The New Archbishop of Canterbury

 The Church of England has finally elected a new Archbishop of Canterbury! She is the Rt. Rev'd. Sarah Mullally.

Check out the press release from the Church of England.

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury

Today we celebrate Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (1556).  One of my seminary professors once commented, as we look back to John Wesley as our spiritual father, we ought to look to Thomas Cranmer as a spiritual grandfather.

Cranmer was the major force in the English Reformation, and the person to whom thanks is due (in Christ!) for the Book of Common Prayer (in its variety of forms). Cranmer was primarily responsible for the very first Book of Common Prayer in 1549 and its first revision in 1552. In his development of the BCP, Cranmer followed closely the medieval forms of worship, especially the Old Sarum rites.

The 1662 BCP, which is still in use in the Church of England, as well as other Anglican provinces, and which is considered the standard by which all other Prayer Books are gaged, was a revision of Cranmer's previous work.

Especially important for Wesleyan-Anglicans, John Wesley, in the preface to his own edition of the (1662) BCP (viz., The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America), says, "I believe there is no liturgy in the world, either in ancient or modern language, which breathes more of a solid, scriptural, rational piety, than the Common Prayer of the Church of England. And though the main of it was compiled considerably more than two hundred years ago, yet is the language of it, not only pure, but strong and elegant in the highest degree."

Thomas Cranmer was born in Aslockton, Nottinghamshire on July 2, 1489. He earned his B.A., M.A. & a Fellowship from Jesus College, Cambridge, and became a Doctor of Divinity, a lecturer in the same school. Cranmer was highly influenced by the Lutheran reformers. King Henry the Eighth, with confirmation from the Pope, appointed Cranmer to the See of Canterbury, and he was consecrated Archbishop on March 30, 1533.

When Queen Mary the First took the throne, as a staunch Roman Catholic, she had Cranmer arrested due to the protestant reforms he had implemented in the English Church. On March 21, 1556, Thomas Cranmer, along with other church leaders, was burned at the stake.

Thomas Cranmer has influenced and continues to influence countless Christians in their spiritual formation and lives through the Book of Common Prayer, and all who use a version of the Book of Common Prayer or a liturgy that has been influence by one of the Prayer Books owe an immeasurable debt to Thomas Cranmer.

Even those in the Church of the Nazarenes who are decided "non-liturgical" owe an immense debt to Cranmer. Our own ritual for the Lord's Supper in our Manual (Book of Discipline), until our last General Assembly, was an abbreviated form of the Methodist Episcopal ritual, which came from Wesley's Sunday Service, which was a conservative revision of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. Even more important, Wesley's understanding of holiness was, in many ways, shaped and supported by the liturgy of the Anglican Church, and the Collect of Purity at the beginning of the Communion service (and found as #58 in our Sing to the Lord hymnal) has been said to encapsulate our understanding of holiness:

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For more information on Thomas Cranmer, I commend to you the Episcopal Church's Lesser Feasts and Fasts - 1997, For All the Saints: A Calendar of Commemorations Second Edition (OSL), and the "Introduction" to The First English Prayer Book.  For a much more detailed study of Cranmer, see God Truly Worshipped: A Thomas Cranmer Reader by Jonathan Dean, and Diarmaid MacColloch's Thomas Cranmer: A Life.

Let us give thanks to God for Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury!

Happening Soon: Interview with Winfield Bevins

 

Asbury Seminary Anglican Studies and Formation

October 27 at 10:03 AM  · 

Join us Friday, November 13 at Noon for an interview with

Winfield Bevins

on his new book, Simply Anglican. Please register for the event at asbury.to/simplyanglican. If you register before November 11 and attend the interview, you'll receive a free copy of the book!.

An Article of Interest

Today, I read an article linked to Facebook that I thought was worth sharing with those who read this blog.  The article is entitle "Living in the Liturgy: My Anglican Journey."  It was written by Lisa Syner and has been published on the Anglican Pastor site.

Many who come here may well be comfortable in what is often called "liturgical worship."  However, some may be here who are just exploring the liturgy.  For you, especially, I thought that it might be good to read someone else's testimony of the power of God at work through the liturgy; a liturgy similar to the one that John Wesley left those of us in the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition.

Now, I say, "similar," because the worship described is based in a version of the Book of Common Prayer, and John Wesley gave to the Methodists in North America a version of the prayer book, as well.  Nevertheless, it is unlikely that one would have smelled incense during worship in Wesley's service, nor would you likely have seen anyone genuflecting during Wesley's day (though, perhaps, there would be the bowing of the head).  Some of those kinds of things were recovered in the Anglican tradition after Wesley's time.  -  In any case, the author of the article describes her first experience of this kind of worship, and expresses how God has used it in a powerful way to shape her life.

Wherever you fall in your experience of worship, I hope that you find the article helpful.  It can be found, here.

