with Calvin, who was a lawyer-turned-theologian, and ignores the earlier teachings of the Church as espoused by the Fathers.
St. Chrysostom a great preacher of the fourth century never saw a separation of the pulpit and the altar and would be abhorred by the present discussion. His preaching often called for regular reception of the Blessed Sacrament by the believer. Chrysostom speaks of the consecratory prayer as 'the sacred moment'. He understood the divinity of Christ as being present in a mystical way at the consecratory prayer.
CALVIN AND THE REFORMATION:
The reformation took place against the background of the rise of nationalism, the Renaissance, the rise of the middle class, Individualism and the corruption at the time in the Church. One may describe them as soil for the Reformation. The period of the Renaissance produced a series of inventions most notable the development of the printing press which was to have profound effect on the course of history. With this invention books became cheaper and the Bible available to every household.
The printed text book prominence, especially in the form of legal contacts and a sense of mystery was removed in every day life. It is worth quoting Bonnell Spencer's insight at length to see the possible influence this had on religion. "One middle class attitude which was to have profound effect on religion was their attachment to the written word. A farmer is dependent on the weather and other forces of nature... There are floods and droughts, which come unexpectedly and from no preventable cause. They are acts of God and introduce a note of mystery into his dealings with nature... But the city-dwelling tradesman is not dealing with these ordered yet mysterious forces of nature. He is trading with other selfish sinful men many of whom will try to get the better of him. His only protection is to have the terms of his agreements in writing. They must needs be set down clearly in black and white, signed, sealed and kept for reference, or if necessary, for legal action. As far as possible the unexpected, the mysterious must be eliminated. Men accustomed to such transaction want the same in their religion. They naturally prefer a written statement of what they are required to believe and do. Hence the Bible, the written word of God grows in importance in their eyes. Tradition, in so far as they are accepted, must be formulated and clearly defined. The Sacraments those mysterious acts of God, seem less dependable. This represents a shift in emphasis from the medieval type of religion in which the average illiterate Christian depended on the Sacraments for his encounter with God." Calvin, it is said "provided a religion of the written word both in his legalistic handling of the Bible and in his institutes."
The availability of the Bible in the hand of every believer was and is a good thing. However, both word and Sacrament are important elements in our encounter with God. God is mystery and cannot simply be defined in words.
THE SACRAMENT (ALTAR):
Billy Hall fails to understand sacramental theology in the catholic tradition. In the context of the liturgy the word points to Christ and our relationship. "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (John 5:39-40). the good news and goal of Christian salvation is fellowship with God. The altar points to the natural climax of the word, union with God. It speaks of God offering himself to us in Christ that we may share in the eternal life. Jesus said, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day... Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them. (St. John 6: 54,56)."
The Eucharist is not a memorial service in the sense of a mental exercise, it is not mere symbolism as held in some Protestant traditions. To use the words of George Guiver, "We are dealing with something powerfully real - the astonishing words of Jesus: 'This is my body... this is my blood'." It is life as God offers himself a fresh to us as food for the journey, He in us and we in him. In the Eucharist we are caught up with God, the incarnation is relived. The divine meets the human and we called to transformed.
The altar in our tradition is not higher than the pulpit but central, as reflected in the architecture in some of our churches. In Anglican churches where the architecture reflects a high pulpit this may be more of a consideration for acoustics that a doctrinal statement. This is not to deny that some within the Anglican tradition have not emphasised the pulpit over the altar. The altar remains central because it reminds us of the supreme sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It is the Christian understanding that in and through Christ's sacrifice only, can we truly have salvation and offer ourselves to God. "No one comes to the Father but through me," said Jesus.
In the Liturgical Renewal Movement there is not separation of the word (pulpit) and Sacrament (altar) both are important and to kept in tension, which has been the Anglican classical position. It is to the Anglican Church's credit that it recognised that the Church did not have to be divided on such issues. To speak of the Eucharist today is to speak of the word and the Sacrament. They are both parts of the one whole, and means to our union with God. For those who practice good liturgy the word is given equal attention as the sacrament, they both proclaim the Word, Christ Jesus.
Let us not deny that the Church may need more inspirational preachers as suggested but this is a separate issue and does not call for the pulpit to be raised above the altar. It is good to have charismatic preachers but let us pray more for persons who are true to the word of God. Preaching is a popular path and necessary but must be kept in tension with the Sacrament. Christ did not give the Church the Bible but he gave us the Eucharist on the night before his crucifixion, saying, "Do this in remembrance of me."
The Rev. Leon Golding is rector of the Kingston Parish Church.
