Anglicanism is a great Christian tradition. It has expressed itself in beautiful liturgies from the Prayer Book tradition. The Tyndale-King James tradition of Bible translation is a spiritual and literary treasure. English devotional practices and words have helped many Christians, both Anglicans and others. Anglican preachers and missionaries have spread the Gospel to many corners of the world, and Anglican-inspired charities and educational institutions have helped multitudes. Despite these great qualities, many observers, inside and outside, have questioned the doctrinal or theological standards of Anglicanism.
Since Anglicanism developed as a broad national Church, it has sometimes appeared vague in its theological foundations. There are good and bad aspects of historic Anglican breadth in belief and practice. On the positive side, Anglican breadth has avoided too much narrow prescription. Unlike some other Christian groups, Anglicans have not legislated every theological detail or every liturgical and devotional style. In times of social and cultural stability, this breath has allowed many different kinds of Christians to be faithful Anglicans.
On the negative side, some Anglicans have pushed the boundaries of Anglican breadth to extremes. Some individuals, ideologies, and movements have placed too much emphasis on human reason or experience. When this has happened, Christian theology has become weak. In particular, theological weakness has become noticeable in recent decades. Increasingly, broad Anglicanism has tended to become chaotic. Rationalistic, humanistic, liberal, or progressive tendencies have often lost their connections with both Scripture and Church Tradition. While Anglicans generally respect the role of reason, human-centered theologies are a serious threat to living faith.
So, is there a central Anglican theological impulse that has characterized the best of Anglican thought and offers the best hope for the future of Anglicanism? After study and reflection over many years, I would maintain that the catholic emphasis within the Anglican tradition is that stream. By catholic Anglicans, I refer to people under various labels such as Caroline Divines, Non-Jurors, Old High-Churchmen, and Anglo-Catholics. Such Anglicans have not embraced a narrow unanimity. There have been differing opinions regarding ceremonies, the role of the Prayer Book, medieval traditions, and the value of Roman influence on Anglican Christianity.
Despite some differences in theological opinions and practice, a broadly catholic and traditional Anglicanism is in continuity with the pre-Reformation Church and the best ideals of the Elizabethan Settlement. Some basic Anglican theological guidelines have historically been provided through the Creeds, the Catechism, and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. However, the Articles of Religion are deliberately vague on some issues and have been interpreted in wildly divergent ways. So, they need clarification. After the extreme departures from Anglican tradition during the 1960s and 1970s, traditional Anglicans reasserted catholic and orthodox Anglican beliefs in the Affirmation of St. Louis in 1977.
The Affirmation of St. Louis contains statements which indicate a desire to continue the catholic faith received through the Anglican tradition. It maintains that this faith is expressed in the Seven Ancient Ecumenical Councils of the Church from 325 to 787 AD. In other words, the Affirmation does not discard Anglican history; it interprets that history and its documents through the tradition of the Church Fathers. The Affirmation does not develop a complete Anglican theology, but it does provide contemporary and truly catholic Anglicanism a point of reference. It allows for some variety while it continues the best of the Anglican theological heritage.
