The Peter Toon Memorial Lecture will be delivered this year by The Rev'd Fr Fergus Butler-Gallie, Vicar of Charlbury with Shorthampton.

Abstract:

'The reports of my death are an exaggeration'. So wrote a disgruntled Mark Twain to an editor when he was, twice, accused of being dead by the American press. It is a quote that naturally comes to mind when considering the Book of Common Prayer. Despite efforts to suppress and sideline its use, it has emerged into the Twenty First century stronger than anyone in the middle of the 20th could have thought. Its survival and revival has mirrored that of Christianity more generally. There appears to be considerably more anecdotal and statistical evidence for Christianity's growth in this first quarter of the century than any might have thought possible. This lecture will address why and how the Prayer Book might be an asset to this revival, putting forward the case that both the theological underpinnings and the practical usage of the Book of Common Prayer make it uniquely helpful in enabling the Church to address the thirst for faith, hope and love which is now apparent in the wider world.