(Part 3) Top products from r/Anglicanism

Ace,
I’m sorry for the delay. Here I go.

A tiny bit about my religious history – raised Catholic, sort of against my will, got confirmed, stopped going to church for 8 years, found God/became a Christian, attended Baptist and Pentecostal churches for a while, and eventually settled on Episcopalian. And love it – if for no other reason than as an Episcopalian, I feel like I can be myself.

Worship – very similar to the Catholic Church. I believe it could be very easy for a person with Catholic background to feel comfortable in an Episcopalian church; after I had been there for a little while, I had to ask a friend what made the Episcopal Church any different than the Catholic, because they seemed almost the same! We rely a lot on the Book of Common Prayer, as was previously mentioned, which is fine and at least helps to standardize things. Personally, I believe Scripture to be a more authoritative source, but there isn’t anything controversial I’ve found about the BCP. Incidentally, on the online version (http://www.bcponline.org/) you can click on “The Catechism” (about ¾ of the way down), which is also entitled “An Outline of the Faith”. But overall, the belief system will probably look pretty familiar to you.

There are a couple points, I think, where the faiths diverge with some significance. One is in the level of tolerance and inclusion in the Episcopal Church – where I believe they are largely leading the charge among all denominations. In the Episcopal Church, there can be (and have been) gay and women priests and bishops, and in fact our former Presiding Bishop, who presided over the entire Episcopal Church in the U.S., was a woman (Katharine Schori). Our new Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, is African-American – and for some inspiring words, I encourage you to look up some of his soundbites (here is my favorite): http://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/video/jesus-movement. TEC USA is actually so inclusive that they were “sanctioned” by the Anglican primates - link here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/world/europe/anglican-archbishops-sanction-us-episcopal-church-over-gay-marriages.html?_r=0
Of course, some individual parishes are different than others – varying degrees of inclusion to be sure – but the odds are pretty good that you can find an Episcopal church where people can just be people. Which, to me, is kinda the idea.

The second difference, of course, is that there’s no Pope. I won't get into THAT debate, but since Christ preached that we could come to Him directly as our intercessor (Romans 8:34), perhaps it would be euphemistic to say there’s a little less bureaucracy necessary in the Episcopal Church. :)

Your point about TEC “dying”, statistically, is probably true, though I’d say it’s being pruned. I’d submit that it’s probably also true that typical church attendance nation-wide is suffering the same fate. Businesses talk about competitive advantage, though, and it is probably fair to say that TEC’s advantage is indeed its genuine confession that all are welcome.

For now, I’ll table the discussion about the scriptural arguments for/against homosexuality, and/or women as priests. I’d rather sum it all up – for now – with Romans 14:4: “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” As someone who’s pretty interested in theological debate, though, and who's (I think) pretty open-minded to new viewpoints, I came across this link which you might find informative: http://www.wouldjesusdiscriminate.org/biblical_evidence/no_fems_no_fairies.html

At the risk of this post becoming TL;DR (thanks, by the way), there are a couple other points I’d like to make. First, as you search for the answers you seem to be seeking so earnestly, I submit that the only true answer is Jesus. This sounds hokey, Bible-thumpy, and trite, but I also believe it’s completely true. (I refer again to the title of Bishop Curry’s NYC sidewalk sermon.) A book that sounds totally cool, but which I haven’t read, is called The Case for Christ. (https://www.amazon.com/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-Investigation/dp/0310339308) I’ll let you do some research, but I think my version of Christianity can be summed up thusly: Christianity is simply about Christ. The rest are just details. Denominations, I think, are generally worship styles, and each individual church is its own unique organism, many of which you’d probably enjoy equally well. There’s no perfect denomination, and no perfect church…but there has been one perfect Man, who also happened – and happens – to be a perfect God.

Finally, with regards to your family dilemma, I’d have to just be up front and say that Christianity does come with a cost. Matthew 10:37 says, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Disciples and followers of Jesus through the years have been tortured, executed, cast out, etc. Discipleship isn’t always easy. My own story isn’t particularly exciting or theatrical, but I can say that I’ve experienced some of the cost. I can also say that it’s so, so worth it.

OK, friend, I think I outdid your post length - but only because this was what I needed to say. I’ll look periodically to see if you have any other thoughts, but wanted to get this over to you because it was important. I appreciate your desire for answers, and pray you find everything you’re looking for. Peace!

Drew

Welcome. Good luck on your path. Do know that faith ebbs and flows. Right now, you've had a powerful experience that moved you significantly--to a whole new faith. That's great. In a few months, or years, or maybe never, things may settle down and feel less powerful. But that doesn't mean they're less genuine. Be open to the journey and its ebbs and flows. Though if you're a fan of Ignatian spirituality you probably have a sense of that!

