blog.sinden.org

Evensong is on the rise in Britain, especially with young people.

College chaplains have seen a steady but noticeable increase in attendances at the early evening services which combine contemplative music with the 16th Century language of the Book of Common Prayer.

It's a good example of how not adopting the popular culture wholesale can set the church apart as a sacred space.

Chaplains say the mix of music, silence and centuries-old language appears to have taken on a new appeal for a generation more used to instant and constant communications, often conducted in 140 characters rather than the phrases of Cranmer.

“The era of jaded folk worship is coming to an end”

The conclusion reached by some (which has also been borne out by surveys in the U.S.) is that the younger generation is largely rejecting the "popular" or "folk" idioms that were propagated in many churches in the 1970s.

“The era of jaded folk worship is coming to an end,” [Neil McCleery] said.

“Indeed I think the people who want that sort of thing are the older generation now and the young are coming back to traditional worship and the choral tradition.”

Read the article: Bingham, John. "Looking for Britain’s future leaders? Try evensong". The Telegraph 1 March 2016

Labels: BCP, Evensong, New College (Oxford), silence, worship, young people