When it comes to so-called adversarial “Gray-zone” tactics utilized to destabilize a nation’s populace, none has proven more effective than compromising a nation’s religious convictions, supplanting them with another ethic. Yet, while subversive ideologies have been circulating in the West as far back as the early 1900’s, a unified identity derived from a common religion and cause, was as yet a mountain too steep to climb Yet if such is the case why has there been so little moral outrage today? The answer is simply a lack of moral conviction on the part of the populace. As to the reasons why, I would offer this – while the pot has been slow to boil it has produced the desired effect, an erosion in the
social contract” between the government and the governed, with an end-game in mind – servility to another system.
But resistance is mounting, particularly in the UK. When the British Parliament can no longer make the distinction between common decency and moral decay, as can be seen in the trash accumulation and rat infestation in predominantly Muslim Birmingham, you’ve not only got a bloody problem, but administrative dysfunction, with officials lacking the will to call it what it is – a national disgrace. There can no longer be any excuse, as it’s become painfully clear that national unity cannot be derived through multiplicity, but only from those with a uniform identity and a “shared pattern of values, behaviors, beliefs and attitudes that were created, transmitted, maintained, and transformed over time.” (U.S. Air Force Culture and Language Center [AFCLC]). And regarding that identity, as a predominately Christian nation, the Church of England, including its Book of Common Prayer remain not only representative of England’s history, but its Christian faith.
In that regard, while the Book of Common Prayer and Kings James Version of the Bible may be seen by some as anachronisms, both continue to have an extraordinary relevancy when it comes to Christian conservatism. Although earlier publications of the Church of England’s Prayer Book still exist as a reminder of what once was and what might have been, the more liberal element within the Church has taken upon itself the task of modernization, altering the (official) Prayer Book in such a way as to make it more readable and therefore more relevant. As a result, its heavenly pronouncements have made a little more palatable to better serve the interests of the muddle in order that they might wheedle their way out of moral accountability.
That said, we can identify certain methodologies being used to hasten the process. One is through increasingly obtuse translations, derived in large part from the increasing availability of Greek manuscipts. Where is the meat? The other is by way of interpretation of those various translations. And this is of particular relevance, as The Church of England, The King James Bible and The Book of Common Prayer were particle to England’s historical development. And while much to do has been made about recent discoveries, the perceived benefit remains questionable.
By contrast, The King James Bible, derived from Tyndale’s earlier translation, which relied primarily upon the Greek and Hebrew texts for the New Testament, and the Vulgate for the Old was not only uniquely English in its composition, but “cutting edge” for that time and place. As such, the KJV became not only the primary text for The Church of England, but the The Book of Common Prayer as well. I say better to leave well-enough alone, as comparing certain passages of the KJV with that of the popular the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is somewhat like comparing apples to oranges. While it can be said that both are edible fruits in a theological sense, their appearance and taste are arguably quite different. That difference being precisely the point, as in reading the KJV and earlier publications of The Prayer Book something becomes readily apparent. We’re not just reading theology, we are reading the ecclesiastical history and formative christology of England itself, and that according to some of the most brilliant minds of the time and doubly blessed. Educated in the best “Classical Tradition” of the time they were themselves particle to The English Reformation as well. And from perspective I would presume that they were arguably a little closer to the literary essence of the eternal flame!
And while it can be said that the NRSV is more readable in a contemporary sense, providing greater accessibility for a modern audience, it hasn’t come without a cost. Parallels can be made between the ubiquity of modern English today and its literary devolution with the atrophy of intellectual curiosity and lack of grammatical acuity that we find in many of our college campuses today. The point being that earlier translations such as the KJV, while no doubt less readable for the vast majority of the public today, remain unique in their ability to express The Word of God in such a way as to be not only concise, but expositionally illuminating. In short, one could say that it’s compositors demonstrated not only a rare command of the English language, but in turn raised it to an art-form by saying more with fewer words. An ability notably lacking today. For that reason, earlier editions of both The King James Bible and The Book of Common Prayerl remain of particular significance, as they are not only representative of the genesis of Western Christianity, but the genius of European thought. And this I might add is especially true when it comes to The Book of Common Prayer, as in reading the current rendition, through the kaleidoscope of its various revisions and updates, is a bit like following “Alice through the looking glass,” only to find that everything on the other side of the mirror is somewhat topsy-turvy.
Consequently, the tea of truth no longer carries the force of conviction it once had, not dissimilar to the term “bracing up,” which can no longer be found in the English vernacular. Yet, to say that the cup has become tepid would be a misnomer, as the setting itself has changed, and with that, something uniquely British and of a peculiar beauty has been lost. The page has turned as they say, and with it, The Word’s previous theological elicitations. A danger, in that popular opinion has been quick to fill the void, in spite of the fact that its relevancy has become increasingly trivialized. Worse, the progressives in the punch-bowl have now become the majority opinion, which is now at odds with the salvific alchemy of the page itself. Unfortunately, the same can be said for the priestly office, in that what was once saintly is now only sanctimonious, with the pulpit having become little more than a causation for cessation. In turn, the spiritual guardrails that once guided us on our merry way have somehow gone missing, leading in turn to any number of moral off-ramps, the result of which is now plain to see. A purge is in order, a “penitential rite,” not simply for the sake of brevity, but the survival of the English people themselves.
