truth matters
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What is an Anglican?
In a supermarket there are many different brands of marmalade. But we may have a favourite brand which we always buy. When asked why we buy a particular jar of marmalade we can give all sorts of reasons such as the price, the taste and even the packaging. It is so easy to forget that the most important thing about that jar of marmalade is that it is actually marmalade and not marmite.
The question 'what is an Anglican?' is a bit like this. It is easy to get preoccupied with insignificant issues as to what makes someone or some church Anglican. When discussing this question there is a dangerous tendency to focus on features that are not so important - the use of liturgy, the sort of building you meet in, even the presence of bishops and synods. It is easy to forget that the most important thing about being an Anglican is being a Christian. You might not use Anglican liturgy but you can still be Christian! You might enjoy Anglican liturgy and yet not be Christian!
The proper definition of an Anglican
The reality is that the definition of an Anglican must have its roots in doctrine – the Christian teaching that we believe. That is why the true definition of being Anglican is found in Canon A5: '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 39 Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal.'
Ultimately the foundation documents mentioned here are based on Scripture. This definition is able to say what is important to believe as a Christian without going into excessive detail.
Biblical teaching has to be the basis of Christian fellowship and unity. Christian churches cannot be held in fellowship by organisational pressure and commitment. When commitment to ecclesiastical structures is insisted upon at the expense of commitment to biblical truth it is tyranny that results. In different parts of the Anglican family of worldwide churches recent years have seen the oppression that results from Anglicanism being defined by commitment to Church rules rather than to Scripture. In Canada this has resulted in the absurd situation whereby Anglican authorities can speak of an Anglican parish even when there is no congregation of Christians meeting in that parish! The canons or rules of the Church of England are there to aid the commitment of Christians to Anglican and biblical teaching. They are certainly not there to undermine that commitment. That is why it is essential that being Anglican is defined by the commitment to biblical teaching as set out in Canon A5. That is why the Reform covenant begins with Canon A5 and then indicates some of the key implications and applications of this for today.
The consequences of such a definition
Through defining being an Anglican by what we believe and what we teach, we are delivered from all sorts of absurdities. Having ministers who wear robes is not the definition of being an Anglican church since ministerial dress has varied down the centuries. Thus Archbishop Lang (1928-1941) was the first archbishop regularly to wear a mitre. Adherence to parish boundaries is not the definition of what makes a good Anglican. In Europe American and English Anglican chaplaincies overlap geographically. So to insist on such things would mean that some parts of the Anglican communion and Anglicans of earlier centuries are not Anglican! Similarly the payment of the diocesan quota cannot be the shibboleth defining real Anglicans. That would mean that Church of England Christians before the Second World War were not proper Anglicans. The way ministry has been financed has varied enormously down the years.
Perhaps more significantly we realise that being an Anglican does not inevitably involve the automatic acceptance of what bishops or synods say. Godly leaders are a great blessing, as is the wisdom that a gathering of mature Christians can provide on some contentious matter. But where bishops and synods themselves do not accept what the Bible says then they cannot be allowed to redefine what is Anglican. This means that being in impaired communion with one's bishop or being driven to irregular actions for the sake of the gospel does not automatically signify that an individual or a congregation has abandoned the Church of England.
More positively, a commitment to defining Anglican by what we believe and teach allows flexibility in other areas of church life. Anglican prayer books can be adapted to different cultures and changed times while still retaining Anglican doctrine. Church structures can be adapted to help rather than hinder the mission of God's people.
Sane, biblical Christianity
In essence, being an Anglican should be all about the practice of sane, biblical Christianity. To be Anglican is to focus on the heart of what it means to follow Jesus Christ. It tries to avoid making the label on the jar of marmalade more important that what is contained within it. It is what Jim Packer has called 'mere Christianity'. Under God it encourages the establishment of congregations that are as welcoming as possible on the one hand, while trusting God the Holy Spirit to use the preaching of God's Word to transform lives on the other.
Author: Mark Burkill