I was watching an Anglican priest on YouTube talk a little about the basics of Anglicanism. He said that he "didn't care" what branch of Christianity you were and that as long as you are praying to Christ, that is all that matters. I disagree with this concept because in the apostles creed we state that there is one holy Catholic and apostolic church, not 5 true churches. What are your thoughts?
Well, it depends on how you look at it. I would say no, but that the truest ones are the most unlikely candidates. For example, there is the highly schismatic Russian Orthodox church who succeeded from the Eastern communion when it was divinely revealed that Vladmir Putin was the true head of the church and successor of not only Peter but the bishop of Constantinople. Then, we have the Church of the Immaculate Union, headed by two sedevecantist lesbian nuns whose love was said to be so pure, so powerful, and so strong that it sanctified the sin of homosexuality and that they were the true successors of Peter after Vatican II. They have the same authority of the popes of that time, and having the keys to bind and loosen, they were able to open a doorway for homosexual unions that were previously restricted. That is rather convenient, considering the times we live in, and perfectly logical as it was when Vatican II began to lean in a universalist direction. This proves they are consistent in claiming their succession from the papal office. Now, while both are certainly controversial and may even reject the other, their claim to apostolic succession is so strong and historically grounded, that I am apt to simply say that they are both valid branches, but giving unique forms of revelation to suit people's personal needs. This also coincides with the emergence of the new age, 'inner Jesus' concept that is so prevalent in contemporary spirituality, that I may even say that what you see being done through Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey is no less a work of the holy spirit than the theology of the sects that I have just related to you.
I agree, there can only be one true church. I don't claim to speak for Christ, but, for example, homosexuality is either permissible or impermissible. The papacy is either legitimate or not. Baptism is either necessary or unnecessary. Jesus doesn't really give us the option of doing anything but what He desires in order to be His disciples, and He is either pleased or not with the teachings of any particular church.
The classic Anglican answer actually incorporates the notion of branches in its very essence. Would we say that the Anglican Church is the ONLY church out there, no divine has ever said that.. Yet we most certainly don't accept just anyone who calls themselves a church or an ordained minister.. How do we arrive at the right answer then? The Church must have validly ordained ministers (i.e. tracing back to the Apostles, and not someone who ordained themselves), it must accept the Three Ecumenical Councils, etc... Under these criteria qualify pockets of Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and some Eastern Churches Anglicanism is the highest/best expression among these, and together these all combine the One Holy Catholic Church, and they are the branches thereof. All other Christians are not even on the branches of the Church, they are individual Christians but without a proper Church to unify them This far gets them through the door of being considered a Church, but as we know a Church is not infallible and can fall, so some of these can have reprobate and false doctrines and should be avoided... But if they get reformed, then they can become accepted again I hope this helps!
Are all branches of Christianity acceptable? All branches of the Christian tree have some bad/spoilt fruit on it. That part alone is not acceptable. The rest of that branch has good fruit. What spoils a piece of fruit is compromising its truth to appease self-will in one way or another. What is a piece of good fruit is that its Truth is being understood and upheld. However, not all fruit of a branch has been clearly understood. Fear of its truth has compromised the fruit (piece of truth) and spoilt it. The only focus for any branch of Christianity is Truth. But since no branch is acceptable, then it is up to each individual to recognize what is the way, truth and life (good fruit) and what contains fear in it (spoilt fruit). Fear spoils any fruit. To see the truth of a piece of fruit is to remove the fear attached to it. Then it becomes clear. However, I do not foresee any church without some sort of compromise - hence, non of the seven churches appeared to be perfect in Christ. So it really depends on the individual to stand firm with what is True as confirmed by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, within them. In this regard, any person, in any branch of Christianity, if seen as being non-conforming may indeed be more truth-filled, than the rest. What I am saying is, to feel fully conformed to a branch of Christianity is to be eating (believing) in some spoilt fruit within it.
I found out we had a Sedevecantist church here in Vegas: https://stjosephscatholicchurchlv.yolasite.com/ Sedevecantists are funny to me because of the crazy conspiratorial stuff used to explain why V2 wasn't a real council, saying that current popes are frauds and practicing Freemasons, etc. There's a group I've mentioned here before called The Fatima Movement (ourladyisgod.com). They believe they have received the true third secret of Fatima, which was that Mary is God, and God the Father in the trinity is actually Satan, and attempts to make the world believe otherwise is part of a massive masonic lie. So, no, not all branches are obviously acceptable, but they can be acceptable for the "lulz", as we say. Then again, groups like this wouldn't even be considered Christian at all, so don't worry too much.
I have a feeling that the Apostle Creed affirms 'the holy catholic church' and it is the Nicene Creed of the 1st Council of Constantinople and affirmed by the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon that affirms 'one holy catholic and apostolic church'. The Sedevacantists are a group who are absolutely loyal to the concept of Papal Infallibility until they have a Pope they don't agree with. However I don't think it behoves us as Anglicans to point out the troubles in other communities of faith as it would seem on cursory glance that we have enough problems of our own to deal with, without needing to sort out other communities of faith's problems. Anglican have never claimed to be the whole church, or the only true church, and we have looked for community with those in other communities of faith. The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral identified the non negotiables in terms of oecumenical discussion, namely - Holy Scripture (Old and New Testament) - Creeds (especially Nicene and Apostles) - Sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion) - Historic Episcopate. Of course in any of these discussions their needs to be mutual respect, responsibility, good will, and interdependence. For it to work and be fruitful requires a great deal of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And we know where that comes from.
