Lost Keys: The Absolution in Reformed Liturgy
Calvin Theological Journal 46:1 (April 2011): 140–66
Why did the absolution disappear from Reformed worship in the modern era? This is a study of its use by Reformed churches such as the liturgy of Geneva with John Calvin and the liturgy of Strasbourg with Martin Bucer, and the case for restoring this use of the keys of the kingdom in contemporary practice.
This article uncovers the historical significance of public absolution in sixteenth-century Reformed worship, where reformers like John Calvin and Martin Bucer declared forgiveness as a vital exercise of the “keys of the kingdom.”
Tracing its decline within the Dutch Reformed tradition after the 1581 Synod of Middelburg, and its failed revival in the early twentieth-century Christian Reformed Church due to fears of Roman Catholic influence, the article argues for its restoration to Reformed liturgical life today.
It emphasizes the role of absolution in proclaiming the gospel, assuring believers of God’s mercy, and fostering spiritual joy, presenting it as a ministerial act grounded in Christ’s authority, rather than a priestly ritual.
This study calls for reclaiming this “lost key” to enrich contemporary Reformed worship.
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To attribute: Daniel R. Hyde, “Lost Keys: The Absolution in Reformed Liturgy.” Calvin Theological Journal 46:1 (April 2011): 140–66.