Methodist Unscripted

Many of you who follow conservative / orthodox Anglican news watch a podcast known as "Anglican Unscripted."  You can actually get to it through my sidebar (which desperately needs to be cleaned up!).  -  Well, it seems that, following the special United Methodist General Conference 2019, Anglican Unscripted has done two presentation, unofficially called "Methodist Unscripted," where they have discussed the results of the General Conference.  Readers of this blog may well be interested in these.

The second of the two videos includes a fellow "Wesleyan/Anglican," the Rev'd. Dr. Ryan Danker.  That is to say, he is a member of the Wesleyan/Anglican group on Facebook, though he is not currently a member of the Wesleyan-Anglican Society. (Contact me, Ryan, if you want to become a member!)  -  Dr. Danker is also a fellow member of the  Wesleyan Theological Society (sorry I not make it to this year's meeting, and at your own school!) and the Charles Wesley Society.  He teaches at Wesley Theological Seminary in D.C. (not to be confused with Wesley Biblical Seminary or Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University, the latter of which I teach for in their online program).  Dr. Danker is also the author of Wesley and the Anglicans: Political Division in Early Evangelicalism.  (I encourage the purchase of the book!) 

A quick note, in connection to the debates and arguments surrounding the United Methodist General Conference.  I have attempted to keep the Wesleyan/Anglican Facebook page free from comments that might lead to debate.  Though I have control over the Facebook page, it is designed as a group page.  There are people there who hold various positions.  This blog, however, is my own blog, and so the content of the blog reflects my own views.

With that in mind, I encourage you to take a look at the following two videos for "Methodist Unscripted"!



Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury

Today we celebrate Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (1556).  One of my seminary professors once commented, as we look back to John Wesley as our spiritual father, we ought to look to Thomas Cranmer as a spiritual grandfather.

Cranmer was the major force in the English Reformation, and the person to whom thanks is due (in Christ!) for the Book of Common Prayer (in its variety of forms). Cranmer was primarily responsible for the very first Book of Common Prayer in 1549 and its first revision in 1552. In his development of the BCP, Cranmer followed closely the medieval forms of worship, especially the Old Sarum rites.

The 1662 BCP, which is still in use in the Church of England, as well as other Anglican provinces, and which is considered the standard by which all other Prayer Books are gaged, was a revision of Cranmer's previous work.

Especially important for Wesleyan-Anglicans, John Wesley, in the preface to his own edition of the (1662) BCP (viz., The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America), says, "I believe there is no liturgy in the world, either in ancient or modern language, which breathes more of a solid, scriptural, rational piety, than the Common Prayer of the Church of England. And though the main of it was compiled considerably more than two hundred years ago, yet is the language of it, not only pure, but strong and elegant in the highest degree."

Thomas Cranmer was born in Aslockton, Nottinghamshire on July 2, 1489. He earned his B.A., M.A. & a Fellowship from Jesus College, Cambridge, and became a Doctor of Divinity, a lecturer in the same school. Cranmer was highly influenced by the Lutheran reformers. King Henry the Eighth, with confirmation from the Pope, appointed Cranmer to the See of Canterbury, and he was consecrated Archbishop on March 30, 1533.

When Queen Mary the First took the throne, as a staunch Roman Catholic, she had Cranmer arrested due to the protestant reforms he had implemented in the English Church. On March 21, 1556, Thomas Cranmer, along with other church leaders, was burned at the stake.

Thomas Cranmer has and continues to influence countless Christians in their spiritual formation and lives through the Book of Common Prayer, and all who use a version of the Book of Common Prayer or a liturgy that has been influence by one of the Prayer Books owe an immeasurable debt to Thomas Cranmer.

Even non-liturgical Nazarenes owe an immense debt to Cranmer. Our own ritual for the Lord's Supper in our Manual (Book of Discipline), until our last General Assembly, was an abbreviated form of the Methodist Episcopal ritual, which came from Wesley's Sunday Service, which was a version of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. Even more important, Wesley's understanding of holiness was, in many ways, shaped and supported by the liturgy of the Anglican Church, and the Collect of Purity at the beginning of the Communion service (and found as #58 in our Sing to the Lord hymnal, has been said to encapsulate our understanding of holiness:

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For more information on Thomas Cranmer, I commend to you the Episcopal Church's Lesser Feasts and Fasts - 1997, For All the Saints: A Calendar of Commemorations Second Edition (OSL), and the "Introduction" to James' printing of The First English Prayer Book.  For an much more detailed study of Cranmer, see God Truly Worshipped: A Thomas Cranmer Reader by Jonathan Dean, and Diarmaid MacColloch's Thomas Cranmer: A Life.

Let us give thanks to God for Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury!

Christmas Message from the Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop Justin Welby's Christmas message may be read, hear.

