On Identity

The Sunday called Sexagesima

O LORD God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do: Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This post marks the 100th post since Canterbury Calgarian began back in August 2014. The first post explored the history of the English Church, and began a brief series that traced the history of Anglicanism through the centuries. One hundred posts later, it seems fitting to spend a bit of time exploring Anglican identity today in light of the myriad of other subjects that have been explored since that original historical overview.

What makes an Anglican today an Anglican? What distinguishes us from other Christian traditions and denominations?

Anglicanism is Evangelical. From the outset of the English Reformation, this was one of the goals—to suggest that the ultimate authority in the Christian faith was God’s word written. That although other things could be held to be required to be believed, none could be required to be believed as necessary for salvation. Article VI of the Articles of Religion states as much in plain words, and indeed throughout the prayer book are references to the sufficiency of Holy Scripture.

It becomes clear that Anglicanism as an identity is evangelical: it finds salvation in Christ through his gospels. This establishes Scriptures as the ultimate canon of orthodox belief, and also leads to the desire to evangelize and spread the word, both because it is the only way others may be saved and because it is Christ that commands us to do so in Scripture.

ALMIGHTY God, who by thy blessed Apostle it hast taught us that there is none other name given among men whereby we must be saved, but only the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Grant, we beseech thee, that we may ever glory in this Name, and strive to make thy salvation known unto all mankind; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Name of Jesus, 320)

So Anglicanism is at its heart evangelical. It is also charismatic.

Anglicanism is trinitarian and in so being remains open to the activity and presence of the Holy Spirit. Many collects refer to the activity of the Holy Spirit, and the sacrament of Confirmation is maintained to promote the reception, as is Biblically taught, of the Holy Spirit in order that he may indwell a Christian’s life and support and strengthen them. It is not a requirement or character of the Anglican identity to see manifested charisms of the Holy Spirit as somehow being necessary demonstrations of faith, but rather it speaks to a willingness to be open in all situations to the activity of the Holy Spirit, even when there is no direct perception of the intercession of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit’s place is deeply tied to the Anglican Church of Canada in particular, in that the Solemn Declaration of 1893 which declares that we continue to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit who was given by Christ to those who believe, and that it is through the Spirit that we are empowered in right worship of God the Father.

The Solemn Declaration itself also defines our Catholicity when it notes that we hold to the Catholic faith received and interpreted by way of the Book of Common Prayer, Ordinal and 39 Articles of Religion, and that we are, “to transmit the same unimpaired to our posterity.” In order words, to maintain that Catholicity.

Even in the Book of Alternative Services, that Catholicity is maintained and referred to quite explicitly in the preface to the ordination rites where it says, “It is also recognized and affirmed that the threefold ministry is not the exclusive property of this portion of Christ’s catholic Church, but is a gift from God for the nurture of his people and the proclamation of his gospel everywhere.” Put simply, there is no such thing as an Anglican priest, but rather a Catholic priest living out their orders in Anglican tradition.

That Catholicity is similarly affirmed in the Creeds and the sacraments which are maintained. While the Thirty-Nine Articles draw a distinction between the two great dominical sacraments instituted by Christ, the remaining five remain clearly Biblical and received by the whole Catholic Church, east and west.

Even there is a clear distinction, however, that our Catholicity is Anglican, which is to say, it is subject to Anglican distinctives. We receive what was accepted by the Catholic Church, the canon of Scripture and the Sacraments, the threefold order of ministry, but yet we maintain our Anglican Formularies to help interpret and apply what has been received, just as we accept the role of the Fathers in informing our interpretation of Scripture.

The Anglican Formularies particularly speak to some differences between Anglican Catholicism and Roman Catholicism, which is an understandable historical development given that Roman Catholicism was the only competing form of Christianity for the English Church in the time of the English Reformation. While the English Church had largely always maintained distinctives from Rome itself, these had begun to diminish in the 13th century through to the 16th century when the authority of the Pope was removed from England.

It makes sense, then, that the 39 Articles are the nearest thing Anglicanism has to a confessional statement. Rather than needing to assert the authority of Scripture behind a confessional statement, as continental Protestants were doing, the 39 Articles of Religion served to articulate how Anglican Catholicism differed from Roman Catholicism. We believed in the real presence, but not Transubstantiation. We believe in tradition, but it is subservient to Holy Scripture (Article XX) and there are limits on the authority of the Church to teach tradition, which contrasts with Rome in which Tradition and Holy Scripture are held to be equal in authority.

