On The End of All Things

The Sunday Next before Advent

STIR Up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Two and a half years ago, I began the Canterbury Calgarian as an attempt to figure out where my home was. In 2013 and early 2014, I had spent time exploring some of the basic theologies of various Christian traditions. Even today, I continue to on occasion attend Great Vespers at a local Eastern Orthodox parish out of reverence and appreciation for that tradition, and hold significant respect for the theological depth of the Roman Catholic tradition. It was in that context, as a lay person, that the investigation into Anglicanism was undertaken in this blog.

Yet today, I find that context is no longer applicable. When I began, I was an Anglican lay person who had recently come to make his home there. Today, I am an Anglican seminarian who has discerned a call to Holy Orders and is preparing for ordination. I am serving in a parish within the Diocese of Calgary, and the concerns reflected in this exploration have largely been concluded.

I am no longer as concerned with uncovering the historic nature of Anglicanism as I once was. The goal of this blog was to establish a clear vision of a traditional Anglican ecclesiology, one rooted in Holy Scripture and the teachings of the undivided Catholic Church. Over the past two and a half years and one hundred and fifty articles, a wide range of issues have been addressed from history, to the Sacraments, to the Anglican formularies and dozens of issues in between. The Anglican ecclesiological foundation has been laid.

As the year ends, it seemed appropriate then to consider a shift. In Christianity, death is not the end. There is a Tolkienesque sentiment there that finds its roots in Christ’s gospel. While this project is at an end, it does not mean that I do not have planned future projects to explore other questions of the faith.

In particular is this: having established this ecclesiological foundation, what are the implications?

Since the advent of digital technology and their proliferation, something that really only occurred within my own lifetime (one of the final generations of children to grow up without the ubiquity of personal computers, let alone personal digital devices), the pace of social change has accelerated dramatically. New secular sociological concerns and practices within society have profound impacts on how Christians live out their faith.

The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion are a product of 16th century British law and culture, and while they are still quite applicable today, what does that look like? What unperceived challenges do Christians face today that have not explicitly been addressed by these guidelines on how the Christian faith was to be lived out in English society of the day?

From falling rates of marriage to the loss of respect for the authority of Holy Scripture, to simple issues of international connectedness and the wider ranging impact of states upon one another, there are many issues that challenge us in how we are to live out our faith.

This is essentially a shift from academic understanding of theory towards praxis.

While this shift could be lived out in this blog, rather than do so I intend to start fresh with this new perspective and new goal on a new blog. That leaves nothing more than to close out this one.

I think as I reflect, perhaps the biggest conclusion that can be drawn is the great value to spiritual formation to considering the questions that have been considered here. Understanding the nature of these foundational elements of the Catholic faith and Anglican tradition. When someone asks me something about the Anglican tradition, I generally am able to answer. When questions come up today about where Anglicanism is heading or ought to be heading, I can argue from a foundation of Anglicanism actually meaning something—this is harsh reality that for many Christians who do not come from confessional traditions where subscription to a particular confession is a requirement for membership in a particular church, they may not know what their tradition actually professes and their own beliefs may ultimately be incompatible.

This experiment has reinforced in my mind the importance of catechesis and Bible study going forward. I, as an interested Christian, learned quite a bit, and while perhaps not all the details are necessary to know (I can’t really come up with any theological implications for failing to know about the participation of British bishops at the Council of Arles, for instance), overall it seems in many cases, Anglicans have failed to be taught the richness of our own tradition, nor do we even seem to realize how little we actually know about our history.

I’ll close this out with a favourite collect from the Book of Common Prayer:

GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that the words, which we have heard this day with our outward ears, may through thy grace be so grafted inwardly in our hearts, that they may bring forth in us the fruit of good living, to the honour and praise of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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 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 Evangelical Sacramentalism

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lent

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The seven sacraments recognized in Anglicanism are those which are commonly recognized, but throughout history there have been others, and other perspectives on sacramentalism. In Eastern Orthodoxy, for instance, all of life is viewed sacramentally. Life can be viewed sacramentally in that humans are vessels for God’s grace. Our physical bodies are an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. If pressed to name the number of sacraments, though, they would still recognize the seven historic sacraments, the same as orthodox Anglicans.