Archbishop Welby at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

The Return of My Prayer Beads

During a Pastors' Continuing Education Retreat in 2006, I took the opportunity to make a set of Anglican Prayer Beads.  (For more information on Anglican Prayer Beads, their design and how to use them, click here.)  -  I was introduced to these beads through my (then) sisters and brothers in the Order of St. Luke.  (I was a member of the OSL for several years.)  -  You can read that story in my 2007 article, “Wesleyan-Holiness Prayers with Beads," published in OSL's Sacramental Life (19.3).

During the creation of my prayer beads, I also created a set of prayers that fit nicely with my Wesleyan-Holiness theological tradition.  Thus, the title of the article!  (I've printed those prayers, below.)

The truth is, though I do still occasionally pray those prayers with my beads, more often than not, I have reverted to more traditional prayers.  So, I pray the Jesus Prayer with the weeks (the little round beads): "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me (a sinner)."  And, for the cruciform beads (the four larger beads), I pray the Trisagion, "Holy God,  Holy and Mighty,  Holy and Immortal One, Have mercy upon us."

The prayers have been very helpful.  I would often pray while driving from place to place.  They help to bring focus upon the Lord and His grace.  They also bring a sense of calm and peace in God's presence.  -  Like Morning and Evening Prayer, they have been a means of grace for me.

However, sometime back, the strand broke!  I think it became brittle, since I usually keep the beads in the car where they will get considerably hot and considerably cold, depending on the weather.  -  I've gone quite a while without them, and I have missed them!

So, today (Thanksgiving Day), I finally took time to re-string and repair my beads.  -  I am so glad to have them back!  Just having them in my hand becomes a prayer, and, of course, I'm looking forward to actually praying with them!

For those who would like to pray using the "Wesleyan-Holiness prayers," I have printed them, below.  For those who would like to use the more traditional prayers, I have included them, above.  (The prayers other than the weeks & cruciform prayers remain the same.)  -  May God's blessings be upon all who decide to take up the discipline of praying with Anglican Prayer Beads!

The Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The Invitatory Bead

O God make speed to save us,
O Lord make haste to help us,
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

The Cruciform Beads

“The Collect of Purity”
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.
 
The Weeks
May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; (and may your whole spirit, and soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.)*
He who calls you is faithful, and He will do this.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; my version)

The Last time through:

The Invitatory Bead
The Lord’s Prayer

The Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

___________________________________________________________________________________
*Some may wish to leave off the parenthetical part for the sake of brevity.  (I usually do.) 

Are Nazarenes Protestant? The Wesleyan Position of Catholic and Reformed

In a post, below, you will find a video from Seedbed by Dr. Larry Wood where he explains the place of John Wesley in the Protestant Reformation.  -  In a post on Facebook, my friend and colleague, the Rev'd. Tom Miles, made a post about how he explains to his students (at Nazarene Theological Seminary) that we really are NOT Protestant.

Below, I will post his comment in its entirety.  I will follow that up by a few additional comments.  (I would note, here, that I love that he ends his comments by using one of my favorite quotes from the late +Rev'd. Dr. William Greathouse.)  -  Here is Tom's post:

***
Protestant?

Is the Church of the Nazarene a Protestant denomination? Well, for starters, there is little doubt that the vast majority of pastors and laypersons in our churches would readily affirm that we are indeed Protestants. To the extent that self-identification counts for something, it would seem that we are Protestants.

I would suggest that the answer depends upon one's definition of "Protestant." There is a fairly popular and widespread understanding that "Protestants" are those branches of western Christianity that broke ties with the Roman Catholic Church during the sixteenth century. If one's definition of "Protestant" is "any western Christian church that is not Roman Catholic," then churches in the Wesleyan theological tradition are certainly "Protestant" denominations.

But I would argue that we ought to consider a more carefully nuanced definition of "Protestant." For one thing, the sixteenth-century Protestants split with the Roman Catholic Church because they were "protesting" something. Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the other leading Protestant reformers were protesting what they understood to be theological errors regarding salvation and Christian epistemology within the Roman Catholic Church. The Church of England, on the other hand, broke with Rome because Henry VIII was upset over the pope's refusal to grant him an annulment--hardly the same kind of "protest" that the Protestant reformers were making.

Unlike the continental Protestant traditions, which embarked on a thorough theological revisioning from the outset, articulating careful theological delineations between themselves and the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England vacillated between Roman Catholic and Protestant sympathies for a few years before eventually settling on a middle course that rejected "extreme" positions of both the Protestants and the Roman Catholics in favor of a via media that is often summarized as "neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant, but both catholic and reformed."

