Our Common Tradition and the Essence of Anglicanism

It has been a great pleasure this week to be part of the Anglican Way’s annual conference arranged by the Prayer Book Society of the USA in Savannah, Georgia. As Editor of the Anglican Way, I have been delighted to see a growing connection with the Parish of the Advent – as we saw exhibited during our own annual conference this last November. In the years ahead, all being well, we can look forward to two theological conferences each year in America, setting out the case for the deeply rooted intellectual credibility of traditional Anglican theology. Exhibiting and advancing this heritage will be an important part of the work of the Grafton House initiative – which Fr Ian McCormack will be working on in particular – as we look to open a new chapter in the Advent’s historic role of “thought leadership” in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. 

Central to Anglican identity has been an allegiance to a common tradition of Christian faith and worship. At a time of growing stress within and across the worldwide Anglican Communion, this unique notion of Christian identity is vital to maintain as the historic basis of Anglican cohesion comes under manifestly growing strain. Organizational unity has never been a strong point of Anglicanism and it looks to be at risk of weakening yet further. 

Archbishops of Canterbury enjoy a primacy of honour but not of jurisdiction. At present, even the role of the archbishopric, as formal head of the Communion’s structures, looks to be in growing doubt. There is widespread unease in the Global South about the ways in which the domestic obligations of the Primate of The Church of England can be at odds with what is required from the role worldwide. Yet, merely to select any one of the Primates of the Communion to be the figurehead would be a profound change and in some tension with the historic connection to the See of St Augustine himself.

All this makes it quite central to understand what comprises our common tradition and the essence of Anglicanism.

As it happens, a remarkably concise statement of what that comprises was issued as part of the Solemn Declaration of 1893, whereby the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada was established (which corresponds in Canada to The Episcopal Church in America).Thus, Anglicans are declared to comprise: 

“…an integral portion of the One Body of Christ composed of the Churches which, united under the One Divine Head and in the fellowship of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, hold the One Faith revealed in Holy Writ, and defined in the Creeds as maintained by the undivided primitive Church in the undisputed Ecumenical Councils; receive the same Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as containing all things necessary to salvation; teach the same Word of God; partake of the same Divinely ordained Sacraments, through the ministry of the same Apostolic Orders; and worship One God and Father through the same Lord Jesus Christ, by the same Holy and Divine Spirit who is given to them that believe to guide them into all truth.”

The declaration then goes on to state that: 

“We are determined by the help of God to hold and maintain the Doctrine, Sacraments, and Discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded in his Holy Word, and as … received and set forth the… in ‘The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church …and the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests and Deacons’, and in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion; and to transmit the same unimpaired to our posterity.”

So there we have – in a highly compressed form – the position of Anglicanism as a unique and distinctive part of God’s Church, and it is this which it is our privilege and obligation to transmit unimpaired to all who follow. This is something that we do in the Parish of the Advent with the further benefit of our particular charism for uplifting liturgy, music, and ceremonial. This is a very compelling and challenging vocation, one which we should see as our special privilege to sustain and fulfil in the years ahead!

In the context of the foregoing above it is a particular pleasure to be able to announce that the Bishop of Massachusetts, The Rt. Revd. Julia Whitworth, will be coming to undertake my formal Installation as Rector on the 7th March at 6.30pm. This will happen in the context of Evensong. We shall all look forward to this most felicitous occasion!

The Rev. Canon Alistair Macdonald-Radcliff
Rector