As a whole, these clear a clear identity, centred in God, in fellowship with other Christians, but practising the Christian faith in both an ancient and modern way. Rooted in the Holy Scriptures and the practices and teachings of the Early Church and the Fathers, articulated in the ancient Creeds and Councils and finally in the Anglican formularies, but also locally adapted to the needs of our modern society (for instance, the Canadian Book of Common Prayer includes prayers for our Canadian forms of Government and additional prayers relating to agriculture). Anglicans are evangelical, charismatic and Catholic.

While this description and identity helps us to understand our relationship to other Christians, it is also important to understand that first and foremost, we are not evangelical, or charismatic or Catholic or even Anglican. Our foremost identity must always be as children of God, adopted into his family through Christ, and in fellowship with all other brothers and sisters in Christ who make up the body.

On Roads

The Sunday called Septuagesima

O LORD, we beseech thee favourably to hear the prayers of thy people; that we, who are justly punished for our offences, may be mercifully delivered by thy goodness, for the glory ofthy Name; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Christianity is often presented as a journey in Scripture. Whether navigating wide or narrow roads or gates (St Mt 7. 13, 14), we are travelling. St Paul’s conversion occurred on the road to Damascus, a phrase which itself has become synonymous with significant change in a person’s life course, and which will be celebrated tomorrow during the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul.

On the Road to Emmaus is an important journey in Scripture that takes place on a road, but tells a slightly different story. Told in St Luke’s Gospel (24. 13-32) and later referred to in St Mark’s Gospel (16. 12, 13), it tells the story of two disciples travelling from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus who encounter Christ on that road. But looking more closely at the story, it shows us the unfolding of the mass, the service of Holy Communion, and is an important reminder of why we do what we do in our Sunday liturgy.

The story begins, “That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.” As with many stories in Scripture, it begins without the necessary context and the beginning of the chapter must be reviewed. That very day refers to the day of the Resurrection, Sunday. Two of Christ’s disciples are gathered on Sunday discussing him.

As Christ says in St Matthew’s Gospel, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them,” (18. 20). So it is and Christ comes among them. He joins them on the road. While the gospel account does not record the disciples inviting Christ specifically to join them, the fact that he is immediately included in the conversation suggests he was invited and welcomed to continue the journey with them. This mirrors the entrance rites, and particularly the Collect for Purity in which God is asked to come among his people as they gather.

Next the disciples, one of whom is identified as Cleopas, begins explaining, at Christ’s question, what had happened with Christ’s death and the early reports of his resurrection. These verses parallel another important part of the mass, that of community announcements! This simple view ignores more of what can be gleaned from a closer examination of these passages, however, which tie these verses to the penitential rite.

The two disciples are having an animated discussion, and Scripture tells us, “And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.” (17) Christ calls his people to unburden themselves before him, just as we are called to unburden ourselves before him in the confession. Their response to Christ makes this clearer as they express their disappointed belief that Christ was not who they thought he was, and their scepticism over earlier reports in the day that Christ had risen.

Christ responds to their concerns in a bridge between the end of the penitential rite in which he gives absolution and comfort to them where he says:

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (v 26, 27)

When Christ says it was necessary for these things to happen, he is directly responding to the sadness in their hearts where they were distressed that Christ was not the Messiah they believed him to be. This also forms a bridge to the Liturgy of the Word, as the then goes on to recount and explain the Scriptures to them. This also serves to highlight the importance of the lectionary. He began at the beginning and moved on through the Prophets; he did not simply teach a 15 part series on his topic of choice, but the Word in its fullness was proclaimed and explained in his sermon.

As he finished explaining the Word to them, the next verse tells us they drew near to where they were going. This is a reference to the village of Emmaus, but in the context of this exploration of parallels, it also holds true that  following the Liturgy of the Word is the Liturgy of the Table, that place which truly represents the destination of the mass itself.