Historically, our heritage lies in the Wesleyan Evangelical Revival that took place in England during the eighteenth century. Both John and Charles Wesley insisted that the Methodist movement was a revival within the Church of England and was to remain in the Church of England. They urged the Methodists to continue to attend worship at their local Church of England parish, where they would also be able to receive the Lord's Supper; in fact, the Wesleys were careful to use "lay preachers" who were not ordained (and therefore could not offer the sacraments) for Methodist society meetings and evangelical preaching--which meant that, by the Wesleys' intentional design, the Methodists had to rely on the Church of England for the sacraments. Furthermore, Methodist society meetings were not to be scheduled at times that would conflict with services in the local Church of England parish. Thus, during the Wesleys' lifetimes, the Methodists were not a "church" because they had no ordained ministers of their own. Unlike the Dissenters and Independent churches that flourished in England as protesters against the established Church of England, both John and Charles Wesley were committed to the Church of England and understood their movement to be thoroughly Anglican--even if their intentions of keeping the Methodist movement within the ecclesiastical boundaries of the Church of England were eventually ignored after their deaths. The Wesleys' emphasis on the interior spiritual life--especially the doctrine of Christian perfection--was influenced by previous Anglican writers, including William Law and Jeremy Taylor.

Theologically, the Articles of Faith of the Church of the Nazarene are based very closely on the Methodists' Articles of Religion, which are in turn an abridgement (by John Wesley himself) of the Church of England's Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. Many of the key theological terms and turns of phrases in our Articles of Faith can be traced back to the Church of England's Thirty-Nine Articles. Some congregations in the Church of the Nazarene base their worship services on the liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer, and a few congregations actually use the Book of Common Prayer in worship. Many of the rites contained in The Church Rituals Handbook (put together in 1997 by Jesse Middendorf, published by Nazarene Publishing House) are adapted from the Book of Common Prayer. Although our Article of Faith on entire sanctification has no parallel in the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Wesleys' understanding of Christian perfection (as noted previously) was deeply influenced by Anglican writers William Law (particularly his books A Practical Treatise Upon Christian Perfection and A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life) and Jeremy Taylor (whose books The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living and The Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying were especially influential). The deep catholicity expressed in the opening paragraph of the Manual's "Historical Statement" likewise reflects the Church of the Nazarene's deep Anglican roots.

Given both our historical roots and our theological roots, the Wesleyan tradition is unquestionably Anglican.

From where Anglicans stand in the "middle way" between Roman Catholics and Protestants, there are "extremes" on both sides that Anglicans wish to avoid. On the Roman Catholic side, for example, we reject the insistence that the Bishop of Rome--the pope--has primacy as the spiritual leader of all of God's Church, and we reject the doctrine that papal teachings ex cathedra are infallible. On the Protestant side, we are best off avoiding the overemphasis on sola scriptura, which dismisses the role of the "tradition of the Church" and, when taken to its ultimate conclusion, seems inevitably to lead to fundamentalistic approaches to Scripture. This, it seems to me, is the fatal flaw of Protestantism.

On the positive side, we have been enriched by both Roman Catholics and Protestants. From the Roman Catholics we get our deep respect for the tradition of the Church (as enunciated in the opening paragraph of the Manual's "Historical Statement"), a high view of the role of sacraments, and an appreciation for our general superintendents as "bishops" in the Church--and not merely political leaders who campaign for election (as is the case in many Protestant denominations). From the Protestants we gain our strong emphasis on the importance of the "new birth" as well as the vital spirituality that the Pietists encouraged.

"It is time the Church of Jesus Christ overcame the disjunctions created by the 16th-century Reformation. What is called for is the 'evangelical catholicism' of John Wesley's 'middle way' in which the two historic Christian traditions were synthesized. In this synthesis the English Reformer not only recovered for the Church a viable doctrine of holiness but also pointed the way to a scriptural view and practice of the sacraments that is both apostolic and catholic." --William M. Greathouse, former General Superintendent, Church of the Nazarene, in "Foreword" to Rob L. Staples, Outward Sign and Inward Grace: The Place of Sacraments in Wesleyan Spirituality.

***

I think that Tom did a great job expressing this position!

 A couple of additional considerations came up in our subsequent conversation.  -  First, Tom pointed out that the Manual for the Church of the Nazarene nowhere identifies us as Protestants.  In fact, that term was replaced by the term Christian in 2005 (where it was situated in a section in the Appendix).  -  Nevertheless, it seems that those who handle the denominational website (and perhaps, too, I think in the "Nazarene Essentials" and "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism" editions of Holiness Today) do identify us as Protestant.  Of course, it must be pointed out that the two HT volumes are expected to make changes over time.  Perhaps, especially as the latter volume changes when the new Manual comes out, it could make this change in wording (if, indeed, it is actually referenced in that volume!).  It should also be pointed out that neither the website, nor HT carry the authority of the Manual.

Second, Tom points out that the "Historical Statement" in the Manual starts with the early church and catholicity, and then immediately moves in the second paragraph to the Wesleys and Methodism--without even giving a tip of the hat to the Protestant reformers.

