Uh, where did you say you came from?

From drinkers to divorcees

So, as I mentioned in my earlier post, most people only know one thing about the English Reformation - Henry VIII wanted a divorce. In that earlier post I made a case for a more complex view of history than that and introduced some of the Reformers who worked hard around Cambridge and Oxford to persuade the academics and clergy of their day to embrace the changes of the Reformation. But, truth be told Henry did have a significant role in making the actual break with Rome that allowed Anglicanism to emerge as a Protestant Church.

Henry didn’t start out as a bad guy. Neither did he ever imagine himself a reformer. In fact Henry remained a devout Catholic in his theology and personal piety to his dying day. So earnest was Henry’s defense of the Catholic faith that he wrote a tract against the proposed reforms of Martin Luther. This pamphlet earned Henry the accolades of the Pope who declared him the Defensor Fidei, Defender of the Faith.

Henry started out not only as a devoted Catholic but also a devoted king. He took his role as the defender not only of the Catholic faith but also defender of the English people very seriously. Unfortunately though, in his zeal for protecting the political clout of the English monarchy he made an error in judgment. Henry married Catherine of Aragon, his brother Arthur’s wife. This he did for political reasons, as a marriage arrangement with the Spanish royal line was expedient to protect the interests of England. But when they could not, thereafter conceive a male heir he had an even bigger political problem on his hands – no one to pass the kingdom to.

Now, as a God fearing devout Catholic, Henry believed that his problem stemmed from the fact that God cursed his marriage as it was unlawfully entered into it in the first place. That was Henry’s grounds for seeking an annulment – the marriage was unlawful and in his mind clearly displeasing to God therefore it should be annulled. Even this was not quite as terrible as historians often paint it. (Though it must be confessed that Henry did not do himself any favors – after his move for divorce worked once he employed it a few too many times to be considered legitimate or necessary). Of course, legitimacy of Henry's claim aside, the Pope denied it mostly based on his own political reasons.

So, in 1534 Henry decides, why does the Pope get to tell me what to do in my own country anyway? The Pope himself declared Henry Defensor Fidei. There was still a strong medieval emphasis on the divine appointing of Kings. Therefore, Henry reasoned, we don’t need the imprimatur of the Pope for decisions regarding the church in England. So it was that Henry moved through Parliament, managing to get them to pronounce the Act of Supremacy. This Parliamentary act declared Henry not only as Defensor Fide but now also the “only supreme head on earth of the Church of England.” This decision was supported by Archbishop Cranmer (the highest ranking English clergyman of the time) and thus Henry’s move to power was complete.

Henry got his divorce. He also sanctioned the distribution of the English translation of the Scriptures (based on Tyndayle’s Bible) and the further translation of the liturgies of the Church into English. Thus the Book of Common Prayer was born at the hand of Archbishop Cranmer. But, as noted earlier, Henry was in most ways, theologically and in terms of his personal piety, a devout Catholic. He still stood by his criticisms of Luther. So he essentially told Cranmer to Reform the Church but only enough to make it distinctly English. Henry wasn’t interested in the Reformed doctrines per se. Nevertheless, the leaders in the Church seized on the opportunity and reformed as much as they could.

The English Reformation took about 3 more generations of leadership before it emerged as we know it today. In future posts we will explore each of these steps. But for now, there you have the straight story on the profligate king who listened to his carousing clergy enough to break the English church's ties with Rome.

You Believe What?!

Lex Orandi Lex Credendi (the law of prayer is the law of belief)

One of Anglicanisms favorite sayings is that as we pray so we believe. If you want to understand the Anglican theology of baptism or Eucharist, start by reading through the baptismal and eucharistic liturgies. This principle is also seen in Anglicanism's approach toward the Saints.

Do you venerate the saints?

There is another good question that I get all the time. Anglicanism recognizes a lot of the "official" saints of the Church and even marks their feast days. We celebrate All Saints Day in November as one of the principle feasts of the Christian year. Yet, you claim to be Protestant?! Explain yourself. And so to answer lets take a look at the following prayer and see what it teaches us about Anglicanism's balanced approach toward the Saints.

"Leader: The righteous live forever more;

Response: Their reward also is with the Lord.

Leader: O God the King of Saints, we praise and magnify thy holy Name for all thy servants who have finished their course in thy faith and fear, for the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the holy Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles and Martyrs, and for all other thy righteous servants; and we beseech thee that, encouraged by their example, strengthened by their fellowship, and aided by their prayers, we may attain unto everlasting life; through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." ~ From the Scottish Book of Common Prayer

Note a couple things right off: First, this prayer begins with Scripture, reminding us of the promises of Psalm 37 and the words of Jesus about our reward in Heaven. As always, Anglicanism holds Scripture as THE final authority in questions of belief. Note also that the prayer is not addressed directly to any saint, but rather to God the King of Saints. God is glorified in his people both living and dead and it is ultimately to Him that all our praise is due and to Him all our prayers addressed. He is the source of all good things and so we give Him all thanks for the gift of godly examples.

