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		About St. Luke's > Episcopal Church & Anglican Communion
		Episcopal Church & Anglican Communion   Overview Links to this page • Anglican / Episcopal Values • The Liturgy • Positions of authority and service within the Church • History of the Anglican Tradition There are many ways of describing Episcopalians/Anglicans, but here are three of the most common: The Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church represent a "bridge" between Catholicism and Protestantism. They combine the Catholic emphasis on the inexhaustible richness of liturgy and tradition with a Protestant spirit of freedom and critical judgment. Finding authority in a balance of Scripture, tradition, and reason, they avoid extreme forms of Biblicism, traditionalism, rationalism, and authoritarianism. Some members and some congregations will incline more toward the one or the other side of the heritage, but the Church as a whole embraces both. The Anglican/Episcopal tradition is defined most clearly by its adherence to the Prayer Book, or Book of Common Prayer, which gives fixed but flexible patterns for the eucharistic liturgy and for other services. The common use of the Prayer Book is meant to ensure that services will be well conceived and formulated, that they will be expressions of worship for the entire Church and not only a particular group, and that they will be grounded in the creative appropriation of the Church's tradition. But the reliance on a book of prayers gives the liturgy something of the quality of a drama, a scripted enactment, which will seem lively or lifeless depending on how it is enacted. To help give the enactment a spirit of vitality, beauty, and splendor, the Church has characteristically made ample use of the arts, particularly music. The Episcopal Church has endeavored to balance its emphasis on worship with a strong insistence on responsibility in the social and political sphere. This dimension of the Church's life can best be perceived in its concrete ministries of social service but is also found in the official statements and ongoing discussion regarding matters of public policy. top ^ Anglican / Episcopal Values G.R. Evans and J. Robert Wright have offered this list of characteristics of Anglicans. These items are somewhat stereotypical, but there is at least a grain of truth in all of them. Traits people often associate with the Episcopal Church     Positive Negative Inclusiveness Openness to change A gift for adaptation, pragmatism, the honoring of reason A belief in the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit Love of learning Tolerance Common prayer, not common opinion Distrust of dictatorial authority Understatement and restraint Incarnational emphasis: a cherishing of creation Valuing of human intellect, will, and conscience as vehicles for God-with-us Positive attitude toward sciences and human culture Holistic view: mind and heart Respect for both corporate and individual insight Sacramental emphasis: outward signs effect real participation in the divine - sacraments are an accessible and reliable means of grace Recognition of all creation as potentially the place of revelation and communion Emphasis on right actions rather than right beliefs Concern for social needs Stress on individual responsibility Confidence in human capacity to know and do good Elitism: class-based church Establishment mentality FormalismStiff, dry, frozen, rigid worship Allegiance to gentility and good taste Confusion of sociability with community and politeness with love Tepidity, dullness, lack of conviction and passion Liturgy distanced from feeling Disinclination to share faith with outsiders Excessive concern with liturgy and holy orders Inclination to identify God more with the past than with the future Theological vagueness and lack of rigor Preference of peace over truth Excessive accommodation to the norms of culture An underdeveloped prayer life Source: G.R. Evans and J. Robert Wright, eds., The Anglican Tradition: A Handbook of Sources (London: SPCK; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991) Here is a quote from Kenneth Leech, a leading Anglo-Catholic priest, theologian and writer: What kind of social vision emerges from the Anglo-Catholic tradition? First, it is a corporate vision. It is a social vision, a vision of a cooperative society, a community bonded together by a fundamental and unbreakable solidarity, a community of equals.... Secondly, it is a materialist vision. It is a vision which is deeply and unashamedly materialistic, which values the creation, which rejoices in the physical, in the flesh, in human sexuality, and which is rooted in the principle that matter is the vehicle of spirit, not its enemy. When [William] Temple said that Christianity was