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In the Anglican Way, there is unity in the midst of diversity—and this diversity is not just political.
This ideal of unity in the midst of diversity is often expressed in an Anglican slogan: via media. That’s a Latin phrase which means “the middle way.” Our denomination was created by men and women trying to make a middle way between the extremes of Roman Catholicism and European Protestantism. As the centuries have progressed, we have consistently asked, “How can we be a “both/and” church rather than an “either/or” church?”
“In essentials, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, love.” At
Cohesive groups must have shared values. If they lose these values they fall apart. This has been true since before recorded history. Anthropologists believe that early tribes divided from one another when some members chose to farm rather than hunt.
Thanks in part to a seventeenth-century theologian named Richard Hooker, Anglicans have often spoken of three ways to hear from God: Scripture, tradition, and reason. Scripture always takes first place in the Anglican Way, while the other two help us to understand the Bible. It might be helpful to further divide these three essentials into the following five.
Tradition is in need of being reconsidered when it no longer serves the Gospel.
Semper Reformanda Anglicans are never finished. We are, as the Latin phrase
above puts it, “always reforming.” Although we are stabilized by tradition, we are nevertheless looking for ways to better proclaim the Gospel in our own day.
We just want to be radical about the only thing worth being radical about: the amazing love of God in Christ.
The Anglican Way can’t be located at the definite middle of all those bars. Rather, it’s found somewhere in the vicinity of the center-point, held in a dynamic tension maintained by the force of each of the eight opposing directions.
Followers of the Anglican Way are evangelical, but we’re also catholic. We are charismatic, but we’re also orthodox. We are conservative and liberal, contemplative and activist. Some of us are more one thing than another, but all of us should have a healthy dose of each. None of us should be on the extremes, and none of us can be perfectly centered.
“If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large.”
“My endeavor is to bring out of the Scriptures what is true and not to trust in what I think might be there.” He believed it was important to listen to what the Bible is saying and not to use the Bible as a source for proof-texts (out-of-context quotes that are used to back up a predetermined position).
John Stott, a well-known evangelical Anglican leader, said, “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.” Guilty feelings aren’t Stott’s point. Rather, he’s calling us to see our sins for what they are: deadly. Instead of making friends with our sins, thinking, “Oh well, I’m only human, that’s just the way I am,” the Gospel calls us to turn from our sins. We need to see them as nothing but trouble, and ask God to forgive us.
“Whosoever, through his private judgment, willingly and purposely, doth openly break the Traditions and Ceremonies of the Church, which be not repugnant to the Word of God, and be ordained and approved by common
authority, ought to be rebuked openly” (The 39 Articles of Religion, Article 34).
He’s participating in his religion because it centers him in his culture, it gives him a sense of belonging. He’s practicing a cultural religion rather than a believing religion. While growing up, I personally saw this among Catholics
One of the sins of evangelical Christians is that they can be consumers of church, using it as a source of entertainment and inspiration. One of the sins of catholic Christians is that they can use church as a replacement for genuine faith and personal spirituality.
In the practice of baptism you’ll find an example of this divide. For the evangelical Christian, baptism is about believing. When a person gets to an age at which they can think the right thoughts about God, they get baptized. For the catholic Christian, baptism is about belonging. A baby’s parents believe in Christ, so they make promises to raise their child in the Christian faith. The baby is adopted into Christ through baptism.
In an Anglican understanding, any baptized person fully belongs to Christ and is part of his church. If that person is baptized as a child, at some point that person will need to come to a personal faith in order to continue to grow in Christ. Personal faith is required to be a living part of the church. The baptized belong first, and we pray that someday they will believe. In my ministry with adults, I have often met people who convert to the community of the church first, and then later convert to the beliefs of the church. They belong before they believe.
This means that, assuming they are in line with the Gospel, bishops have more authority to interpret the Bible than do laypeople. No, that isn’t democratic. It doesn’t sit well with us modern folks. But it’s the catholic way of doing things. It’s Anglican.
We believe in authority, but we don’t believe that our authorities are closer to God than anyone else. They aren’t more Christian, more beloved, or more saved. They’re simply the ones who are given the great burden and joy of leading others in this Anglican Way.
Dennis Bennett was an Episcopal priest at St. Mark’s Church in Van Nuys, California.
More research
This is especially true in non-Western nations, in places where the Anglican Church has seen the most growth in recent decades. The movement was partially responsible for bringing modern music into the church, as well as sparking more effective ministry with young people.
Some people wonder how a liturgical church could possibly be charismatic. After all, charismatics value freedom in worship. Liturgy can seem constrictive, and some feel it stops the Holy Spirit. A few things should be said to those who have these objections. First, Jesus himself worshipped in liturgical settings. Synagogues and the Jewish Temple had ordered worship. When Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray, he didn’t respond, “Pray as you feel led.” He gave them a liturgical prayer, the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4). Historians have clearly shown that the early church used liturgy as well. If
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The orthodox arrow of the Compass Rose values “right opinion” about God and “right worship” of him. The charismatic arrow values experience of God and perceived intimacy with him. Without the orthodox side to balance things, charismatic Christians can go down all sorts of bizarre and even destructive paths. That’s why the charismatic Christian needs the other arrows of the Compass Rose. By staying centered in these, we’ll better know when our experiences of God are true and when our perceived intimacy with God is real.
The Holy Spirit is God. He’s the person of God who pours God’s love into our hearts (Romans 5:5), gives us true life (Romans 8:10-11), and adopts us as the Father’s children (Romans 8:14-16). He teaches us (1 Corinthians 2:13), unites us with God (1 Corinthians 6:17), and gives us spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11). He converts, encourages, counsels, convicts, and directs the people of God in many ways. He works through the community of the church, he reveals himself through the Bible, he gives grace through the sacraments. He operates in the hearts of believers. All Christians are given
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Anglican doctrine?
When I was in seminary, I sometimes visited with a local Russian Orthodox priest. One day, we were sitting at the coffee shop, and he said, “Your problem is that you’re always inventing new liturgies, or messing around with the ones you have. You have to change the order around here, or the music around there. Look at me.” I looked at him. Clearly and slowly he said these words, “I do not innovate.” He went on. “Our liturgy started around the time of the Apostles. In the sixth century it was revised. In the thirteenth century it went through some small revisions, and that’s it. Done. I
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The purpose of the icon is not simply to decorate a room, or even to teach about the person or event portrayed. Rather, the purpose of the icon is to point past itself to God. Icons are sometimes called “windows into heaven.” A window is not meant to be seen, but rather seen through. An icon is meant to be looked through and beyond, all the way into heaven. When you look at an icon, you are invited to look through it into a greater reality, and that greater reality is always the goodness, holiness, and love of God himself.
I felt the pain of this tragedy. I was as angry and sad and shocked as anyone else. As a church leader, though, I was also perplexed. I wanted to figure out how to solve these problems, but I believed that this tragedy was born from something no government could fix. People seemed to be looking for political solutions to nonpolitical problems. Available guns, unprotected children, and media violence had a part to play—however, the central issues surrounding this event were those of the soul. Human sin, demonic evil, and great courage were all on display that day. No matter what laws might be
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At best, Anglican activists are modern-day prophets.
We dont get to attach this title to peoople
are accounted righteous before God solely on account of the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through faith and not on account of our own good works or of what we deserve” (Article 11). Whatever
saying, “God is more present in the room than we are.” Rod didn’t need to invite God to show up, and he certainly didn’t need to do the Lord’s work for him. Rather, he taught us to pray for grace to see what the Holy Spirit was already doing.
that
Typo
