All ye dearly beloved in Christ, I thank God for the existence of this website! All the Anglican fora on the internet seem to be based more on the political/ideological notion of an Ideas "Forum", rather than a discussion board. This appears to be the one place where Anglicanism exists for its own sake in friendly communal discussion. I was raised atheist, and was hateful of all religion until I come across the proofs of Aquinas in 2008. Fast-foward: I was baptised Roman Catholic during Easter 2011. As I experienced the life of the Roman church, questions came up: if transubstantiation is true, why does the Host decompose like bread, whereas the Scripture says God will not allow His Holy One to see corruption? Why pray through the saints when God is omniscient? Why did the Second Vatican Council declare that Muslims worship the same God as we, when bishops for 1300 years said the opposite? Why does Rome now teach that non-Catholics receive grace through their baptism, while Trent says no? I have heard the rhetoric that the blessed virgin Mary should be a frequent, if not daily object of prayer, since she is the Lord's mother and thus He, like a "good Jewish boy", would never fail to answer any of her requests. It is petty, mercenary extortion, is it not? While volunteering at the local cathedral, the Lord Jesus did not even seem to exist in the minds of most Catholics around me; if they did mention anything religious or spiritual in-between talking about golf or their weekend, it was inevitably about the Virgin. The abuses of the Middle Ages, the evils committed in the Reformation era by Catholic kings, princes, and bishops (as opposed to the humble and heroic attitude of Protestants, from the Huguenot de Coligny to the Dutch calvinists), and the current tepidity of Catholicism nearly destroyed my loyalty to Rome... and then came the Fathers. There is not one reference to Rome as the center, nor to its bishop as the head of unity, in the Church Fathers. The assertion of infallibility for any bishop is not to be found. Their Eucharistic theology sounds like the spiritual Real Presence expounded by Anglicanism. Sola scriptura is clearly affirmed by every major Father, not to mention things that sound suspiciously akin to Sola fide! Athanasius, Hilary, Jerome, Origen, and several others even confirmed what is now the Protestant canon of Old Testament Scripture. A distant Anglican friend, who I had reviled many times, but who was always patient with me, recommended John Jewell's Apology for the CoE this past February. The Divines followed in short order, and have made such comprehensive arguments that now I find myself chuckling at Rome. Despite having had it proved to me that the Anglican Communion is, classically, the closest to the Fathers in the understanding of Scripture, I have been unable to make the leap. The local Anglican Church goes against all my deepest convictions: it ordains women as priests and dares consecrate them bishops, and generally seems more about social justice than the justice of God. The faith is diluted in every denomination in this part of Canada; be they Roman bishops or United Church clergy, there is an atmosphere of mediocrity. Thankfully, an impoverished evangelical presbyter, the only one of his kind for hundreds of miles around, sent me a 1962 BCP and the Authorised Version of the Bible last week. Please pray for the Reverend Lewis How of the Anglican Orthodox Church mission in Canada (http://www.anglicanorthodoxchurch.org/clergy_big.php?id=12) I am not sure what to do or whom to go to in this lonely place. All I ever knew of the Faith came from Rome... but now, all I am sure of is that transub. is wrong, popery is wrong, and invoking the saints is wrong, but the real presence is right, episcopacy is right, and the Lord Jesus Christ is right. What with the doubtful Christian faith of this country, lack of contacts and friends in Anglicanism, and a dark-looking future for religion in the Commonwealth, the world seems bleak. Finding this lovely forum, as well as some good Anglican blogs (Conciliar Anglican, the Hackney Hub, and the Ugley Vicar!), gives me some comfort, as Paul had when Titus visited him. Again, I thank God for the existence of this forum and will work towards making it into a Christian community without compare. My dream is to receive Communion, untainted by sacrificial Roman fantasies: to consume the Lord's Supper and feast upon Him by faith, to partake of the Beloved who sent His own Spirit throughout the whole world to glorify God on every tongue... one day, one day! Now, may the Lord bless you all with light and life, joy and peace: for the glory of His worthy name. Amen. Call me Thomas if you want...
Adam Warlock, thank you for your charity in replying... I vilified your Anglo-catholic transubstantiation and veneration of saints, yet you counted it nothing and still greeted me with good will... bravo!