Third, I would like to see the fact that Wesley, himself, in his context, identifies himself (and Anglicanism) as Protestant over against the Church of Rome.  I believe that this could be addressed, but I have not seen it specifically taken up.

Fourth, I pointed out that the World Methodist Council, of which the Church of the Nazarene is a member denomination, uses the terminology of "evangelical, catholic and reformed," which points to the Anglican via media.
Finally, I want to express my thanks to Rev'd. Miles for graciously agreeing to allow me to post his comments on my blog!

"Wesley and the Anglicans" - An Interview on Anglican Radio

Readers of this blog will be interested in a new interview on Anglican Radio (a site that I am just now discovering and look forward to exploring more thoroughly!).  The interviewer is Michael Porter. Michael is the President of Anglican Radio.  The interviewee is the Rev'd. Dr. Ryan N. Danker.  Dr. Danker is a United Methodist who serves as Assistant Professor of the History of Christianity and Methodist Studies at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.

The topic of the interview is Dr. Danker's recent book, Wesley and the Anglicans: Political Division

in Early Evangelicalism.

I picked this book up, recently, but I have not yet had the opportunity to read it.  Everything that I have heard, so far, makes it sound like an important read.  In fact, Dr. Ted Campbell says that it is "a must-read for serious students of the Wesleys and Methodist origins" (cf., Promo comment in the front of Danker's book). 

I invite you to take a listen to the interview and consider picking up the book, yourself!



(A special thanks to the Rev'd. Dr. James Gibson for sharing the link to this interview with me!)

The Book of Common Prayer

I recently posted the following video on my Facebook profile page.  It comes from St. Peter's Anglican Church in Evans, Georgia.  Their descriptor reads, "The Anglican Book of Common Prayer that guides our worship and forms our belief."

This, too, is our heritage as Wesleyan Christians.  We are reminded that John Wesley gave to us a conservative version of the Book of Common Prayer to guide our worship and form our beliefs, as well.  He called it "The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America." 

For those Wesleyan/Methodist Christians who are unfamiliar with our Prayer Book heritage, I comment "The Sunday Service" to you.  -  May God truly shape our faith and life.

Post by St. Peter's Anglican Church Evans Georgia.

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop Thomas Cranmer

Today we celebrate Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (1556).  One of my seminary professors once commented, as we look back to John Wesley as our spiritual father, we ought to look to Thomas Cranmer as a spiritual grandfather.

Cranmer was the major force in the English Reformation, and the person to whom thanks is due (in Christ!) for the Book of Common Prayer (in its variety of forms). Cranmer was primarily responsible for the very first Book of Common Prayer in 1549 and its first revision in 1552. In his development of the BCP, Cranmer followed closely the medieval forms of worship, especially the Old Sarum rites.

The 1662 BCP, which is still in use in the Church of England, as well as other Anglican provinces, and which is considered the standard by which all other Prayer Books are gaged, was a revision of Cranmer's previous work.

In the preface to his own edition of the (1662) BCP (viz., The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America), John Wesley says, "I believe there is no liturgy in the world, either in ancient or modern language, which breathes more of a solid, scriptural, rational piety, than the Common Prayer of the Church of England. And though the main of it was compiled considerably more than two hundred years ago, yet is the language of it, not only pure, but strong and elegant in the highest degree."

Thomas Cranmer was born in Aslockton, Nottinghamshire on July 2, 1489. He earned his B.A., M.A. & a Fellowship from Jesus College, Cambridge, and became a Doctor of Divinity, a lecturer in the same school. Cranmer was highly influenced by the Lutheran reformers. King Henry the Eighth, with confirmation from the Pope, appointed Cranmer to the See of Canterbury, and he was consecrated Archbishop on March 30, 1533.

When Queen Mary the First took the throne, as a staunch Roman Catholic, she had Cranmer arrested due to the protestant reforms he had implemented in the English Church. On March 21, 1556, Thomas Cranmer, along with other church leaders, was burned at the stake.

Thomas Cranmer has and continues to influence countless Christians in their spiritual formation and lives through the Book of Common Prayer, and all who use a version of the Book of Common Prayer or a liturgy that has been influence by one of the Prayer Books owe an immeasurable debt to Thomas Cranmer.

Even non-liturgical Nazarenes owe an immense debt to Cranmer. Our own ritual for the Lord's Supper in our Manual (Book of Discipline) was an abbreviated form of the Methodist Episcopal ritual, which came from Wesley's Sunday Service, which was a version of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. Closer to home, Wesley's understanding of holiness was, in many ways, shaped and supported by the liturgy of the Anglican Church, and the Collect of Purity at the beginning of the Communion service has been said to encapsulate our understanding of holiness.

For more information on Thomas Cranmer, I commend to you the Episcopal Church's Lesser Feasts and Fasts - 1997, For All the Saints: A Calendar of Commemorations Second Edition (OSL), and the "Introduction" to James' printing of The First English Prayer Book.

