7 Reasons To Be Anglican

Today at lunch Dr. J. I. Packer gave a talk about why he's a "cradle to grave" Anglican. He was born into the Anglican tradition, and today he shared why he remained in it, and why he plans to always remain in it. Here are the 7 reasons he spoke about (I noticed that he wrote about them in a previous article, so to help me summarize them I quoted a few lines from the article. In brackets, I put my own reaction / opinion / response to his "stance"):

Anglicanism "as a fact", is:

1 - Catholic: a Christianity that neither adds nor subtracts from Christ; maintaining all of Christ's Christianity and teaching it - no "distortion or diminution." (Amen! The goal of catholicity [universality] - to believe that which all Christians, in all places, and at all times have agreed upon - is a good goal indeed, and it has been a blessing to me as I've grown in my faith. It is a travesty that the church of the West has deviated from it. Lord, have mercy on us!)

2 - Biblical: Scripture is authoritative, sufficient unto salvation, the standard/rule of faith and life, and internally consistent. "The Lord's people should soak themselves in Scripture as the means to their spiritual health". (Amen! A question that remains for me is: if tradition is defined as the "the Holy Spirit in history," what role does it have in nurturing spiritual health?)

3 - Evangelical/Pastoral: Ongoing evangelism, rather than "big tent" evangelism. This implies "week by week" preaching of the good news, rather than a "spasm," in which there are a few days of very intense evangelistic efforts and then a slacking off. (Agreed. Conversion is therefore a life-long process and the confession of "Jesus as Lord/Saviour" is one step within that process).

4 - Liturgical: We ought to agree in advance on the words we are going to use in worship. This, in order to speak to God more "reverently, pointedly, unanimously, and economically". Furthermore, worship and prayer centres around the following: sin detected, grace poclaimed, faith expressed (thanksgiving and living it out). Of course, full freedom in private prayer (and some aspects of common-life) is the norm. (Amen - this has been a key aspect in my journey towards Anglicanism. At every service, visitors will hear the gospel preached through 5 different means: in the singing, in the liturgy, in the reading of Scripture, in the sermon, and in the Eucharist).

5 - Rational: Any and all questions can be raised, with full respect to the questioner. This respects the image of God in all people. "We do not use the big stick.." Rather, in faith and hope, through the discipline of debate and discussion, we trust that "God in his mercy brings us to a common mind." (Amen! It seems to me that this is the good and proper reponse to denominationalism. We ought to be able to ask one another tough questions, without parting ways in the process. Truth always vindicates itself. Light always exposes and overcomes the dark).

6 - Episcopal: The historic episcopate rightly serves to make churchly continuity visible. The role of the bishop is the same as the role of the minister, and it is two-fold: to provide pastoral care, and to guard the truth. Therefore, just as ministers shepherd their parish, the bishop shepherds his ministers. And just as the minister guards his people from lies, so too the bishop ensures that his ministers are living and speaking in truth. (I'm on board here too. However, the current state of affairs in the Canadian, American, and the Church of England is nothing short of tragic. Bishops have become "maintainers of structures", and that at the cost of orthodoxy and unity in the gospel. Schism now seems virtually inevitable).

7 - National: The aim of the people of God is to look at their culture and affirm that which already 'aims heavenward', and help re-direct that which does not. Full participation, therefore, in all facets of society, is of paramount importance. The aim, finally, is to Chrsitianize the culture: infuse it with love, righteousness, grace, and forgiveness. (This is a tough one, becaue it clashes with my ana-baptist roots. I agree with affirming everything in culture that evidences God's grace at work [economics, politics, and the arts, for example], and I also agree with re-directing the grace-less towards grace, but I have reservations about how this is achieved, and to what extent. One example [among many] of my concerns is regarding the issue of pacifism. What would involvement in culture look like alongside a pacifist stance?)

8 - Reformational: This is a 'bonus' point, because it wasn't included in today's talk. It is, however, included in the article. The central theological points are "sovereign grace, original sin, justificatoin by faith and power of faith, whcih brings repentance out of the heart and transforms the life". The church, on the other hand, is conceived of as a "fellowsihp of believers out of whose common life comes the structure of ministers." Out of this structure come the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. (I agree theologically, but ecclesiastically I'm not yet fully on board. I think the Catholic Church is on sounder footing).

So, those are Packer's reasons for being Anglican, and my brief responses. I agree wholeheartedly with the catholic, bibilical, evangelical/pastoral, liturgical, rational, and episcopal aspects. In terms of being national, I agree, but with reservations (and many questions!). With regards to being reformational, I agree theologically, but not ecclesiastically.