Why Anglican? A Short Answer

In two recent conversations, the question of why I am an Anglican came up. At the time, I gave an immediate and brief answer that seemed appropriate in the social context. The other parties wondered if there was any family reason for me to be Anglican. The brief answer was that there was a family connections to the Anglican/Episcopalian tradition, and there was also Methodist influence. Growing up where there were no nearby Anglican/Episcopal churches, Methodism introduced me to basic Anglican beliefs and elements of worship passed on by the Wesleys. That seemed to be a sufficient answer in the conversations.

This brief answer was true, but it omitted a lot of history and theology. Although this is still a short answer, it seems useful (especially on the eve of a new year) to summarize why I am Anglican. As a young Methodist in the rural South, I came to appreciate the vestiges of the Prayer Book tradition and the Apostles' Creed that were used in my local parish. Later as I studied John Wesley, I looked more deeply into English Church history, the ancient Creeds, liturgy, and sacramental theology. As I considered several Christian traditions, Anglicanism seemed to combine the best of catholic heritage and Reformation renewal.

Such was the conclusion I reached in the late 1970s. In the years since then, there have been many ups and downs. There have been ordinary fluctuations in daily life and devotion. There have been convulsions and crises in varied Episcopal/Anglican jurisdictions.  There have been personal and organizational frailties. There have been issues related to the rapidly changing intellectual and social milieu of contemporary Western culture.

Through all these events, traditional Anglican worship and doctrine have sustained my mind, heart, and soul.  Anglicanism has maintained the ancient Christian Faith, and in many places, it still continues a strong witness. It has the Scriptures, the teachings of the Church Fathers and the Creeds, historic liturgy, the Sacraments as real means of grace, and more. So I have remained a Prayer Book Anglican, and I pray that this special way of being a Christian may prosper through God's grace.