The Anglican church i.e. Church of England, and the worldwide Anglican Communion, does not and has never declared itself to be, 'The one true Church'. That distinction theoretically belongs to the Roman Catholic church, they among others have actually used the term occasionally. No doubt the JW's, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists and many other 'up themselves' sects and exclusive brethren of one sort or another, consider themselves to be 'The one true Church', excluding all others. Their proselyzing program kind of dictates their policy on the issue I think. They all 'get off' on believing their own propaganda. The One Catholic and Apostolic church is the one that Jesus Christ founded and remains the Head of. It is invisible to the world, and known only to Christ himself. It probably encompasses ALL denominations and sects, but only includes those individuals within them that love and serve The Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Savior, and are trustworthy and obedient to HIS commandments. Therefore the Anglican priest you were watching on YouTube was right. Its just that The Anglican church has more obedient servants of Jesus Christ than most others, (we hope).
A long time ago I visited an Orthodox monastery. While there, the wife of a priest in town died. One of the monks asked another if she was Orthodox. The other said no, she was Lutheran. The first monk said 'oh, that's too bad' and a few moments later he added '...at least she was saved.' The point being that these monks recognized the validity of her branch of Christianity based on her belief in Christ, not on her denomination. I thought that was very edifying.
https://www.anglican.net/works/william-beveridge-church-catechism-explained-1720/#p4-8 William Beveridge: The Holy Catholick Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of Sins. BY the word Church, I here understand the Company or Congregation of all such People as profess to believe in the True God, and to Worship and Serve Him, according to the Revelations that he hath made of himself, and of his Will to them. Some such People I believe there always have been in the World; and therefore a Church in all Ages, since the beginning of it. In the middle Age, between the first and last Adam, God was pleased to reveal himself in a more especial manner to Abraham; and to promise that Christ, the last Adam and Saviour of the World (as the first was the destroyer of it) should be born of his Seed. And from that time forward, his Family and Posterity, the Jews or Israelites were the Church of God, all along until Christ was accordingly born and appeared among them. So that Wheresoever they were, there was the Church. Which is therefore said to be in the Wilderness, when they were there, Acts vii. 38. But now I believe the Church is not confined to that or any one Nation, or People, but is Catholick, that is to say, general, or universal, spread over the face of the whole Earth: There being no Nation or People but what either are or may be of it. For Our Saviour commanded his Apostles to make all Nations his Disciples, and bring them into his Church by Baptism, Mat. xxviii. 19. And accordingly we find that the Gentiles were soon after brought into it as well as the Jews. Since which time there always hath been and still is a Catholick Church; that is to say, a Congregation of all Christian People dispersed throughout the World, even of all that in every place call upon the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours, 1 Cor. i. 2. For all that do so, are neither Jews nor Gentiles, but the Church of God, 1 Cor. x. 32. that Church, without which there is no Salvation: Forasmuch as there is no Name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved, but the Name of Jesus Christ, Acts iv. 12. But his Name is made known, and professed only in his Church. And therefore the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved, Acts ii. 47. And that is also the reason, why there always was, and always will be a Church upon Earth, Matth. xvi. 18. and likewise why it is now so necessary for all to believe the Church to be Catholick; that every one may look upon it to be as free for him as for any other to be added to it, that he may be saved. I believe further, that this Catholick Church is Holy. Not but that there are many unholy Persons in it; many who profess the Name of Christ, but will not observe his Laws: As He himself foreshewed, by comparing his Church to a Field, wherein there are Tares, as well as Wheat, Matth. xiii. 24, 25. and to a Net, that gathereth of the kind, good and bad, ver. 47. yet nevertheless the whole Church, as such, is holy, in respect of the holy Doctrine which it teacheth, the holy Discipline which it exerciseth, the holy Laws which it publisheth, the holy Worship which it performeth, the holy Sacraments which it administereth, and especially in respect of its most Holy Head, Jesus Christ, Eph. v. 23, 27. Col. i. 18. For He having purchased his Church with his own blood, Acts xx. 28. he looks upon it as his own Body, which He, as the Head, actuates and influences by his Holy Spirit, moving and working in his Word and Sacraments as there administred, by Officers constituted and appointed by himself for that purpose, Eph. iv. 11, 12. 1 Cor. xii. 28. By which means all that are admitted into his Church, may be sanctified or made holy. If any be not, it is their own fault. But none can ever become truly Holy, but only in the Catholick Church. Which therefore may well be called Holy, as the particular Church or People of the Jews often is in the Old Testament, Deut. vii. 6. cap. xxviii. 9. But though there be none elsewhere, I believe that in Christ’s Holy Catholick Church there is a Communion of Saints; that is to say, a Company or Society of holy Persons, who are called to be Saints, 1 Cor. i. 2. and are accordingly sanctified by faith that is in Christ Jesus, Acts xxvi. 18. so as to be holy, as he who hath called them is holy in all manner of conversation, 1 Pet i. 15. These are truly the Servants of the Most High God, his Children, his Elect. A chosen Generation, a royal Priesthood, an holy Nation, a peculiar People; that they should shew forth the praises of him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light, 1 Pet. ii. 9. They as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, ver. 5. which they strive to do with all their might: making it their constant care and study to serve and please God, by doing all such good works as he hath set them. And God is graciously pleased to accept of what they do, through the Merits of Jesus Christ their Mediator and Advocate with him. In whom they have likewise the Almighty Governour of the World always reconciled unto them, and well pleased with them: They have his holy Spirit to direct and assist them in all their Actions: They have his holy Angels to keep them in all their ways, Psal. xci. 11. They have all things working together for their good, Rom. viii. 28. And therefore whatsoever their Outward Condition may seem to be, they are always happy, and the only happy People in the World.