Let us give thanks to God for Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury!

World Methodist Council Celebrates Church of England's Decision

By now it is old news, I realize.  But, back on July 14 the General Synod of the Church of England (John Wesley's church) voted to approve allowing women to serve as bishops.  This was an historic move overturning centuries of Anglican tradition in the Church of England.  (Though some other jurisdiction within the Anglican Communion already have women serving as bishops, the Church of England, itself, restricted the episcopal office to men, only.)

This news was met by mixed reactions.  Even within the Anglican world, itself, there were various responses.  While I have Anglican friends who rejoice over this decision, I also have a number of Reformed Episcopal, Anglo-Catholic, and other traditional Anglican friends who are not happy at all.  The latter are likely ready to give up on Canterbury!

Outside of Anglicanism, the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches look on this with less than favorable eyes.  Undoubtedly, this move by the "Mother Church" of Anglicanism will further strain relationships with Rome and those connected with Constantinople.  -  This is significant because Anglicanism has understood itself as a "third branch" of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, along side of Rome & Orthodoxy.  With these historic churches of the West and the East condemning the idea of women in holy orders at all, and certainly condemning the idea of women as bishops, this move only separates Canterbury even further.  - Of course, it must be said that, even though Canterbury sees itself as this "third branch," Rome and Constantinople have always been less then convinced.  As it stands, neither Rome nor Orthodoxy accept Anglican orders as valid.  But, if they were ever to change their minds, this recent move by the General Synod surely closes that door.

On the other hand (and though this is old news, as well, I just became aware of it!), the response from Methodism has been quite favorable.  -  Upon hearing the news from England, World Methodist General Secretary, Bishop Ivan Abrahams issued a letter to Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.  In the letter Bishop Abrahams said, "The news that the Church of England has voted in favor of allowing women to become bishops is welcomed with open arms by the World Methodist Council.  Our global body has long welcomed, appreciated and been strengthened by our sisters in our faith tradition, and we know that this news will be seen as another common belief that affirms not only the bond between the Church of England and its members, but also within the World Methodist Council's ongoing  ecumenical dialogue with the church."

In reality, the first women to be ordained in modern times (i.e., we see women ordained as deacons in Scripture, itself) were ordained by those in the Methodist tradition.  More specifically, such ordinations took place in the Wesleyan-Holiness wing of Methodism.  In fact, the Church of the Nazarene (for example) was ordaining women as elders a quarter of a century before the United Methodist Church made that move.  However, United Methodism has been much quicker and more consistent in seeing women serve in the episcopal role than either the Church of the Nazarene or The Wesleyan Church.  But, neither of those denominations ever barred women from the office of general superintendency.  The only relevant restriction for serving in the superintendency for Nazarenes was being ordained an elder, and, as I said, elders orders were always open to women. 

Bishop Abrahams went on to say, “As the Church of England acts upon this landmark decision, know that by doing so they are doing it with the blessings and prayers of the Methodists throughout the world who are part of the World Methodist Council."

The full article from the World Methodist Council can be read, here.

Anglican 1000, Atlanta Begins

Tonight marked the opening service of worship for the Anglican 1000 Atlanta Regional Event.  Bishop Todd Hunter served as preacher, and Bishop Foley Beach presided at the Table.

The service was quite good.  The music was lead by two amped, acoustic guitars and one of those beat box, drum things that you set on (what do you call those things?).  It was a blend of more contemporary songs and hymns, but, of course, the hymns had a contemporized sound.

I was surprised, however, that the service was a bit less . . . formal than I anticipated.  I'm not talking about the expressiveness of those worshipping.  It was refreshing to be among liturgical folks raising their hands in worship.  That really looks much like the kind of Wesleyan-Anglican church I would like to develop.

The lack of formality to which I am referring includes the clergy not vesting, except at the time of serving at the Table.  The deacon and Bishop Beach then donned stoles only.  Further, the service did not utilize the newly approved ACNA texts.  The Eucharistic prayers were much abbreviated.  They did, though, include the sanctus, words of institution, and epiclesis.

I was actually looking forward to experiencing a service using the new texts.  Nevertheless, the service went well.  In fact, it is causing me to continue rethinking the length of the Eucharistic texts I have adapted and contemporized from Wesley's The Sunday Service.  I have been considering whether and how I might abbreviate them.

Another change that they made was the use of the general prayer of confession at the beginning of the service, while leaving out the invitation and confession prior to coming to the sacrament.  -  By the way the service was conducted, I supposed that Bishop Beach's background was The Episcopal Church.  Upon checking, I discovered I was correct.

I look forward to the worship services during the rest of the week.  Friday & Saturday morning services are identified as "Worship/Morning Prayer," but tomorrow's service is listed as "Worship."  -  It does not look like there will be another Eucharistic service.

I am also looking forward to the various plenary sessions and workshops.  It looks to be a great week!

