Exploring Australia's Prayer Books (DL3001T)

Undergraduate, 18.0 points

Content

This unit will introduce students to the official liturgical rites of the Anglican Church of Australia. It will feature an in-depth study of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) 1662, An Australian Prayer Book (AAPB) (1978), and A Prayer Book for Australia (APBA) (1995), and how each of these reflect theological and ecclesiological developments in the Anglican Communion more broadly. Students will be able to describe the relationship between liturgy and Anglican identity and think critically about the principles of liturgical revision in the Australian context. The unit will feature particular discussion of Baptism, Eucharist, the Daily Office, the Ordinal and the Pastoral Offices, and students will be given insight on the practicalities of how these rites can be conducted in various pastoral settings.

Unit code: DL3001T

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: Liturgy

Proposing College: Trinity College Theological School

Show when this unit is running

Learning outcomes

1.

Discuss the scope and contents of A Prayer Book for Australia (APBA) in relation to the environment in which it emerged

2.

Evaluate its use of rubrics, and the limits and theological range of APBA
3.

Critically engage with various enacted practices of the APBA
4.

Articulate the relationship of APBA to BCP, AAPB, and Anglican Communion rites emerging from the IALC
5.

Construct theologically congruent local/particular services from APBA’s resources.
6.

Unit sequence

Prerequisite: introductory unit in liturgy or theology

Pedagogy

Lectures and tutorials over a week's intensive, with pre-reading and post-intensive assignments.

Indicative Bibliography

  • Burns, S. and R. Gribben, eds, The Future of Common Prayer. Coventry Press, 2019 (recommended for purchase)
  • Burns S., ed. Liturgical Spirituality. Seabury Press, 2013
  • Holeton, D., ed. Growing in Newness of Life. ABC, 1993
  • Holeton, D, ed. Our Thanks and Praise. ABC, 1998
  • Meyers, R, L.C. Coelo, and P. Bradshaw, eds, The Oxford handbook of the Book of Common Prayer. Oxford University Press, 2026.
  • Platten, S. and Christopher Woods, eds, Comfortable Words. SCM Press, 2012
  • Ramshaw G. Pray, Praise, and Give Thanks. Augsburg Fortress Press, 2017
  • Sherlock, C. Australian Anglicans Worship: Performing APBA. Broughton Books, 2020
  • Varcoe, G., ed. APBA: A Practical Commentary. Broughton Books, 1997
  • Weil, L.. Liturgical Sense. Seabury Press, 2013

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Oral Presentation 2500 50.0
Essay 2500 50.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 21 May, 2026

Unit record last updated: 2026-05-21 12:21:52 +1000