That said, among Anglicans, particularly those of an evangelical Low Churchmanship, the importance of the seven sacraments is diminished. While the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is accepted, evangelical Anglicans would tend to not place as much importance on the Eucharist as a method of transmission of God’s grace and power. While they would still tend to emphasize Holy Baptism, for many that would be something that occurs at a young age. Confirmation would not be viewed as necessary, Holy Orders are not taken by those who are not called to the Priesthood, Unction is unnecessary and simply gathering to pray for one another is sufficient, Reconciliation is unnecessary because confession can be made directly to God at any time and Holy Matrimony is perhaps the only other sacrament which is viewed as truly significant and common place in the Christian’s life, though even then the emphasis would be on Holy Matrimony as a covenant between husband and wife, more so than as a means again of transmission of grace and God’s indwelling of that relationship.

That does not mean, however, that evangelical Anglicans lack a true sacramental nature, though they would likely not describe it in such terms, nor would they be apt to necessarily accept such a definition. Not is it only those who place less importance on the recognized sacraments of the Church who can have a sacramental view of other aspects of Christian life.

Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, describes the sufficiency of Holy Scripture for salvation, saying that all that is necessary for salvation is recorded in Scripture, and nothing may be required of someone as necessary that cannot be proved by Scripture. In St Mark’s Gospel, Christ says that to be saved, one must believe and be baptised (Mk 16. 16). Nothing can be added to that requirement. Article VI informs the doctrine of Prima Scriptura, which itself is summarised by St Paul in his Epistle to the Romans when he describes the Gospel as, “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,” (Rm 1. 16).

It is this concept of Holy Scripture as the power of God that comes to the fore in evangelical thinking. The Bible is God’s word. It is the means by which we learn first and foremost of God’s creation of the universe, his covenants with the Jews and the laws he put down. We learn of the fulfilment of the law in Christ; his life, death, resurrection and ascension. We learn of God’s nature, his love for us and his desire to be in communion with us.

For evangelicals, though, there is more to God’s word than that; God’s word is the power through which we are released from sin, the power through which we overcome temptation and the power of salvation. In St Mark’s Gospel, just prior to saying that belief and baptism will lead to salvation, Christ had given the great commission, calling on all believers to, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation,” (Mk 16.15). Proclaiming the Gospel was considered an integral component of salvation, in that it is the means by which we believe, and the knowledge of what we are to believe.

Without the Scriptures, we would not know God. The Bible is God’s word, and the means through which he conveys his presence, his power, his nature and grace. Evangelicals, though they would not necessarily think it, view the Holy Scripture sacramentally.

To again look to the practices of the East, while Anglicanism defines a sacrament in the Book of Common Prayer as, “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace,” the Eastern Orthodox Church views sacraments, also called Holy Mysteries because what we see is not the same as their spiritual effects, are defined generally the same way, though they can be more broadly viewed as vessels by which grace is transmitted to participate in our physical life. Also interestingly, in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, there is an emphasis on the personal nature of the sacraments, which is clearly mirrored in the evangelical sacramental view of Holy Scripture.

Holy Scripture is a vessel through which God’s grace and power are transmitted, and to the evangelical, while Holy Scripture is for all, it is also very personal. As a tool for release from sin and overcoming temptation, Holy Scripture can be extremely personal. A particular verse may aid one Christian in overcoming a particular temptation, while being of no use to another. I have always viewed the nature of Holy Scripture as being a mirror of Christ’s dual nature. He was both fully God and fully man, and in the same way, Holy Scripture is wholly universal and wholly personal.

This sacramental view of Scripture, is something that should be encouraged in Anglicanism. While the importance of Holy Scripture for the determination of doctrine and teaching is important, under this sacramental view of the Scriptures, their importance as a means for the transmission of God’s grace is reinforced. Reading Scripture is not merely a Christian obligation, it is a Christian joy. Not only do we learn of God’s love and grace, but it is a means by which it is transmitted to us; it is the power to be more Christlike in our own lives.

Recognizing sacramentalism in our Christian walk is not simply something restricted to evangelicals, nor should it be. Taking this Eastern Christian view of the sacramentality of life is something all Anglicans should consider. It is perhaps a distinct characteristic of someone who considers themselves to be an evangelical Catholic Anglican, and yet it is fully in keeping with the traditional Anglican doctrines and practices, and is truly just a different way of looking at our faith, and perhaps importantly, one which encourages certain evangelical practices and respect towards the Holy Scriptures among some Anglicans who hold themselves to some kind of Anglo-Catholic definition in which they limit the importance of Holy Scripture to simply something which is read in Church from the lectionary.