The Final Meeting of the Anglican-Methodist International Commission for Unity in Mission

The following article has been copied from the original post at the Anglican Communion News Service.  -  I am very pleased to report it, here, and I look forward to the final reports being made public in 2014.

I have two great (personal) hopes for this:  1.) That the Wesleyan-Anglican Society, in our pursuit of affiliation with the World Methodist Council, might contribute to the proposed Anglican-Methodist International Coordinating Committee, the purpose of which would be to oversee and foster relationships between Methodist and Anglican member churches; and 2.) That the Church of the Nazarene (a WMC denomination) might take advantage of this report and the "toolkit" for opening talks with the Anglican Church in North America (which, I understand, is not an official Anglican Communion province, at this time).

Here is the article:

The final meeting of the Anglican-Methodist International Commission for Unity in Mission (AMICUM) took place 22 February to 1 March 2013, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, hosted by the Anglican Communion. Members of the Commission worshiped together morning and evening, and the Eucharist was celebrated according to both traditions.

AMICUM Group Photograph

Photo Credit: ACNS

The Commission has after five years completed the phase of work mandated to it by the World Methodist Council and the Anglican Communion, and has now prepared a report for both bodies. As the last three words in its title suggest (Unity in Mission), AMICUM aims to foster the unity of the Church so that the Church can engage more fully in God’s mission of love to the world. The report begins and ends with biblical reflections, on our Lord’s prayer for the unity of his people that all might believe, and on the radical nature of Jesus’ ministry as a mandate for mission.
AMICUM has set out key points of agreement concerning the interchangeability of ordained ministries, and the awareness of each Communion’s need of the other. It sees a common, interchangeable ministry as crucial in making the unity of the Church visible.
The report analyses the place of the apostolic tradition and the nature of the oversight (episkope) in the life of the Church. It explores the history of oversight, and the way it has been exercised in the Methodist and Anglican traditions, and the way it is exercised today.
AMICUM has closely monitored dialogues and agreements around the world, and has drawn lessons and recommendations from these which it now offers to both Communions. The report shows that each tradition has affirmed the authenticity of the other’s ministries, and encourages churches that have not yet entered into mutual agreements to do so.
A toolkit is provided for churches wanting to move into closer co-operation, giving questions for consideration to enable this process to advance.
AMICUM is recommending that the World Methodist Council and the Anglican Consultative Council establish an Anglican-Methodist International Coordinating Committee to oversee and foster relationships between Methodist and Anglican member churches.
The Report will be published during 2014.
The Commission is grateful for the warm hospitality given by the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, at the Parish of St John’s Ocho Rios, by the United Theological College, where the Commission worshiped, and by Bishop Howard Gregory. At this meeting AMICUM met the President of the Jamaica Methodist Church, the Rev Everard Galbraith, and the Rev Dr George Mulrain who gave a lecture on Anglican and Methodist relationships in the Caribbean and the Americas.
Present at the meeting were,
Methodists
The Revd Professor Emeritus Robert Gribben (Uniting Church in Australia) (Co-Chair)
Dr Elizabeth Amoah (Methodist Church, Ghana)
The Revd Dr Wong Tik Wah (Methodist Church in Malaysia)
The Revd Professor Sarah Lancaster (The United Methodist Church)
The Revd Gareth Powell (The Methodist Church) (Co-Secretary)
AnglicansThe Rt Revd Harold Miller (The Church of Ireland) (Co-Chair)
The Revd Canon Professor Paul Avis (The Church of England)
The Revd Garth Minott (The Church in the Province of the West Indies)
The Rt Revd Dr P Surya Prakash (The Church of South India)

Lutheran World Federation ObserverThe Rt Revd Walter Jagucki (Great Britain)

StaffThe Revd Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan (Co-Secretary) (Anglican Communion Office)
Mr Neil Vigers (Anglican Communion Office)
- See more at: http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2013/3/1/ACNS5331#sthash.6uKebMXU.dpuf

Anglican's in Assembly

I have made it a point to post concerning the various Methodist denominations meeting in General Conference this summer.  First was the United Methodist Church.  The Wesleyan Church has just concluded their General Conference, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church will begin their G.C. later this month.

However, I have failed to make any report on the Provincial Assembly 2012 of the Anglican Church in North America.  They began arriving in Ridgecrest, North Carolina this past Sunday, and they are scheduled to continue through tomorrow, Saturday, June 9.

For those who may be interested in ACNA happenings, news of the Assembly can be found, here.

Archbishop Robert Duncan's State of the Church Address can be read, here.

One disappointing note is that,  especially with the transition of former AMiA churches into the ACNA, they have had difficulty coming up with any accurate statistical information.  Another disappointing note is that there does not seem to be any word on the newly developed (or developing) Eucharistic services.  I don't recall if these were expected to be approved at this Assembly, or just prior to it, or if the approval had been expected next month.  (I suppose I could go back an read one of my earlier articles to find out!)