the most materialistic of all religions, he stood within a long tradition of incarnational and materialism.... Thirdly, it is a vision of transformation, of a transformed society, not simply an improved one. At the heart of Anglo-Catholic spirituality is the eucharistic offering with its two-fold emphasis on offering and consecration. Bread and wine, fruits of the earth and work of human hands, products not only of nature but of the industrial process, are, at the eucharistic offertory, brought within the redemptive process.... Fourthly, this tradition is a rebel tradition. The Tractarian movement began as a critique of the church/Tory alliance and as a protest against state control of the church.... And this culture of dissent was intensified by the fact that ritualism became a criminal offence in the second phase of the movement. So Anglo-Catholicism and a rebellious spirit became allies.... Finally, the Anglo-Catholic social vision is one which moves beyond the Christian community and is concerned with the working out of God's purposes in the upheavals and crises of world history. It is a Kingdom theology rather than a church theology....Source: Kenneth Leech,  The Renewal of Social Vision: A Dissident Anglo-Catholic Perspective , in The Anglo-Catholic Social Conscience: Two Critical Essays (Croyden: Jubilee Group, [1991]), 1-11. Worship and sacraments: liturgical worship The Book of Common Prayer is the fullest and most authoritative expression of the Anglican Church's belief and practice--the place we turn when we wish to say "This is the Anglican way of believing" The tradition emphasizes a balance of splendor and decorum: worship that speaks to the senses as well as the mind, but is grounded in written texts that arise out of tradition and are shared by the broader Church. Conception and governance of the Church: the Episcopal polity Bishops are living signs of continuity with the Apostolic Church (i.e., the community of Christians responding directly to the experience of Christ's work and preaching) and of authority as a gift or charism passed down through the generations. In the Episcopal Church, the power of bishops has always been carefully limited - providing tension between bishops (with apostolic authority to teach) and laity (with equal voice in determining policy). Christian living: responsibility and devotion All members share a common vocation to "read, mark, learn and inwardly digest" Scripture. The tradition emphasizes an ordered spiritual life, disciplined by received wisdom. Anglican spirituality focuses not only on crises but on sanctification in everyday life - and on pastoral care not just as counseling but as nurturing a relationship with God throughout life. Social engagement: sacrality of the world The tradition emphasizes the importance of living responsibly in the world and of witnessing as a Church to the social mission of Christianity. Anglicanism sees the world as a sacred setting in which people are saved, not simply a fallen world from which people are saved. The contemplative tradition: the presence of God The tradition balances active service in the world with a spirit of recollection and mindfulness of the divine presence. top ^ The Liturgy The worship of the Episcopal Church balances the proclamation of Scripture with the dramatic ritual of Eucharist (in which the Christian community, faithful to the command of Christ, shares in receiving the body and blood which he offered up for us). The liturgical year brings the cycle of the seasons into relationship with the events of salvation history (especially the life, death, and resurrection of Christ) and (through the commemorations) with exemplary figures in the history of the Church. Positions of authority and service within the Church The Episcopal Church is so called because it is governed by bishops (episcopi) consecrated by other bishops, in a line seen as extending back to the Apostles - and this "Apostolic succession" of the episcopacy is a concrete way of emphasizing (a) fidelity to the very origins of the Church and (b) ministry as something entrusted to the Church by Christ. At the same time, however, the authority of bishops is carefully balanced by that of the entire Church, and laypeople have multiple opportunities for leadership (even in General Convention). Adapted from John Wall,A New Dictionary for Episcopalians (Minneapolis: Winston Press, 1985). See also Don Armentrout and Robert Slocum, Episcopal Dictionary of the Church(New York: Church Publishing, 1999). General Convention: Governing body of the Episcopal Church, dealing with questions of program, policy, Prayer Book, and positions on theology and ethics. Meets every three years. Enactments must be approved by both the House of Bishops (chaired by the Presiding Bishop, with all bishops of the