When they come to the table, Christ, “took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” (30, 31) Here he mirrors the four actions of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, he takes it, blesses it, breaks it and distributes it. The next verse says that upon receiving it, their eyes were opened and they recognized him. It was not when he first appeared, not when he explained the Scriptures to them but in the sacrament that they came to truly know him. Just as Christ is present with us always, abiding within us, and as well comes among us when two or three are gathered, it is through the Eucharist that he comes in a particular and special way.

In the Litugy of the Table the eyes of the disciples are opened in faith, while during the Liturgy of the Word, their hearts began to burn within them as the Scriptures were opened to them. Mirroring the dismissal, in which the people gathered are sent forth, the disciples hurry back to Jerusalem to find the Apostles. “Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread,” (35)

At the end of the mass, the priest dismisses the people saying, “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,” and in the Book of Alternative Services the dismissal is made even more clear where it says something to the effect of, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” In both cases it is clear, the people are being commissioned to go forth, like apostles, and share the love of God they have received with others.

The account of the encounter with Christ on the Road to Emmaus is one of many roads in the Scriptures. It is one of many events and encounters which hints at how Christ wants us to act, and how we are to love and serve the Lord. It is also a reminder that the way we worship on Sundays is not just an accident of history, but is the clear teaching of not just Scripture but Christ himself.

On the Three Streams of Worship

The Second Sunday after Epiphany

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who dost govern all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of thy people, and grant us thy peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Anglicanism seems to love things in threes. That is entirely reasonable given the centrality of the Holy Trinity to the Christian faith. In terms of worship, there are three streams of worship which correspond to these three persons of the Trinity. The most familiar to most people would be the Mass or Holy Communion. Anglicans also worship through the Daily Offices regularly. Historically Morning Prayer was the normative form of Sunday worship for many years until the Eucharist was restored to prominence in the 19th century. Finally, there is a third stream of worship which exists that is far less regularized, which I call Devotional Reception.

The Mass or Holy Communion is the most commonly understood form of worship in Anglicanism. It includes a number of prayers and Scripture readings, many of which deal with God the Father, the son or the Holy Spirit in some combination, making this seem like a form of worship which emphasizes all three persons, but ultimately as the name implies it is the celebration of the Eucharist which forms the central focus of the service of Holy Communion. It is in the Eucharist that we focus the centrality of the worship on the second person of the Trinity. Christ Jesus was incarnate, died for our sins and rose again. He commanded at the last supper that we do this in remembrance of him, and the entire crescendo of Eucharistic worship is that act of re-membering his propitiatory sacrifice.

The second form of common worship is that of the Daily Office. Morning and Evening Prayer are a psalm-centric form of worship, and owing to that they are much more centrally focused on the revelation of God the Father’s nature. The Daily Office originates in Jewish prayer practice, which involved prayer throughout the day at particular times. As Christianity developed, these prayer times were retained and liturgies developed to formalize their use among Christians. The Daily Office represents the Anglican use of these prayers and combines a number of the hours into two simple services for morning and evening. Much like with the Eucharist, which thematically is focused on Christ himself but which includes reference and worship of the other members of the Trinity, the Daily Office maintains references to Christ and the Holy Spirit, most often through the collects and the New Testament readings. The centrality of the service, however, remains the worship of God through the Psalms, whether read or chanted.

It also distinguishes itself in that it is a daily office. The normative practice among Anglicans with respect to Holy Communion would be weekly only, though in some cases an additional service of Holy Communion might be sought during the week. With morning and evening prayer, it becomes a daily practice of honouring God and exploring who he is. While the Revised Common Lectionary of readings takes you through the Bible in a three year cycle, Morning and Evening Prayer cycle though the Psalter every month, and it is only through their daily use that the RCL will cycle through the whole of Scripture during those three years. It creates and enhances a much stronger rhythm of Scripture reading and prayer than does only a once-a-week communion, even whereby the grace imparted in the Eucharist is unique versus the grace that is usually received through simple prayer and Scripture reading.
Taken together, these two are the most familiar practices of Anglicanism, but they place their emphasis only on two of the three persons of the Trinity. The third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is in these places limited to references in prayers and in Scripture readings. There is need for a third type of service, which can go by many names, but ultimately the title Devotional Reception seems apt because it captures the two aspects of this service, particularly as it relates to the Holy Spirit.

