Kuyper on Liturgy

In his fine little book The Bible and Liturgy , E.H. van Olst briefly describes the liturgical renewal among Dutch Calvinists in the early 20th century: “Among Protestants it was J.H. Gunning and A. Kuyper who, at the turn of the century, called for renewed study of the liturgy. Gunning, on grounds of Scripture, took issue with the Zwinglian character of the worship service: the virtual absence of adoration, the neglect of the sacraments, and the view that the sermon is the raison d’etre of the service. In his work on worship ( Onze Eredienst ) Abraham Kuyper entered a protest against the so-called free inspiration of the preacher. ‘All liturgy proceeds from the fundamental idea that it is the church which has the minister at its disposal and not vice versa.’ He characterized a service centered in the sermon, to which prayer and song were then added, as being ‘contrary to all principles of religion’ and ‘irreligious.’

“Among other things, Kuyper, who apparently began to reflect on liturgical issues as a result of his encounter with the Anglican liturgy, pleaded for a reintroduction of the practice of kneeling and for the ministry of the ‘fine arts in the church, on hte model of God’s ordinances in the Old Testament.’ In his judgment, though the emphasis on the sermon in the time of the Reformation was understandable, it was nevertheless one-sided and had a disintegrating effect on the church.”