Anglican Identity
Commentary by The Rev. Clint Kerley
It happened to me again last night. While visiting friends in Dallas, I was introduced to their neighbors. Over the course of the conversation I mentioned that I am a pastor. “What type of church?” they asked. “Anglican,” I replied. And I was met with a blank stare. But I’ve gotten used to this response. Even those of us who attend an Anglican church are sometimes at a loss to understand who we are. So I thought I’d share with you the way that I talk about who Anglicans are and why I am one of them.
At the core of Anglican identity you find a blended church. It’s a mixture of the best parts of catholic worship and Protestant theology. You’ll notice I used a small “c” in writing catholic. That’s because I’m not using the word as a brand “Roman Catholic” but as a description “universal.” Anglican liturgy is a continuation of worship as it has always been throughout the history of the church. If you went back to the early 200s, you would hear almost the exact same prayer at the Eucharist as we will say in our service today. And because we’re “universal,” we join Christians around the world every Sunday who worship in a very similar way as we do.
Added to this catholic worship is Protestant theology. During the Reformation of the 16th century, godly theologians recognized a need to return to the centrality of Scripture as the authority for the church. If you read through the Book of Common Prayer it won’t take long to realize that the writers of this book knew the Bible well and wanted it to have the central place in the worship life of the church.
For me, Anglicanism represents the very best of Christianity—a connection to other believers, past and present, and an absolute commitment to the authority of the Bible in the life of the church. And thankfully, I have found Christ Church to be a perfect reflection of this blended family of Anglicanism. Look around you this morning. It is likely that you will shake hands with former Baptists, Catholics, and Pentecostals, all of whom have found a home in the historic, Biblical expression of Christianity called Anglicanism.