Nevertheless, despite these slight notes of disappointment from the perspective of this "outsider," it seems that God is at work in the ACNA!  For this we give praise to our Lord!

I am especially excited to watch two aspects of the ACNA's activities unfold.  First is their effort in church planting.  It is exciting to learn how they go about planting a church in the Anglican tradition.  While, certainly, there are those among them who plant churches that really don't look Anglican, there are others who plant churches that do look very Anglican.  It seems that the latter must, to some degree, work against what has become the dominant "church growth" model that makes cultural relevance the primary determinant for worship.  I am very interested in learning more about how they go about planting Anglican churches.

The second exciting thing for me is how involved the ACNA is with ecumenical dialogue partners.  This seems unusual for such a new church, yet their dialogue partners have tended to seek them out.  -  I would love for the Church of the Nazarene to seek to dialogue with the ACNA.  I do think that we have much to contribute, and, certainly, we could learn much about our Wesleyan/Anglican liturgical and sacramental heritage.  My concern, I suppose, is that we are really not used to such ecumenical dialogues.  We are used to cooperation with other Wesleyans, and we are members of the National Association of Evangelicals, but one-on-one ecumenical dialogues with those outside of our immediate tradition seems to be a bit new to us.  Still, I think it would be a great move.

According to ++Duncan's address, a new catechism is in development.  I look forward to seeing the finished product.  I also look forward to seeing how the groups that make up the ACNA solidify as one church, rather than just a federation of churches.  I did not find any word on how they are coming concerning the one divisive issue among them, viz., women's ordination (a topic recently discussed in other articles on this blog).

For those who would prefer to watch ++Duncan's State of the Church Address, rather than read it, the video has been provided, below.  -  May God's guidance and blessings be upon the ACNA!

Process for Appointing the Next Archbishop of Canterbury

Most readers of this blog will be interested in following the process for the appointing of the next Archbishop of Canterbury.  That process is outlined, here.

Archbishop of Canterbury to Step Down

++Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, has announced that he will be stepping down from his position at the end of December.  In its place, he has accepted the position of Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, effective January 2013. 

++Rowan has served as Archbishop of Canterbury since 2002.  The Archbishop of Canterbury serves, first of all, as the bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury.  He is also the Primate of All England.  He is seen as a "metropolitan" - the first among bishops of the region.  He as authority/jurisdiction in the 30 dioceses of his province.  (The Archbishop of York has the same authority/jurisdiction in the 14 dioceses of his province.)  And, the Archbishop of Canterbury became the original sign of unity among the bishops and churches of the Anglican Communion (though he has no formal authority in this role, except in his invitations to Lambeth, he is, nevertheless, seen as a spokesperson and sign of unity for the Communion).

It will now be up to the Queen, who is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, to appoint the next Archbishop of Canterbury. 

More information about the Archbishop and his resignation can be found on the Archbishop's website, here.

++Rowan Williams and Richard Dawkins: The Origin of Life and the Universe

       vs.





This past Thursday, February 23rd, the Most Reverend Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, entered into a dialogue with Dr. Richard Dawkins (known as the most famous atheist, though he identifies himself as an agnostic . . . but barely so) at Oxford University.  The topic of discussion was not really that big of a deal; just "The nature of human beings and the question of their ultimate origin," that's all.  -  It was . . . moderated by Sir Anthony Kenny.

A video of the one one half hour long dialogue can be found on the Archbishop of Canterbury's page, here.

I found the discussion to be quite interesting on a number of fronts.  First is the topic, itself.  But, second, one gains some insight into the thinking and theology of the current Archbishop.  Further, such a dialogue between two people of such stature in our world, seems to me to be of enough importance to at least give it a listen.  -  Certainly there were fans of both men, as well as critics of both, and then also just the curious, who were watching and listening from around the world.  - I would imagine that many American Anglicans (non-TEC types) found themselves in a bit of a quandry.  On the one hand, they would want to "cheer" for the ABC, but on the other hand, many would desperately wish that they could have been represented by someone other than ++Rowan Williams.

Wherever you may find yourself in your thoughts about such matters, the discussion is worth checking out!

CBN Reports on the Church Planting Efforts of the ACNA

CBN recently produced a video report on the new Anglican Church in North America.  Readers of this blog are likely to be at least somewhat familiar with the ACNA
The interest in the report, however, should go beyond those connected with the ACNA to most of the readers of this blog.  That is to say, most of the readers of this blog would likely be interested in liturgical and sacramental expressions of worship.  (Why else would you be reading a blog called Wesleyan/Anglican that often deals specifically with those topics?!)  -  In particular, this report highlights the church planting movement within the ACNA and how it is especially appealing to college students and Hispanic populations.  -  These are encouraging words for all of us Wesleyan/Anglican types!