church) and the House of Deputies (chaired by its president, with four clergy and four lay delegates elected from each diocese). Between conventions, the Executive Council attends to the church"s business. Presiding Bishop: Presiding officer of the Episcopal Church, elected at the General Convention by the House of Bishops, with concurrence of the House of Deputies. Term ends at the General Convention nearest the holder's 68th birthday. Must relinquish previous diocese, and has no cathedral, but has a throne at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul (Washington, D.C.). Presides over the House of Bishops and the Executive Council, is chief officiant at bishops' ordinations, oversees the church's program, and as Primate of the Episcopal Church in the USA represents it vis-à-vis other churches of the Anglican Communion and other churches. Has office at the National Headquarters of the Episcopal Church. 815 Second Ave., New York City. Bishop: (Greek episkopos, Latin episcopus, whence "Episcopal"). Chief sacramental officer of the church and chief pastor for a diocese, charged to ensure that the faith proclaimed in parishes is that of the church, to ordain priests and deacons (and, with other bishops, to ordain or consecrate new bishops), to serve as chief minister of Confirmation, to visit all parishes and missions within the diocese at regular intervals, to preside at diocesan conventions, and to hold administrative responsibility for diocesan activities. Elected by the diocese meeting in convention. May be aided by assisting bishops: coadjutors (elected to replace the diocesan bishop on retirement) and suffragans (elected to be an assisting bishop only). Traditional insignia include the throne (or cathedra) in the cathedral, pastoral staff, miter, pectoral cross, and ring. Official title is The Right Reverend. Standing Committee: Group of clergy and laypeople elected by diocesan convention to serve as a committee of advice and consent to the bishop (e.g., to meet with those recommended for ordination by the diocesan Commission on Ministry), to approve all sales of church property, and to become the ecclesiastical authority of the diocese if it is without a bishop. Priest: (Greek presbyteros). A man or woman ordained to celebrate at the Eucharist, to baptize when the bishop is not present, and to pronounce absolution of sins to the penitent. Trained also in pastoral care and conduct of public worship, and authorized to preach. Most priests are rectors (or chief sacramental officers) of parishes, some are chaplains (e.g., in universities or hospitals), and others (nonstipendiary priests) have ministry not financially supported by the church. The stole (worn around the neck with the ends hanging straight down) is the sign of the priest's office; priests may wear the chasuble while celebrating the Eucharist. Deacon: A man or woman ordained in the church and entrusted with various roles in the Eucharist (reading the Gospel, preparing the altar, proclaiming the dismissal, etc.). A deacon may preach. The stole (worn over the left shoulder and tied under the right arm) is the deacon's sign of office; the deacon may wear the dalmatic while celebrating the Eucharist. A person wishing ordination as priest is ordained as deacon first, but permanent deacons also perform ministries in the church. Vestry and wardens: Group consisting of the rector of a parish and the laypeople elected by the congregation at the annual parish meeting, to be the legal governing and decision-making body of the parish: the vestry hires the rector, approves the parish budget, makes policy decisions, and spends the parish's money. So called because formerly it met in the vestry (or vesting room) of the church. The wardens are members of the vestry elected by the vestry or congregation; the junior warden is responsible for maintenance of buildings and grounds, while the senior warden is the senior layperson of the parish, who speaks on its behalf. Sexton: Custodian charged with keeping the parish buildings and facilities clean and in working order. top ^ History of the Anglican Tradition 1a. History of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition: Middle Ages (5th-15th century) c. 200 CE Christianity appears in Britain c. 275 Angles and Saxons begin settlements 475 Patrick made Bishop to Ireland 597 Augustine of Canterbury lands in Kent, sent by Pope Gregory the Great 664 Synod of Whitby 731 Bede's Ecclesiastical History 1066 Norman Conquest 1170 Becket martyred 1348 Black Death reaches England 1373 "Showings" to Julian of Norwich 1445 Gutenberg: moveable metal type Key points A sense of rootedness in early Christian tradition is of great importance to Anglicanism, and even legendary expressions of that rootedness testify to a sense of belonging to a historically