 George Bell , the Bishop of Chichester who had earlier praised Lang 's work for church unity , said that Lang 's failure to take a lead after the Prayer Book rejection of 1928 meant that the Church of England had been unable to revise its forms of worship or take any effective control of its own affairs . Others , however , have argued that Lang 's laissez @-@ faire approach to the Prayer Book controversy helped to defuse a potentially explosive situation and contributed to an eventual solution . Lang himself was gloomy about his legacy ; he believed that since he had not led his country back into an Age of Faith , or marked his primacy with a great historical act , he had failed to live up to his own high standard . Others have judged him more charitably , praising his industry , his administrative ability and his devotion to duty . 
