On Twitter, I while back, I posted this little aphorism: “A vain repetition is when you constantly repeat bad translations of Matthew 6:7 as if it constitutes an argument against liturgical worship.”
Very insightful. Lewis makes a good point about being able to have faith in liturgy to be scriptural and genuine, which in turn can be very freeing mentally for worshipers. I think an issue of the debate also comes in with the sense of 'babble' as a lack of understanding, especially with barbarous words. I do think liturgy risks becoming babble when it is poorly organized, mismanaged, and not understood by worshipers, but that is more a condemnation of bad church discipline and education than anything else. One would wonder how many people who use Matt 6:7 to attack liturgy are doing so from a place of never having appreciated and, critically, understood liturgy when it is done well and beautifully in a God-honoring way.
Re. vain repetitions and babbling, I'm always amused at how often the phrase "I just wanna" crops up in certain quarters' extempore prayers!
I once heard someone say that certain people spoke more about Weejus (“we just wanna”) than Jesus.
Very insightful. Lewis makes a good point about being able to have faith in liturgy to be scriptural and genuine, which in turn can be very freeing mentally for worshipers. I think an issue of the debate also comes in with the sense of 'babble' as a lack of understanding, especially with barbarous words. I do think liturgy risks becoming babble when it is poorly organized, mismanaged, and not understood by worshipers, but that is more a condemnation of bad church discipline and education than anything else. One would wonder how many people who use Matt 6:7 to attack liturgy are doing so from a place of never having appreciated and, critically, understood liturgy when it is done well and beautifully in a God-honoring way.