Celebrating Anglican Foundations - Part I

Since the Anglican Foundations course is going on, the following is the first in a two-part series on the Anglican Communion and why I believe it is such a unique church to be a part of.

“You know what I love about the (Anglican) Church?  You are the only Protestant Denomination that has not gone all the way in rejecting its Catholic roots.” –Popular author Tony Campolo, speaking at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Tallahassee, Florida.

With that quote, Tony Campolo really struck a chord with me.  He hit the nail on the head about what is probably the most appealing thing to me about the Anglican Communion.  We are really and truly a reformed catholic church.  What does that mean?  Let’s explore this a little further.

In the 1500’s, after the Church of England made the break from Rome, a battle immediately ensued in the Church.  There were two factions at the time, those who were still loyal to Rome, and those who wanted to purify the church of Roman excesses and problems, also called the Puritans.  In a ten-year period from 1549 to 1559, the first three prayer books were issued.  The 1549 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) was fairly Catholic, while the 1552 BCP was fairly Puritan.  Then, when Mary became Queen, who was very sympathetic to Rome, the 1559 BCP became quite Catholic.  And thus, this Catholic vs. Puritan battle would play out over and over.

Eventually, the Church of England adopted a via media approach.  Let me say very clearly that the original concept of via media is very different than what the Episcopal Church has made it into today.  Today, the Episcopal Church says that the via media allows for multiple views regarding core doctrine.  This is, plain and simply put, historically inaccurate and completely dishonest.  In the via media, the Church of England became a church that would combine the best of both the Catholic and the Protestant/Puritan traditions, and that is what I love about the Anglican Church.  It is a place where both Catholics and Protestants can worship and grow together.

Catholic Traditions

When we come to church on Sunday, we worship using the Holy Eucharist, which has been at the center of Anglican worship ever since the first BCP in 1549.  This has never changed.  From time to time, Morning Prayer found a place on Sunday mornings when there was a shortage of clergy to celebrate the Eucharist, but Holy Eucharist has always been the central focus of our worship on Sunday.

Another way that we closely mirror the Catholic Church is through our focus on the seven sacraments.  In addition to Baptism and Eucharist, our focus is also on five other sacraments – reconciliation (or confession), matrimony, confirmation, unction (healing of the sick), and ordination (with three Sacred Orders of the Church).  These are some of the ways that we have kept Catholic traditions that other Protestant denominations rejected around the reformation, and are still rejecting to this day.  We should celebrate the ways that Anglicanism has maintained parts of the Catholic tradition.

Protestant Traditions

Many of the Protestant churches this day have a wonderful focus on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and the indwelling and inner-working of the Holy Spirit.  You will find that spirit alive and well in the Anglican Church.  The Anglican Church, when it is truly living into who it is called to be, places a focus and emphasis on the scriptures and applying them in our everyday lives.  In most celebrations of the Eucharist, there are four scripture lessons (Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, Gospel), which is more scripture than is read in most Protestant churches.  Truly Anglican preachers will take the scripture lessons for the day and use them to encourage parishioners to a closer, personal walk with Jesus Christ.

We also follow the Protestant tradition of a strong focus on the Holy Spirit and how He works in our lives.  We seek the will of God through prayer in which we ask the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts for two reasons: to convict us when we sin so that we can repent, and to guide us to God’s more perfect will.  Anglicans should also place a focus on discerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that we can live active lives as Christian disciples.  This focus on personal relationship and the Holy Spirit is another aspect of Anglicanism that makes it so compelling.

When people ask me what I like about the Anglican Church, my answer is usually this: “It’s a place where you can feel comfortable worshipping like a Catholic and doing Bible study like a Baptist.  It is the place where Beth Moore meets the chanted Eucharist.  It is the place where, in the Protestant Reformation, we did not throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

More times than not, when I ask a new couple why they came to the Anglican Church, they tell me that he was a Protestant and she was a Catholic, and the Anglican Church was where they felt like they could worship and grow together.  We shouldn’t apologize that we have a great tradition in the Anglican Communion – especially in a time where so many churches seem to be rejecting their traditions.  We should celebrate, for we have a lot to be thankful for.