Do you have a question about Anglicanism or Christianity in general? Email your questions to info@stochouston.org. Your name will be kept anonymous - only the question (and my answer) will be posted to this blog, per the Q. and A. format below.
Q. What do the words “Anglican” and “Anglicanism” mean?
A. “Anglican” and “Anglicanism” come from Anglicanus - the medieval Latin word for “English.” The English Church was called the “Ecclesia Anglicana” (i.e., the “English Church”) to distinguish it from Christianity on the mainland of Continental Europe. With the Protestant Revolution, the entire English Church became Protestant. Today, “Anglican” and “Anglicanism” refer to the family of churches, and the theology, liturgy, and practices, that came out of this reformed Church of England.
Q. What is “traditional Anglicanism”?
A. In 1571, Church of England codified the 39 Articles of Religion, a distinct set of confessional statements that, among other things, emphasized the role of Holy Scripture as the infallible and supreme standard for matters of faith and doctrine (and affirmed the Apostle’s Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed as correct summaries of what is taught in Holy Scripture). Anglican theology and practices were also defined by the Book of Common Prayer (including the Ordinal), and a set of Reformation sermons called the Book of Homilies.
Along with the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, an important 19th Century statement of Anglican doctrine and identity that was adopted by all Anglican jurisdictions, these received documents defined a core set of doctrines that Anglican Churches received from the undivided Early Church.
Traditional Anglicans still receive and affirm this received tradition. In so doing, they continue to uphold the Bible as the ultimate standard of faith, in continuity with the beliefs and practices of the Early Church.
Q. What is the difference between “The Reformed Episcopal Church” and “The Episcopal Church”?
A. St. Thomas of Canterbury is a traditional Anglican parish of the Reformed Episcopal Church, a traditional Anglican jurisdiction that is part of the Anglican Church of North America. The Reformed Episcopal Church left the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States (now known as “The Episcopal Church” - aka TEC) in 1873. Since this parting of ways, TEC has drifted from many of the beliefs that it once held. While some TEC clergy and laity still uphold traditional Anglican beliefs, TEC at the institutional level does not.