As far as books, I think The Anglican Way and Your Faith, Your Life are great introductions to the Anglican/Episcopal traditions. They are basic, but they might help you pick up some facts you're missing out on. For better understanding the Book of Common Prayer and liturgical worship, I'd recommend Inwardly Digest to start and the Commentary on the American Prayer Book if you really want to dive deep on specific aspects of the book. To understand the Nicene Creed, one of our primary statements of faith, try The Nicene Creed. It's written by a Catholic theologian but really helped me understand more pieces of this prayer that Christians share.

If you are interested in the more mystical/Ignatian modes of spirituality, both of these are Catholic but apply well to Anglicanism: Richard Rohr's Center for Contemplation in Action (love their daily reflections!) and many of the books by Father James Martin, SJ.

Lastly, read the Bible just a little bit every day! It will help you get more familiar with things. Try choosing a daily devotional like Sacred Space or Day by Day which will give you snippets of reading and reflection. It'll help you grow to understand scripture better.

So Anglican theology is deeply liturgical - i.e. we see our theology as being expressed, experienced, and enforced in our worship - "lex orandi, lex credendi." This principle comes to a zenith in our theology behind the sacraments, which has often relied on liturgical texts and actions in a way unique among other Christian churches. This makes our theology as much of an experience as it is a set of intellectual commitments (not to artificially split the two though). However, it means that Anglicans, especially today's Anglicans, often have an implicit theology behind the sacraments, a theology relying on liturgy more than explicit explanations, which can make expressing a coherent theology difficult.


Regardless, the first place you should go if you want a taste of Episcopal "sacramentality" today is our current worship, the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Our service for Baptism begins on p.298 (be sure to look at the Baptismal Covenant on p.304). We have two rites for the Eucharist, Rite I on p.323 and Rite II on p.355. As an example of Episcopal sacramental theology, it is very significant that Baptism and Eucharist are considered important enough to warrant their own liturgies.

But don't just read the texts - attend worship to understand! Theology is practiced and trained by worship.

Two other documents in the Prayer Book are of note: first, a very brief contemporary Catechism, which covers the Sacraments on pp.857-861. The other are the 39 Articles of Religion of the Church of England (dating back to the 16th century), which are not considered authoritative for Episcopalians today, but are an important historical document that highlights the deeply Reformed dimension of Anglicanism's development during the English Reformation (a fact that frankly embarrasses many today, for better or worse). Articles #25-31 cover the sacraments on pp.872-74.

Here's a link from a contemporary Episcopalian's attempt to coherently explain the basics of sacramental theology in our church today. It was written in response to a practice that he (rightly, imo) identified as a perversion of proper sacramentality: http://www.episcopalcafe.com/sacramental_theology_101_baptism_and_eucharist/

There are several good books on sacraments within Anglicanism by Anglican authors:

• Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer by Rowan Williams - an introductory book on the essentials of Christianity by a former Archbishop of Canterbury. Beautifully written, profound, short, and accessible.
  
  
• Inwardly Digest: The Prayer Book as Guide to a Spiritual Life by Derek Olsen - treats the Episcopal '79 BCP as a coherent system of spirituality. Also accessibly written for non-specialists. Derek Olsen is an amazing author and blogger in contemporary Anglo-Catholic circles. I believe this is the best work on our Prayer Book available today. Look especially for "Section 3 - The Holy Eucharist" for Episcopal sacramentality. You can read a rough draft of it at Olsen's blog here.
  
  
• The Study of Anglicanism - informative collection of essays. Look for "Part V - Church, Sacraments, and Ministry", especially V.4 ("Initiation" by David Holeton) and V.5 ("Holy Communion" by William R. Crockett)
  
  
• The Mystery of Baptism in the Anglican Tradition by Kenneth Stevenson - historical overview of baptismal theology
  
  
• The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Anglican Tradition by H.R. McAdoo and Kenneth Stevenson - historical overview of eucharistic theology
  
  
• A Guide to the Sacraments by John MacQuarrie - takes a more Anglo-Catholic view. MacQuarrie was a respected systematic theologian of the 20th century.
  
  
• "V. Anglicanism and Eucharistic Ecclesiology" and "VI. Anglicanism and Baptismal Ecclesiology" in The Identity of Anglicanism by Paul Avis - Avis is a major figure in the question of ecclesiology in Anglicanism, molded by his years in the Church of England's ecumenism office.
  