In the Daily Office, it is a clear action of worship and praise of the Father. If there is reception, it is most clearly the imparting of revelation from God’s word. In the Holy Communion, there is an offering on the part of the people—“And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee,”—but also there is the reception of the Blessed Sacrament. When we gather then to honour the third person of the Trinity, how ought that to look?

One concern often expressed over modern praise music is that it offers an emotional response to the people. At various times, Evangelicals have expressed concern over how worship interacts with their regular Sunday gatherings which themselves often involve simply a combination of praise music and preaching. Defenders of modern praise music suggest that there is no reason a parishioner could not get a similar emotional response from traditional Christian hymns, however there does seem to still be a difference.

Ultimately that emotional response is something received, and in the context of the mass, it does not seem to always be entirely appropriate. So what if that modern music were taken and repurposed? Devotional Reception is an idea for a non-Eucharistic service in which such music can be channelled specifically for the purpose of encouraging those in attendance to be open to receiving not simply directly from the music, but receiving the Holy Spirit himself. To be empowered, to be strengthened and to be enlightened. For many Christians, the response modern praise music evokes can be contemplative and meditative, for all the use of percussion and other similar instruments, in a way that a traditional organ accompanied solely by voice cannot.

That skips forward a bit to the reception, but what of the devotion? Due to the sometimes vague language of modern praise, a time of teaching would be needed as well. A time to explore concepts particularly relating to the Holy Spirit which might otherwise only receive the briefest of attention around Pentecost. It is an opportunity to orient hearts and minds towards the Holy Spirit before that reception begins.

Finally, one of the major works of the Holy Spirit is in healing. While many in North America have never had the awesome wonder of experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit in this way, it seems the works of the Spirit are far more common in parts of the world where people feel a much stronger need to rely not upon themselves or the conveniences of their society, but on God. A time of prayer would then be appropriate. Just as the people may receive something of a feeling of the presence through praise music, they can receive that more sacramental grace through the laying on of hands in prayer, as Scripture commands us. It is a time in which there can be far greater empowering through the Spirit.

Taken together, these three streams of worship offer opportunity for constant turning to God in praise and offering, and receiving from God, in the form of revelation and grace. As orthodox Christians, it should be our earnest desire to see some form of normative and regular worship of the Holy Spirit and reception from the Spirit as a part of our regular worship of God.

Wisdom of Saints: St Hilary of Poitiers

The Feast of Hilary of Poitiers, Doctor, Bishop of Poitiers, France, 368

O GOD, who by thy Holy Spirit hast given unto one man a word of wisdom, and to another a word of knowledge, and to another the gift of tongues: We praise thy Name for the gifts of grace manifested in thy servant N., and we pray that thy Church may never be destitute of the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Octave Day of the The Epiphany of our Lord

O GOD, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles: Mercifully grant, that we, who know thee now by faith, may be led onward through this earthly life, until we see the vision of thy heavenly glory; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.

St Hilary of Poitiers was an influential Christian and bishop of the 4th century who was among many prominent Christians of the age who opposed the Arian heresy which swept throughout the Christian world. While St Athanasius the Great is considered the foremost opponent of Arianism and defender of Nicene Christian orthodoxy, St Hilary is widely viewed as the most prominent defender of orthodoxy in the Christian West.

He was born at the start of the 4th century in the city of Poitiers in France, then a Roman province. His parents were noble and while his exact date of birth is unknown, it is likely he was born prior to the 313 Edict of Milan which legalized Christianity throughout the Empire, and was thus raised a pagan. Due to his family’s prominence, he was able to receive a strong education. Over the course his early life he ultimately chose to study the Holy Scriptures. St Hilary had been searching throughout his studies

He was convinced of their truth and abandoned his pagan upbringing, was Baptised and ultimately admitted to Holy Orders in the late 340s. By 353 he was elected Bishop of Poitiers with unanimous support.

St Hilary became bishop at a difficult time for the Church in France, however. Arianism had taken firm root there, and the Emperor, Constantius II, was himself Arian. St Hilary immediately took to defending orthodoxy, both in writing on orthodox belief and challenging the power of Arian bishops in Gaul. The key to St Hilary’s downfall, at least in the minds of his Arian opponents, came when he refused to sign a condemnation of Athanasius the Great in 356. He himself was ordered into exile by the Emperor, and sent to Phrygia in modern day Turkey.