continuous heritage. The see of Canterbury has long been important not only for governance but also as a seat of moral and spiritual authority. Monasticism played a more central role in the Church life of pre-Reformation England than in many parts of the Christian West; of the cathedrals in the seventeen English dioceses formed before the Reformation, eight were also monastic churches, and the "secular" cathedrals were influenced in certain ways by the monastic ones (e.g., they usually had cloisters). The missionary history of England serves as a reminder that faith is a gift, something received from others. (See I Corinthians 4:7, "What do you have that you did not receive?") In a famous passage from Bede, Pope Gregory the Great shows a spirit of accommodation, openness, and practicality that later marked the Anglican tradition. Northern Europe was missionized largely by Englishmen: after England itself was substantially converted in the 6th century (by the Celts) and the 7th century (by missionaries sent from Rome), England became a point of origin for missionary work on the Continent. The medieval Church may seem distant from our own experience of Christianity, but its continuing relevance is suggested by the ample representation of medieval women and men in the church year. History of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition: Reformation (16th to early 17th century) 1509 Henry VIII, King of England 1517 Martin Luther's 95 Theses 1534 Henry VIII becomes supreme head of Church 1538 Great Bible ordered for Parishes 1549 First Book of Common Prayer 1554 Queen Mary reconciles England to Papacy 1558 Elizabeth I becomes Queen 1559 The Elizabethan Settlement 1593 Richard Hooker, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity 1611 King James Bible 1620 Mayflower sails for America Key points The English Reformers were responsible for establishing a moderate version of a Reformed Church, in substantial continuity with the Catholic past: they preserved the Catholic sense of the inexhaustible richness of the sacred (with a richness of liturgy and tradition), while tempering it with the Protestant spirit of freedom and critical judgment. Richard Hooker conceived Scripture, tradition, and reason as a three-legged stool on which authority rested: versus dogmatic assertions not from Scripture (Rome) and Bible alone as source of belief and practice (extreme Protestantism). The English Reformation was grounded in the context of the Renaissance - whence an element of skepticism, openness of mind, willingness to suspend judgment. The church leaders of the seventeenth century have served as sources of inspiration for the English tradition of religious literature (particularly for verses, often used in hymnody) and for the Anglo-Catholic heritage. History of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition: Commonwealth and Restoration (mid to late 17th century) 1642 Civil War begins, leading to Puritan hegemony 1660 Restoration of the Monarchy, leading to restoration of the Established Church 1666 Great Fire in London--St Paul's and parish churches rebuilt by Christopher Wren History of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition: Classic era of the Evangelical and Anglo-Catholic movements (18th-19th century) 1714 Beginning of the Evangelical Revival 1738 Conversion Experience of Charles & John Wesley 1784 Samuel Seabury first Anglican Bishop outside England 1789 Episcopal Church in America founded 1799 Church Missionary Society begins 1833 Beginning of Oxford Movement 1888 First Lambeth Conference - Chicago Key points The 19th century was the classical period of both the Evangelical movement (which gave a renewed sense of fidelity to the Gospel and of responsibility toward society) and the Anglo-Catholic movement (which cultivated a heightened reverence for the Christian community or Church, for the liturgy, for the mysteries of Christian teaching, and for God's presence in the world generally). During the 19th century especially, missions were closely linked with extension of the British Empire - but even at the time the problems of this linkage were at times noted. History of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition: Ecumenical era (20th century) 1948 World Council of Churches 1963 Vatican II 1971 First Anglican women priests (Hong Kong) 1979 American Book of Common Prayer 1989 Barbara Harris, USA, first woman bishop Key points The Ecumenical movement arose in large part out of a recognition that cooperation among Christian denominations was needed for effective missionary work. In the course of the 20th century, many of the most important developments in Christianity, such as liturgical renewal, developed across denominational lines. top ^

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