  
• The Anglican Evangelical Doctrine of Infant Baptism by John Stott and J. Alec Motyer - both are evangelical authors. Stott in particular is well-regarded. I think this book is important because it displays the Reformed dimension of our sacramentality.
  
  I hope this post did not give you a heart attack.

The Roman Catholic theologian Scott Hann deals with this concept in his book "The Lamb's Supper."

https://www.amazon.com/Lambs-Supper-Mass-Heaven-Earth/dp/0385496591

I'm sure the book is well-written and theologically sound given Hann's reputation. There might be some ideas contained in his book that are not shared by Protestants, but Anglicans may find themselves agreeing more with Hann then our Protestant sisters and brothers.

I've not read the book, but this seems along the same lines you're talking about. I'm sure there are a plethora of ideas and books written about the Mass being an expectation or foretaste of things to come.

My first post on r/Anglicanism, I believe, was actually this picture which I think speaks to what my interpretation of Mass is when I go to church on Sundays.

http://www.traditionalcatholicpriest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Traditional-Latin-Mass.jpg

I still love this picture.

I agree with many commenters that some of your guilt likely comes from your background. I grew up in a Pentecostal context, too, and many evangelical churches are fairly uncritical of their ideas on sexuality. That includes an overbearing and outsized condemnation of certain sexual sins over others.

However, the rule of maintaining abstinence outside of marriage is biblically grounded. Multiple places in the Old and New Testaments, fornication is warned against in addition to adultery. (I Corinthians 6:18 and Hebrews 13:4 come to mind. I don’t know the Old Testament as well.) That the Church has affirmed it as a rule for life well-lived is also important.

That does not mean that marriage is the single criterion for sexual holiness, as commentors have noted. Sex is an image of the self-giving love of God, so it should likewise be a self-giving act. I try to make the phrase “prefer one another in love” from Romans 12 the mantra of my marriage (doesn’t make me great at it).

Lastly, my wife and I have found theologian Beth Felker-Jones’s “Faithful: A Theology of Sex” very helpful. It both challenges us to be holy and provides a more gracious perspective on sexual sin.

Church Publishing publishes the 1979 American Book of Common Prayer.

But, Cambridge University Press publishes a wonderful 1662 Book of Common Prayer. They have a variety of styles and bindings: here is an example: https://www.cambridge.org/bg/bibles/all-titles/book-common-prayer-standard-edition-red-cp220-2nd-edition

Since Cambridge University Press is currently serving as the Queen's Printer, I think, they mostly handle all the publishing of the Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible in the U.K.

You can get one on the Cambridge website, or find one on Amazon, like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Common-Standard-Imitation-Leather-Hardback/dp/0521600936

I've heard good things about this one. Oxford also did a history of Christian worship (focusing on music, liturgy etc) that you might find interesting.

A good place to start is the Thirty-Nine Articles (PDF), especially Articles 19-22 and 37. This is a definitive statement of Anglican doctrine.

It helps to understand the context in which they are written. Professor Oliver O'Donovan wrote a standard book on them and reviewed more recent books. There are also online resources if you're in a hurry or short of cash.

Get the USA edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It's very cheap and it will give a complete picture of the Catholic teachings about everything, which are widely misrepresented. Not theology per se, but it will help you to understand exactly what is really being rejected (often unwittingly or at best clumsily) by many theologians, so you can make up your own mind.

Unfortunately a modern translation of Hooker's Laws goes for like $400 but his book can be found online in the original. It's a notoriously challenging read though.

I pulled the quote from this blog post though.

There is another guy who has a project in which he is trying to modernize Hooker that can be found here. He isn't working very quickly on it though...

Nice! I'm going to be reading Lent with the Desert Fathers this year. I'm really looking forward to it.

I have an interesting book that you may want to read written by an Episcopal priest. http://www.amazon.com/Revealing-Heaven-Christian-Near-Death-Experiences/dp/0062197711

Elizabeth and the English Reformation is a good history of the Church of England during the reign of Elizabeth I. It makes the point that most of the ideas that we consider Anglican distinctives today were held by Queen Elizabeth I, and remained part of the official doctrine of the Church of England over the objections of (most of) her bishops.

I don't know anything about ACNA and what they use, but you could always go with the classic 1662 BCP: here or here, or together with the 1549 and 1552 here (maybe only if you're a real liturgy nerd).

Here’s the relevant Enns book.

https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Tells-Me-Defending-Scripture/dp/0062272039

I am partial to Alastair McGrath's Christianity's Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution: A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First

Rev. McGrath, as an Anglican theologian of a more reformed persuasion, capably discusses Anglicanism and the broader protestant movement.