The Puritan as Preacher: Ministers of the Word

In the debates between Roman Catholics and Protestants (such as they abide), the former have the advantage of a worship service that ends generally in an hour and features a rite that combines both mystery and communal feeling (the Eucharist). For their part, Protestants on the lower side of the high-church-to-low-church spectrum limp along with a service that, to finish in an hour, needs the pastor to preach for no more than 30 minutes. If Protestants add the Lord’s Supper to the ordinary service, worshiping cooks who have forgotten that this was the week for the sacrament will invariably be worrying about the roast in the oven at home, which is to be ready for consumption when the family has heard a sermon, had a cup of coffee, and set the dining room table. In fact, if the Bible matters to the liturgy debates between the two parties of western Christianity, Protestants are hard pressed to understand how the Eucharist takes center stage in other Christian traditions when the New Testament is so explicit about preaching in direct instruction and examples.