Bible and Church The Transfiguration Zombie Theology THE August 4, 2013 LIVING CHURCH C ATHOLIC EVANGELICAL ECUMENICAL Grant that we may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom. (Collect for the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, BCP, p. 243) $3.50 livingchurch.org ‘TLC is a smart publication, in the classic sense: lively, intelligent, and bright. It will freshen up your tired and dog-eared perspectives on church life.’ —The Rt. Rev. John Bauerschmidt, Bishop of Tennessee The Living Church Call or subscribe online I 1-800-211-2771 I www.livingchurch.org THE ON THE COVER Golden Virgin Mary LIVING on Milan Dome, Italy “Our Lady is no longer a CHURCH figure who automatically divides [Christians]” (“With Mary on the THIS ISSUE | August 4, 2013 Ecumenical Trail,”p. 15). NEWS 4 Liturgists Return to the Baptismal Font CULTURES 10 A Brief Theology of Zombies By William O. Daniel, Jr. 13 12 Meditation by the Pool By Charlie Ritch Appearances By Betsy Childs BOOKS 13 The Transfiguration of Christ and Creation by John Gatta Review by Jesse Zink 14 A Following Holy Life edited by Kenneth Stevenson Review by Benjamin M. Guyer 15 Maiden, Mother and Queen by Roger Greenacre The Blessed Virgin Mary by Tim Perry Review by Peter Doll 17 Consecrated Spirits by Felicity Leng Review by Sister Mary Jean 15 22 CATHOLIC VOICES FIRST IN A SERIES ON THE BIBLE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH 18 Introduction By Robert MacSwain 19 A Welcome Breakthrough By Bolly Lapok 22 Answered Prayers in a Soaking Rain By Douglas Taylor-Weiss OTHER DEPARTMENTS 24 Letters 26 Sunday’s Readings 28 People & Places We are grateful to the Church of St. Michael & St. George, St. Louis [p. 25], and the LIVING CHURCH Partners Diocese of Dallas [p. 27] whose generous support helped make this issue possible. The Living Church is published by the Living Church Foundation. Our historic mission in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion is to seek and serve the Catholic and evangelical faith of the one Church, to the end of visible Christian unity throughout the world. AUGUST 4, 2013 • THE LIVING CHURCH 3 NEWS | August 4, 2013 Liturgists Return to the Baptismal Font By Steve Waring the Rev. Jay Koyle, president of the Lee said that when he served in ALPM and the Diocese of Algoma’s the Diocese of Olympia, based in Members of Associated Parishes for congregational development officer. Seattle, he was struck by how little Liturgy and Mission, which played a In his address, “The Rite Stuff: Stir- influence Christianity retained in so- central role in bringing a deeper em- ring the Waters Before Baptism,” ciety. “Many of these people have phasis on baptism to the Book of Koyle compared liturgy to line danc- deep spiritual longings, but they are Common Prayer (1979), met in ing, noting that both require mastery not being met by the institutional Waukegan, Illinois, June 27-29 for of a few steps before you can begin church,” he said. “How can we cre- “Stirring the Waters: Reclaiming the to add creative flourishes and em- ate boundaries that are not barriers, Missional, Subversive Character of bellishments. but temptations?” Baptism,” a conference five years in “I believe in creativity in worship Christians should be fiercely com- the making. but not creativity for its own sake,” he mitted to the central tenets of the Keynote speaker Benjamin M. said. “Liturgy should have ties to older faith and immersed in Scripture, he Stewart, assistant professor of wor- texts. We are not seeking to throw out said. “We are the primary evidence of ship at the Lutheran School of The- the baby with the bathwater.” Christ’s resurrection,” Lee said. “Je- ology in Chicago, believes the next sus died to eliminate the barrier be- great liturgical change will occur at ‘We Belong to God’ tween the altar and the sanctuary.” gravesides. The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Lee, Bishop of Bishop Lee questions whether Com- “Up until now, funerals have Chicago, described several personal munion of the unbaptized is an effec- largely escaped the natural move- moments during the past 20 years tive means of reaching unchurched ments that have taken place in many when he understood the importance people and said the practice hinders a other parts of the service,” he said. “I of baptism. bolder approach to baptism. support working with clergy to make “About 20 years ago I attended a “The attitude of ‘Ya’ll come’ is a this a more joyful cer- conference in San Francisco called stark contrast to the young woman emony.” ‘Catechumenate.’ It attempted to dis- in Seattle who was so enthused after The Rev. Ruth Mey- cern the early Church’s emphasis on everyone in church had prayed for ers of Church Divinity baptism,” he said. “I was set on fire her during her baptism,” Lee said. School of the Pacific, and since then it has not gone out.” “This is a conversation I would like chairwoman of the Baptism is unique in its ability to to have with my colleagues in the Standing Commission transcend. “It is not a structure, pro- House of Bishops.” on Liturgy and Music, gram, or organization,” the bishop Lee mentioned an eight-year-old Meyers called for using more said. “It is a rite, a mysterious way of boy who was evangelized after his contemporary, under- making life real. friend invited him to the Godly Play standable language, perhaps for the “I do not think that the way we cel- program at Holy Family Church in Apostles’ Creed. She said that only ebrate baptism should be in a mini- Fishers, Indiana, which Lee planted proposals for same-sex blessings malist way,” he said. “We need fonts in 1990. In time Lee baptized the boy, have drawn greater criticism than in which we can drown, something but the service was filled with mis- the idea of an alternate version of that symbolizes the new life we re- takes that left Lee flustered and up- the Apostles’ Creed. ceive from this washing. That is re- set with himself. But the boy went “I am not proposing elimination of ally what is most important.” home and convinced his parents to the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed, but More than 30 percent of Ameri- join him at church. we also need a new means of helping cans younger than 30 have no expe- “As Catholic Christians steeped in people hear and express their Chris- rience with churches, and Bishop the Reformation, we believe that we tian belief in a contemporary and un- Lee believes baptism provides an im- belong to God,” he said. “I pin my derstandable language,” she said. portant way of reaching them. hope that all this can come our way. “This is a tacit acknowledgement When he became Bishop of These central matters cut across so that no single prayer or statement Chicago in 2008, Lee said, he hoped many barriers.” can convey the entirety of the Chris- to spread baptismal preparation on a tian faith.” grand scale. So far the clearest ex- Rites Must Connect The ideal time to teach the faith is pression of that hope is the diocese’s The Rev. Louis Weil made a spirited during preparation for baptism, said developing of a Chrism Mass. defense of the baptismal emphasis in 4 THE LIVING CHURCH • AUGUST 4, 2013 Visit livingchurch.org for daily reports of news about the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. the Book of Common Prayer (1979). book. There is no perfect prayer. online meetings. The commission Weil said the most important “We need to be engaging people keeps a blog of its discussions and change in the 1979 prayer book was who are essentially already outside tasks (bit.ly/SCLM-TEC). its renewed emphasis on baptism, as of the body. They are out of touch “I’m not completely satisfied with a rite that enables Chris- with knowledge about the Church, the online meeting format for com- tians to recognize each its prayers, traditions, and history. missions,” said the Rev. Ruth Mey- other across theological Sometimes missionary activities can ers of the Church Divinity School of and doctrinal divisions. take on nonreligious forms. There the Pacific. “It helps us keep ac- “Theologically I find the are also a lot of variations in the countable to one another for the prayer and the responses liturgy which can be welcoming to work and move things along a bit. very convincing,” he said the seeker.” But it’s not a complete substitute for of the baptismal rite. face-to-face meetings. For example, Steve Waring is a freelance writer Weil Weil, professor emeritus the commission prays liturgical texts of liturgics at Church Di- in Milwaukee. as it reviews them, and that’s harder vinity School of the Pacific and a to do online. Online meetings give member of the Standing Commission no space for the informal times that on Liturgy and Music, has reflected Face Time allow relationships to develop, and for many years on the role of the those relationships are very impor- presider at the Eucharist. In Liturgi- for the SCLM tant in getting work done.” cal Sense: The Logic of Rite (2013) The Standing Commission on Liturgy Other commission members have Weil describes assisting a bishop at and Music held its only face-to-face endured technical problems that pre- an ordination many years ago. Dur- 2013 meeting in Milwaukee June 24- vented them from participating fully ing the eucharistic prayer the bishop 26, and is discovering the limits of (Continued on next page) made “an extremely elaborate pat- tern of gestures … until finally the consecrated elements were lifted up and the people responded ‘Amen.’” BACK TO THE ANGLICAN FUTURE: After the service, when Weil asked about the meaning behind the ges- THE TORONTO CONGRESS 1963 AND THE tures, the bishop responded that he had celebrated that way for 25 years.