Comments on: Random Acts of Linkage #66

By: Brother Maynard

Brother Maynard — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:31:32 +0000

Rob,
Sorry, I wasn’t clear… I know the view you expressed wasn’t exactly your own! My reply is essentially what I would want to communicate to them… perhaps in different language. I do know though that some of the emerging generation are retuurning to more liturgical forms, so I wonder if the group you heard mainly shared an evangelical background. I heard and said all those things about scripted prayers as a charismatic evangelical, and would still expect the same sentiment from that camp… but I don’t think it actually represents the whole. What do you think?

Pat,
I’ll have to make some kind of “Holy Hand Grenade” award for you! I enjoyed your “apocryphal” missional synchroblog post as well… I plan to include it as I work through that series to discover if we all agree what missional is or not. ;^)

By: robbymac

robbymac — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:33:24 +0000

Bro. Maynard, I know that you know that I have used the Anglican book of prayer quite a bit over the years, so I know that you know I’m not dissin’ the whole thing.

But when you have “emerging generation” young adults observing that these same books do nothing for them, you take note. That’s all I’m saying.

By: Pat

Pat — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:01:43 +0000

Bro M –

What a thrill to make your weekly roundup not just once, but TWICE. Truly one of the high points of my blogging career. Is there some sort of prize or trophy? :)

(Oh, and as a post-charismatic – well, pretty much post-*, I have to say I *LOVE* liturgical prayers that are written adn that I can pray and then vamp from.)

By: Brother Maynard

Brother Maynard — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:09:51 +0000

All I can say about the use of a prayer book is “Don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it.” It doesn’t lack the authenticity you might expect, because authenticity is what *you* bring to it, not what the book brings. Unscripted spontaneous prayer can be every bit as inauthentic. (I know you’ve heard a pretentious prayer or two in your day!) Authenticity isn’t determined by the form or the presence/lack of forethought, but by the depth from which the words are spoken — even if they’re not your own words. I would venture to guess that most married guys gave some thought to how they phrased their marriage proposal… and it was no less authentic. If anything, their now-wives appreciated the forethought even more. When my wife and I got married, we used the standard traditional vows rather than follow what has become the trend to often-mushy or saccharine self-composed vows. We thought them over ahead of time, and still meant them.

Just a thought.

By: robbymac

robbymac — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:49:33 +0000

sorry — I don’t have a “bunch of university-aged daughters…” !!! :)

I meant to say “a bunch of my university-aged daughter’s FRIENDS”.

My bad.

By: robbymac

robbymac — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:48:09 +0000

re: #22

I found it interesting the other day to hear a bunch of my university-aged daughters talking about church, prayer etc, and while they aren’t real impressed with church in general, they were reading their Bibles and talking about what they were learning — all very informal but very cool.

What was interesting is that they have zero use for “prayers written in a book” because they were “canned” and “not authentic”.

Things that make me ponder…

By: Brother Maynard

Brother Maynard — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:06:07 +0000

Yes, it was going on what, three years already? I can see a kid in that situation acting out and talking to a lawyer, whatever (you have to feel for her). The thing I don’t get is the fact the court agreed to hear the case at all.

By: sonja

sonja — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:21:28 +0000

re #21 … the whole thing is the result of a very tangled and contentious custody battle where it appears that the parents are using the child to resolve some of their issues. So, probably less than what it originally appeared to be.