What does it mean to be Anglican?
Dear Friends,
That is a question that has been forced upon us with the disagreements in the Anglican Communion. (The Church of England, of which we are part, is the Anglican church inEngland, while the Anglican Communion comprises the Anglican church in every countrywhere it exists). One way to answer the question is to say that an Anglican church is any church which identifies itself as Anglican. At one level, that is a perfectly valid definition. One questions, however, how useful it is. For a start, it means that the definition of what itmeans to be Anglican will be changing all the time. It also means, at present, that TEC in the United States, which has consecrated as bishops people in practising homosexual relationships, and the Anglican Church of Canada, which has legitimised blessings for same sex relationships, can call themselves Anglican.
We would do better to define Anglicanism doctrinally, as the Church of England does officially: “The doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal” (Canon A5). In other words, we are meantto be biblical! Once we cease to be governed by what Scripture says, we will be governed by what makes sense to us, which will be what makes sense to the society we live in. Being biblical will always be counter-cultural. Being Anglican sounds nice and safe. Actually, it should be daring and dangerous!
Chris Hobbs, Vicar