Hi all, I have been interested in finding those Coninuing churches in the US that are not Anglo-Catholic. I was curious if anyone had info on the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), since it has made communion agreements with some pretty Catholic branches of Anglicanism and joined with the ACNA. Is it still Evangelical or has it moved to a more Catholic position? Also, I came across a church caledl the Anglican Orthodox Church (AOC). Is it R or C? How about the Southern Episcopal Church (SEC)? Many thanks in advance for any help on this.
The REC has certainly moved away somewhat from the position of its founders. For example, at first, it accepted minsters of other denominations without requiring their re-ordination; now it expects such ministers to have their ordinations "regularized". It has become more accommodating of Anglo-Catholic belief. The AOC is in the tradition of Low Church Anglicanism; it has held steadfastly to this position. This article might help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Orthodox_Church I have had contact with both of these denominations. I am sympathetic especially to the AOC, but I am not as conservative as they are. I am less familiar with the Southern Episcopal Church. It seems to be more Catholic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Episcopal_Church
Thanks Celtic1, those were my thoughts as well but I didn't want to be working off of misinformation.
Also, Celtic1, in what instances is the AOC too conservative for you? Thanks for all your insights. I must say I am delighted by the immediate response I received from the AOC when I emailed them for more information. I got a personalized reply within 15 minutes of emailing them (even on New Year's Eve)! I have emailed the REC multiple times and have yet to receive any answer in over a year of attempting to contact them.
Well, I believe they use the KJV and 1928 BCP exclusively, and they don't ordain women, although the latter issue is not really a conservative vs. liberal one -- in places in Anglicanism maybe, but not elsewhere.
Interestingly, I finally received a response last night from our local REC parish near us, but the news wasn't good. They had attempted a union with the ACNA, but for an undisclosed reason the ACNA Deacon that had been servicing this Parish for the last year left, and they claim that they are now a REC Bible study only, with the closest functioning Parish in Ohio. They are a struggling group of only 12 people, and the best they can do is to have a visiting Priest once a month at the most. I wasn't impressed with their vision or approach to orthodoxy, they seemed open to amalgamating with non liturgical churches such as the Vineyard and Horizon Christian Fellowship, who are both the antithesis to liturgical worship and practice. I'll keep looking, thank you. Jeff