He participated in the Council of Seleucia in 359 which had been called between disputing Arian factions, the Semi-Arians, who favoured reconciliation with Nicene Christians, and the Anomeans, who, with the support of the Emperor, sought to persecute and repress Nicene Christianity completely. St Hilary found limited support among the semi-Arians who thought he might perhaps be a bridge between them and Nicene Christianity, however St Hilary stood firm in his orthodoxy, even leaving Phrygia for Constantinople and the heart of Arianism in the East. Tiring of his constant challenging of their doctrine, the more extreme Arians petitioned the Emperor to have St Hilary restored to his diocese in the West, if for no other reason than to remove him and his ideas from their presence in the East.

St Hilary, the, “sower of discord and disturber of the Orient,” as Sulpicius Severus records it, was ordered home and he made the best of his journey preaching against Arianism in Greece and Italy before finally returning in triumph to Poitiers in 361. In that same year, the Emperor died, ending the persecution of Nicene Christians.

St Hilary remained in Poitiers for the remainder of his life, but continued to fight against Arianism and made a number of other lasting contributions to Christianity. Also in 361, with the encouragement of St Hilary, St Martin of Tours founded Liguge Abbey within the diocese of Poitiers. One notable exception to his remanining in Potiers was in 364  when he travelled to Milan where he attacked the Arian bishop Auxentius, predecessor to St Ambrose of Milan. Auxentius was defended by Emperor Valentinian, however, who ordered St Hilary to leave Milan and return to Poitiers, where he eventually died in 368.

St Hilary had many notable writings, but one of the most important is his treatise on the Trinity, which, much like St Athanasius in the East, was an anti-Arian defence of Nicene, trinitarian Christianity. Written shortly before his return to Poitiers in 361, On the Trinity contains many notable passages.

St Hilary expounded greatly on the majesty and infiniteness of God, saying:

We are well aware that neither the speech of men nor the analogy of human nature can give us a full insight into the things of God. The ineffable cannot submit to the bounds and limits of definition; that which is spiritual is distinct from every class or instance of bodily things. Yet, since our subject is that of heavenly natures, we must employ ordinary natures and ordinary speech as our means of expressing what our mind apprehends; a means no doubt unworthy of the majesty of God, but forced upon us by feebleness of our intellect, which can use only our own circumstances and our own words to convey to others our perceptions and our conclusions. [4:2]

For all that, St Hilary had already referenced his own spiritual development, and how sublime he found the description of God in Exodus, something which drew him towards Christianity when he first stumbled upon it, and he writes, “For such an indication of God’s infinity the words ‘I Am that I Am’ were clearly adequate.” [1:6]

For St Hilary, Holy Scripture was the root of all Christian belief. Indeed, some of his desire to reconcile Arians to true faith was due to his firm belief that their error was not of faith or piety, but of interpretation, and if they could be convinced of the error of their understanding of the Scriptures they could be restored to orthodox belief. In his first book, he explains,

“My prime object is by the clear assertions of prophets and evangelists to refute the insanity and ignorance of men who use the unity of God (in itself a pious and profitable confession) as a cloak for their denial either that in Christ God was born, or else that He is very God.” [1:17]

It is his supreme dedication to the Word of God, his unfailing commitment to orthodoxy, even in the face of exile, that make St Hilary a Saint of the Church worthy of commemoration, just as the orthodoxy of his own writings make him worthy of study to this day.

On the Three Streams of Anglicanism

The Epiphany of our Lord

O GOD, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles: Mercifully grant, that we, who know thee now by faith, may be led onward through this earthly life, until we see the vision of thy heavenly glory; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.

The First Sunday after Epiphany in Octave

O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people which call upon thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Just as there are multiple forms of Churchmanship among Anglicans, there have developed over times a number of primary forms of characterizing Anglicans themselves outside of the Broad Church/liberal or conservative/traditionalist dichotomies which can realistically be applied to any Christian tradition or denomination. Among Anglicans, there are generally viewed to be Evangelical, Catholic and Spirit-filled or Charismatic Anglicans.

Evangelical Anglicans hold to the supreme authority of Holy Scripture, and much like evangelical protestants, hold that all teachings and beliefs are to be tested against the teachings of Holy Scripture alone.