What's a little vilification among friends? But in all seriousness, it's great to have orthodox Christians from so many different places, and with so many theological backgrounds, together in one place to grow & learn. The variety of perspectives really brings a certain richness to this forum.
Wow! What an attitude! I should have clarified: I cast aspersions towards A-C beliefs, but did not mean to 'vilify' 'your' beliefs, if you know what I mean. We are all in this together, and it's so refreshing to see such charity! I'll try to temper myself...
Remembrance... Welcome to our Anglican forum. We are glad that your journey brought you here. ...Scottish Monk
Remembrance, First welcome to the Anglican Forums! And--Adam Warlock is a good guy and a fellow Anglo Catholic. We won't bite, I promise. Besides there are many forum members whose theology is more Reformed. This is a beautiful forum and a place for respectful discussion. Sometimes we disagree sharply with one another, but nonetheless are enriched by discussions and the exchange of ideas with our fellow Anglicans. Again, welcome. Anna
Oh my goodness, there really are a lot of Scots here... the barbarians are at the gates once more... My kettle is quite black though; thus, your teapots are allowed to be such! Mum's a Geordie from Newcastle, so our lineage is close to the wild, untamed borderlands. Mum's father is of Anglican stock from Dublin, and mum's mother (i.e. my nan) was a Roman Catholic from Paddington (London). Praise God!
Thank you Gordon... I shall try my best... Can anyone offer advice to a potential-new-Anglican, on how to overcome scrupulous notions and to embrace the Anglican Church of Canada? Should I try to embrace that church, seeing that it is given to things which harm my conscience? Any good simple Anglican works people could point me to, which outline this whole Communion, or faith, or history? Modern perspectives? I'll start with the 39 Articles and Catechism, of course, but not sure where to go from there!
Remembrance, That's a tall order. I wont' flood you with a long list. One of the first books I read by an Anglican author was Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright. Wright gives a great picture of Anglican beliefs. N.T. Wright has written so many books. I'm not sure how he managed to be Bishop and do all this writing at the same time, but he did. One thing I've noticed about his books is that often, the first few chapters seem unexciting and just when you think the book might border on boring, he dives into the topic and shocks you with an amazing expression of the Christian faith. Peace, Anna
Remembrance, I checked your link to the Anglican Orthodox Church of Canada. To be honest, I wasn't familiar with this Church, but see that it is outside the Anglican Communion. I found the main website through your link. For others interested, history: http://www.anglicanorthodoxchurch.org/churchs_history.php. Found this link also: http://netministries.org/frames.asp?ch=ch23616&st=AL&name=Anglican Orthodox Church in Canada&city=Enterprise: Anglican Orthodox Church in Canada Doctrines and Episcopal Succession of the AOC ". . . . .The doctrinal basis of the Anglican Orthodox Church is to preserve the basic tenets of Anglicanism, namely, The Biblical Faith, The Book of Common Prayer, The Thirty-Nine Articles, The Homilies, the doctrines of the Anglican Reformers, and Biblical Morality, and to build up a Christian nation by exposing evil and preaching the Gospel.The Episcopal Succession of the Anglican Orthodox Church includes Anglican, Old Catholic, Armenian-Uniate, Russian Orthodox, Syrian-Malabar, and other lines. . . . ." Does the Anglican Orthodox Church claim the 5 Solas of the Protestant Reformation? Just wondering, since you made a statement about the 5 solas in the thread entitled, Fathers Professing Sola Scriptura: Hope you don't mind my asking. Anna
Anna, please forgive me for the delay... It's fascinating that they have Orders from the Orthodox, Malabar Christians, et. al., and yet aren't in Communion with Canterbury! Annoying... I've invited Rev. How, a local presbyter of the A.O.C., to the forum. He said he will happy to join! Perhaps his greetings will appear in this forum soon, and he can clarify questions when he has time. To be clear, I am not affiliated with the AOC (or OAC!), Lutherans, Presbyterians, or Anglicans of any sort. I am still 'in' Rome legally-speaking, and am here to learn more about this fascinating Communion.
Remembrance, I appreciate the clarification. It helps me understand your point of reference. Peace, Anna