But then note how the prayer goes on from this foundation, it recognizes the reality of that very first statement, the righteous do live forevermore. They are in fact still living in the very Presence of God before his throne. And as such, we can look to their example of godly living. How many of us benefit from reading the writings and biographies of these great men and women of faith. We can also recognize that the Church is one Church comprised of both those who are here now as well as those who have gone before, one Church in Heaven and Earth. As such we know that when we bow our heads in prayer or when we join together in the words of a hymn or the liturgy, we are praying with all of the "Angels and Archangels and all the company of heaven" (ie the Saints) who forever sing their hymns and pray their prayers before the Father. We really do have fellowship with these and that thought should inspire joy and hope in us. And finally we recognize that they are always praying and worshipping around the throne, so why should we not expect that the members of the Church at rest should not be praying for us the members who are still fighting the good fight here? I have often heard it said, if you go ahead and ask your brother or sister at church to pray for you, why wouldn't you want a brother or sister who has been fully sanctified and who stands face to face with the Father praying for you? In the Revelation we see the prayers of the saints going up from under the altar of God just like incense. Who are they praying for? Certainly not themselves. They have no needs. I believe it is more than reasonable to assert that they are in fact praying for the faithful who have not yet departed - you and me. And that is a very encouraging thought indeed. One which we should pray and thank God for.

And finally, we note once again that all this is done through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. All prayer is offered in Jesus' name because he is our Great High Priest. All the work of salvation that we and the saints in Glory have experienced comes to us because of him. Our prayers, and theirs are only acceptable because of Him. Even the saints themselves are only acceptable because of the work of Christ that has made them so.

So, there you have it. The Anglican approach toward the saints. They are there. They encourage us through example and through prayer. And their lives are lived only to the Glory of God the Father and His only Son Jesus Christ our Lord, through the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Why do you do that?

What's with all the crosses?

You may notice that Anglicans tend to like crosses! The cross behind the altar reminds us that as we are coming into the presence of Almighty God to worship Him, we can only do so as we gather at the foot of the cross, relying on the work that Jesus did there for us to take our sins away and make us worthy to stand in His Presence.

A processional cross is often used in many Anglican churches. This is a representation to us of the Presence of Christ who leads us first into the Father’s presence as we gather to worship. The cross may also process out before the reading of the gospel, representing Christ’s presence made manifest through His words to instruct His followers. In churches where a processional cross is used it also precedes the procession back out of the sanctuary reminding us that Christ has preceded us in going back out into the world to call other men and women to Himself. It is a symbol of our mission as Christ followers. As we go out and disperse we are going in His name, as His representatives to the world to bring others back with us to the foot of the cross next week!

You believe whaat?!

The 39 Articles of Religion

In the first and second centuries AD it was not uncommon for rumors to persist about the Christian community. It was said that they offered human sacrifices and drank blood. Perhaps they were vampires or cannibals? After all, their leader said to eat his flesh and drink his blood. It was said that they practiced infanticide, drowning their own children because their founder told them to. These rumors are perhaps excusable if we seek to put ourselves in the shoes of outsiders hearing about the practices of baptism and communion for the very first time. This only serves to illustrate that an outsider’s perspective is not always the most accurate perception of the beliefs or practices of an otherwise unknown group. One of my aims then in this blog is to dispel some of the myths and put straight the record on what we believe as Anglican Christians (or, as I would prefer it for sake of emphasis, Christians who happen to fellowship and worship in an Anglican style).

Toward this end one of the themes of posting I hope to make a regular feature on this blog will be an exploration of the substance of the Christian faith – what it is that Christians believe. Not simply what Anglicans believe that marks them as distinct; but first, where do Anglicans stand with millions of believers worldwide and throughout history, proclaiming the historic faith of the Church.

The guide that I always come back to in shaping a discussion on Anglican beliefs is a 500-year-old document called The 39 Articles of Religion. The 39 Articles were a summary statement of the essentials of the faith which became necessary as the English Church struggled to sift through the unhelpful and unbiblical practices that had crept into the medieval Roman Catholic Church while Anglicans at the same time tried to avoid the pitfalls of the “anything goes” Anabaptist ethos that emerged on the other side of that continuum. So the Articles were an attempt to codify and preserve an essentially “Reformed-catholicity.”

There are 39 different points to these Articles, but they can helpfully be subdivided into 3 sections. First are the essential foundations of the Christian faith. Then there is a second section that follows from it that spells out some of the implications of this faith in the life of the Christian believer. This section addresses how we relate to the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture and in the God-man Jesus Christ. And finally there is a practical application section. It’s the “so what” section. What does all this mean for the way we organize ourselves as a Church and live out this witness of faith in the world. Clearly this document was written by a bunch of preachers because it is essentially a three-point sermon, divided into 39 sub-points!

In future posts I will explore some of the content of the Articles but today I simply wanted to introduce them to you. You can find a good edition of the Articles online to begin further reading. As always, feel free to post any questions or comments as you do so.

Peace.