Anglicanism- Catholic and Evangelical

 At the beginning of a new year, my thoughts are often drawn to the nature of Anglicanism. There have been numerous descriptions and labels applied to Anglican Christianity over nearly 500 years. Many of these descriptions contain some truth but have certain drawbacks. For example, I like the description "evangelical catholic," but that term also has drawbacks. The word "evangelical" has a lot of historical and sociological baggage, and the term "catholic" has been disputed through the centuries. The combination "evangelical catholic" has been used by several other Christian traditions as well as by different strains of Anglicans. Nevertheless, this post is a brief attempt to explain how I view Anglicanism as "evangelical catholic."

 Despite breaking from Rome in the sixteenth century, Anglicans have always viewed themselves as a continuation of catholic Christianity. Anglican churches differ from most churches that broke from the late medieval papacy, and they rightly note that they have retained their catholic heritage. In the interpretation of Scripture, Anglican reformers and their successors often consulted the early church fathers and claimed a basic continuity in Christian history. Anglican liturgies (whether simple or elaborate) have preserved basic elements from ancient catholic tradition. Anglicans have retained the ancient Creeds as statements of core beliefs, and they have respected the ancient general or ecumenical councils (despite sometimes debating the meaning or applicability of some council rulings). Anglicans have retained and respected the ancient orders of ordained ministry, and they have confessed belief in the gracious power of the sacraments, especially Baptism and the Eucharist.  

At the same time, both historically and theologically, Anglicanism has often been considered a Protestant tradition. It broke from Rome and incorporated some insights from Luther and other reformers. The Anglican Church has emphasized the primary authority of Scripture and the centrality of the Gospel (euangelion). In their liturgies and official statements (Thirty-Nine Articles, Lambeth Quadrilateral, Affirmation of St. Louis, and Jerusalem Declaration), Anglicans have affirmed faith in the Gospel. Anglicans have not been "evangelicals" according to some popular expressions, but sincere Anglican believers have been evangelicals in their core beliefs. That is, they have been and are evangelical because they believe in justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and they expect living faith to produce good fruit in the lives of believers.

Evangelical catholic Anglicanism (like almost every Anglican tendency) has had several expressions. What all these expressions have in common is a focus on the biblical Gospel combined with a respect for universal Christian principles and practices across the ages. Thus, historic Anglicanism has been guided by two broad principles: evangelical and catholic. The first central characteristic is evangelical faith in the biblical good news of redemption through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God the Son. In thought and experience, this evangelical faith has been guarded and expressed through the second central characteristic: the catholic or universal teachings and practices of Christianity. There should be a constant interaction between the evangelical and the catholic; they depend upon each other for their best expression. Anyone who neglects one or both of these elements misses the fullness of Christianity, and anyone who values both elements shares a common core faith.