Always Reforming

You're going back to Rome! Theological disagreements within the Reformed world, especially those of the last half century, often devolve into these sorts of accusations.  As controversialists like Doug Wilson and Peter Leithart began to break away from the larger conservative Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, it became clear that the rift was deeper than semantics and systematic minutiae.  Much like the Reformation four centuries before, the Table was a primary point of conflict.   What does it mean?  Who may partake?  What do we call it?    These questions, along with a few more, divided Reformed brethren as the physical elements of our religion reflected deeper conflicts.  Good men began to understand that the problem wasn't just in our logos, but in our pathos and ethos, as well. Paedocommunion (hereafter PC) has been one of the hottest points of contention.  PC has always been normal to me as I grew up with it.  I underst...

One of the aspects of my journey to Anglicanism has been learning to view Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians as brothers in Christ.  This is not to say that they don't have serious theological errors (don't worry--I'm not going back to Rome or Constantinople), but I do think we can learn from them and that we should respect them as brothers in Christ who hold to ancient Christian traditions.  The Reformed tradition, of course, is novel by comparison, as much the Reformers claimed to be restoring seminal Christianity.   I know many Reformed believers who view Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy as non, or even anti, Christian.  Having been raised Reformed Presbyterian, I certainly grew up with this impression.  Reformed people generally desire to be as exclusive as possible.  It's not their fault--it's in their blood.  They have spent the past five centuries trying to maintain the truth as those around them have compromised. ...

This past Sunday was the first day of the Christian season known as Advent.  Advent is technically a season of penitence, or acknowledgement of and sorrow for sin, but it is defined by our expectation of the birth of the One who came to be save us from the guilt and corruption of our sin.  Had you asked me about Advent 10 years ago, I would most likely have responded in arrogant ignorance.  I imagine myself making a snide remark about Christians copying pagan holidays or something like that.  That definitely sounds like me at 20.  Now, here I am at 30, not only looking forward to celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday (a holy day on the Christian calendar), but actually observing the season of Advent itself.  2020 certainly has been full of the unexpected! For many Christians, observing Christian holidays is a way of expressing and experiencing our Faith.  The Church Calendar is a tool we use to deepen our personal faith by drawing us closer to G...

On Sunday August 17, 2020 my wife and I were confirmed as Anglicans at St. John's Anglican Church in N. Canton, OH.   Five years ago I couldn't have imagined that I would ever write that sentence.  Scratch that--one year ago I couldn't have imagined writing that sentence. You see, I grew up in a Reformed Presbyterian church.  I was a Reformed Presbyterian.  Not only were we Reformed Presbyterians, but we believed (and still do) in paedocommunion, which means children partake of the Lord's Supper as full members of the Church.  We spurned the concept of Confirmation.  In fact, we accused our credocommunionist brethren of being Roman Catholics and/or Baptists because they required a form of Confirmation before giving their children the Table. And here I am in 2020 as a confirmed Anglican.  The Lord works in mysterious ways, my friends.  2020 has been a strange year.  It has been a humbling year.  It has been a year of pain and sufferi...

The fifth and final installment of this series will (I hope) encapsulate everything that I have said so far.  There is one final element of the Anglican spirit that I have struggled to put into words, but I think that it underlies almost everything that I like about Anglicanism.  This element is their comfort with mystery. I have done my best throughout this series to avoid insulting Presbyterianism (I apologize if I have failed), but I am trying to describe Anglicanism from my own perspective, so I have often contrasted Anglicanism and Reformed Presbyterianism.  Of the many things that I like about Anglicanism, this comfort with mystery is probably where they contrast most starkly with their Presbyterian brethren.  Presbyterianism, as is the case with many Reformed traditions, emphasizes the intellect.  Some would say that they are overly-intellectual.  To their credit, they have intentionally emphasized doctrine in a world, and a Church, that has abando...

In Part 3 of this series I talked about the diversity or catholicity found within Anglicanism.  This catholicity is in part based upon their traditionalism, which is what I'd like to discuss today.  Anglicans understand that being truly catholic--truly ecumenical--means being connected not only to the Church throughout the world , but also the Church throughout time . The history of the Anglican Church is quite unique.  It is undeniably a product of the Protestant Reformation, but England's Reformation was very complicated way.  As Henry VIII's three children ascended to the throne in turn, their favored theological persuasions rose and fell with them.  Edward was staunchly Reformed, while his older sister, Blood Mary, earned her nickname by persecuting those who opposed the Roman Catholic Church.  Elizabeth, the young Virgin Queen, set the precedent for moderation that still defines Anglicanism today. Long before the Tudors arrived on the scene, howev...

The  second installment in this series, wherein I discussed the Anglican balance between Word and Sacrament, also highlighted the diversity within Anglicanism on this and many other topics.  This time I would like to spend some time speaking specifically to this topic of diversity.  Diversity has become a buzzword in our culture, much like the words  tolerance and acceptance .  When you say diversity , many conservatives hear compromise, as if one chooses unity at the expense of truth.  That is not what I mean by diversity.  E cumenism  is probably a more helpful term.  The best, most traditional word to express this idea is  catholicity, but the Roman Catholics have ruined that word for many people.  Simply put, Anglicanism is a very diverse group, and most Anglicans are okay with that. Growing up in an obscure Reformed denomination, I grew accustomed to theological isolationism.  We loved to argue about who was really Re...

In the first installment of this series I discussed how the Eucharist is central to Anglican thought and worship.  This second installment should naturally flow from and help to balance the first.  As I explore Anglican theology and worship, I am enjoying their balance between Word and Sacrament.  This balance is both hypothetical and practical, by which I simply mean that their theology intentionally strives for balance, and their worship actually accomplishes it. Growing up as a Reformed Presbyterian, I was raised with an emphasis on the Word of God.  The preaching, teaching, reading, and even singing, of the Bible was central to our Christian experience.  The Reformed mindset revolves around Sola Scriptura--the other Solas  all rely upon this one.  As my perspective has broadened, I have retained this emphasis on the Scriptures.  Even as I move towards a more traditional understanding of the Church, I am still firmly convicted that the Bible...

I recently shared my journey to Anglicanism, or, more accurately, as I am still on my journey to Anglicanism, my journey to St. John's Anglican Church.  Our family is not looking for another church body, but we are still relatively new to this particular Christian tradition, so we are still exploring its history, theology, and practice.  Anyone who has ever made such a significant change in their religious life knows that this is, or at least ought to be, an exciting and sometimes confusing process.  As I explained in my previous post, I shared this journey primarily for personal catharsis and journaling.  Blogging is a way that I organize my thoughts and develop the ideas that are bouncing around in my head.  Today I am going to begin a series called Things I Like about Anglicanism .  As I explore this rich tradition, I am finding much that is similar to the tradition in which I was raised (Presbyterianism), but I am also finding much that is different....