Catholic Anglicans tend to hold their authority in the universality of the early Church. The Catholic creeds, the ecumenical councils of the Church prior to its division, and the writings of the early church fathers are all held to be of certain levels of authority, though ultimately they are never held in opposition to the Scriptures because their acceptance has always been predicated on their apostolic witness which is the same witness recorded in the Holy Scriptures.

It should be noted at this point that Evangelical and Catholic Anglicans should not be confused with Anglo-Catholics or Low Churchmen or High Churchmen. These labels refer more to theology and view rather than specifically to liturgical and ritual preferences. It is entirely possible for there to be an extremely high church evangelical who prefers the use of incense based on its Biblical use rather than its historic use in the Church and ascribes to it a different meaning than might typically be associated with its use from a Catholic viewpoint. Similarly, it is entirely possible to be a Low Churchman Catholic Anglican, who eschews ritual as being unhelpful to personal worship and devotion of God, but who holds a Catholic viewpoint and mind with respect to doctrine and theology, and even other elements of personal piety.

Spirit-filled or Charismatic Anglicans place a greater emphasis on the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Such an Anglican is more likely to look to exercise gifts of the Spirit, in contrast to Evangelicals and Catholics who might view the charisms described in the Scriptures as having largely ceased at some point in history. Again this openness to the work of the Holy Spirit does not suggest that the Holy Spirit will over-rule the Scriptures, but rather suggests a different emphasis and lens by which the Scriptures might sometimes be examined or applied.

There is something helpful about these descriptions at times. When they are universally held they can be useful descriptors of theology when two Anglicans meet one another, or perhaps to describe the general trends of a particular parish. Yet the reality is that Anglicanism requires all three.

In order to be Evangelical, you must be Spirit-filled. In order to be Catholic, you must be Spirit-filled. Christ tells us in the Scriptures he will send the Holy Spirit, this coming of the Holy Spirit is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost, and subsequent to that, a number of the Biblical writers, and especially St Paul, write about the nature of Spiritual gifts and how they are to be exercised. You cannot be an Evangelical Anglican without being Spirit-filled. Similarly, how many of the Fathers of the Church wrote on the importance of the Holy Spirit? The role of the Holy Spirit is prevalent throughout their writings, empowering and strengthening Christians through the ages. Even within the Book of Common Prayer itself, the Holy Spirit’s role is quite evident. It cannot be ignored. To be Catholic, to present one’s own mind as being in line with the mind of the Church, one must be Spirit-filled.

The reverse holds true as well, in that it is not sufficient simply to accept that the Holy Spirit can influence us and empower us, for we are also told in Holy Scripture to be wary of spiritual warfare and evil spirits who would seek to corrupt us. Without the canon of Holy Scripture to test against, it is difficult to maintain orthodoxy when immersed in the Spirit. It is far to easy to claim something as the Spirit’s will when it is at best our own will. It is our Catholicity that similarly informs how we interpret Scripture, and as such prevents us from applying our own desires and opinions to the interpretation of Scripture, reading into it, the technical term for which is eisegesis, our own meanings.

Finally, to be Evangelical you must be Catholic, for that same reason. You cannot hold the Scriptures alone, indeed it is the Catholicity of the Church which upholds the Canon and affirms it. Why is Romans a book of the Bible? Because it was held to be Apostolic and inspired, and was received by the whole Church as such. How is it interpreted rightly? Look to the Father’s of the church and those who have succeeded them in expounding upon and articulating their right beliefs. The reverse holds true as well. You cannot be Catholic without being Evangelical for the same reason. The Canon of Scripture itself, the Bible, is a central part of Catholicity.

These three streams of Anglicanism may hold a certain value as descriptors, but we must never look on them as being separate streams held in tension among one another, but rather three ways of looking towards God’s truth, that emphasize different parts of that truth while not excluding or ignoring any of that truth as seen from other perspectives.

When you ask someone what the purpose of evangelism is, the primary lens through which they view their faith will affect their response. Someone who is Evangelical is more likely to respond in terms of sharing God’s love with others and bringing them to knowledge of that love itself. Someone who is more Catholic minded may not have as enthusiastic a response, simply noting it is part of Christ’s great commission and that we, in faith, continue to evangelize in obedience to him. Someone who is Spirit-filled might similarly respond by discussing the charisms relating to evangelism and how we hold a responsibility to use those gifts.

All three responses are true, but to speak the whole truth, all three must be brought together and much like the Holy Trinity, where we must not distinguish the persons to the point we lose the oneness of God, we must not distinguish these three streams of Anglicanism to the point we lose the wholeness of our faith.

On Obedience

The Second Sunday after Christmas

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin: Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

 Having identified a number of charisms, which is to say gifts, given by the Holy Spirit, the question then becomes one of why they are given, who receives them and what they are to be used for.

Last week’s discussion focused on the charisms or gifts of the Holy Spirit and ended with some consideration on the topic of how gifts are to be used, in reference to St Paul’s instructions in I Corinthians 14 that the gift of tongues ought to be accompanied by interpretation. Those were not the only instructions provided by St Paul, and the other Biblical writers, on how and why charisms, that is to say gifts of the Spirit, are to be used.

The first clue indeed comes from earlier in St Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians where he says, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the Common Good… All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills,” (I Cor 12. 7, 11). From this first point, St Paul begins to hint at a complete answer to some of these questions, though primarily addressing the question of why. In this, he suggests it is God’s will that determines what gifts we might receive. It is always important to bear this fact in mind, as it reminds us that these gifts are not available for our own use as we want, but are free gifts given to us by the Spirit. This nature, that it is given by God’s will and not our own, also hints towards how we are to use them.

As to who receives gifts of the Spirit, St Paul also comments in chapter twelve that while one is given the figt of wisdom, the other knowledge, another faith. In making this statement he notes quite clearly that not every Christian receives each gift. This aligns with his previous comments that gifts are given based on the will of God. But it also makes clear that any Christian may receive. To some who are unfamiliar with gifts of the Spirit, they may think that only some Christians receive gifts of the Spirit. That you must, perhaps, be particularly pious, or devote yourself to prayer. Yet St Paul’s words in Holy Scripture make it quite clear that it is not the case and that any Christian may exercise gifts of the Spirit. Indeed St Peter makes it more explicit when he says that every Christian receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit (I St Pt 4. 10).

St Paul expounds on the why of this in his epistle to the Romans when he says, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,” (Rm 12. 4-6). Here he makes clear that each is given the gifts, in accordance with God’s will, that would be useful for them to serve out their callings. Being members of the Body of Christ, each member receives what is needed, such that the whole body is well-equipped.

Therefore in these collective statements, St Paul and St Peter have largely addressed the question of who receives charisms and a bit on why they are given, leaving the larger question of how they are to be used.

Ultimately that question is to a degree answered in the same way. St Peter specifically calls on Christians to use their gifts, “to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,” (I St Pt 4. 10, 11). St Paul similarly writes, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” (Eph 4. 11, 12). Here he is again speaking of equipping, but elaborates on the goal of such equipping, that those individual members use their gifts to build up the body of Christ. It should be noted, that there is a dual meaning to building the body of Christ. This can be viewed both as encouraging and building up the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and also bringing new people to faith in Christ.  Another way of looking at this is to suggest the dual purpose involves building up the faith of others and being a witness to non-Christians.

This raises the final, and perhaps most important question. Once you understand what spiritual gifts are, to whom they are given, why they are given and for what purpose they are given, the question is how to respond. The answer is simple enough: loving obedience.

Faith in Christ calls us to act out our faith as we are told in Scripture, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled”, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead,” (Jas 2. 15-17). It is the Holy Spirit that equips us to, figuratively, clothe and feed the poor in Spirit.

When St Paul exhorts young Timothy saying, “Do not neglect the gift you have,” (I St Tim 4. 14a) he is speaking of a Spiritual gift. So just as faith calls us to act in love, gifts of the Spirit call us to repond by using them for the purposes they have been given. We are to respond in obedience.

Immediately after identifying gifts of the Spirit in that well-known passage from I Corinthians 12, St Paul immediately ties the use of gifts of the Spirit to love. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing,” (I Cor 13. 1, 2).

It is the combination of these two passages that gives us the clearest and simplest response to gifts loving obedience to God, manifested through loving service and witness to others.