FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

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Didn't Henry VIII found your church because the Pope wouldn't grant him a divorce?

Henry's desire for a male heir may have been the occasion of the English Church's final break with Rome--but it was not the cause. There was a long history in the English Church of resistance and outright defiance of papal authority.

Isn't the Anglican Church just another Protestant denomination?

The Anglican Church is part of the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Although we were strongly influenced by the Reformation, we did not abondon the historic episcopate, and our liturgy--even in its early radical form--remained essentially Catholic.

Aren't Catholics supposed to be under the authority of the Pope?

Not necessarily. Although Roman Catholics and some Eastern-rite Catholics submit to papal authority, many Catholics, including the Eastern Orthodox and Anglicans, do not. We respect the Pope as the bishop of Rome, and the Primate of the largest Catholic body world-wide.

What do you mean when you say that the Anglican Church is 'orthodox?'

'Orthodox' comes from the Greek words ortho which means straight (an orthopedic doctor 'straightens' your bones) and doxa which means 'praise.' (Our 'doxology' comes from that word). So 'orthodox' means 'straight' or 'right praise.' Our beliefs are contained in our liturgy--the Book of Common Prayer--which is authoritative for Anglicans, although it may vary in some details from province to province. Our orthodoxy is expressed in our worship of God. We subscribe to the concept of lex orandi, lex credendi (the rule of prayer is the rule of faith).

What exactly are traditional Anglicans'?

We are Anglican Christians who, for some time, have been concerned about the Church's increasing accomodation to popular culture. In the sixties and seventies, many Episcopalians became concerned about trial liturgies and major changes in the ordinal. Many of these folks signed the Affirmation of St. Louis, and later, the Bartonville Declaration in an effort to remain faithful to traditional Anglican doctrine. There are a number of traditional and continuing Anglican bodies, most of whom are in some form of communion with each other. Many of them support seminaries or other kinds of theological training.

Are Anglicans saved?

Absolutely. Faithful Anglicans submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That is done on their behalf at baptism (if they are baptized as infants) and the vows of baptism are renewed at confirmation. We were all, Catholics and Protestants, saved on a hill called Golgotha, over two thousand years ago.

Why don't traditional Anglicans ordain women?

Traditional Anglicans believe that female priests are not consistent with apostolic tradition or scripture, and that to ordain women is, at the very least, an obstacle to union with Rome and the Eastern Church. This is not to deny women an important role in the life of the Church, and many women serve in vital roles.

What do the terms'High Church' and 'Low Church' mean?

To be a high churchman in the eighteenth century meant, in the Church of England, that you did not take an oath of loyalty to the monarch because you believed that your first loyalty was the Christ and His Church. In the nineteenth century, a group of Oxford University scholars and divines began to call the Church of England back to her catholic roots. Because they advocated catholic ritual and ceremonial, 'high church' came to mean--mistakenly--to have a taste for vestments, incense and ceremonial. 'Low Church,' by extension, came to mean those who favored worship with a more 'Protestant' or Evangelical flavor. Although the two styles of churchmanship still exist in Anglicanism, they are now less disparate--and less controversial, and all Anglicans worship using one or amother forms of the Book of Common Prayer. Any faithful Anglican is a high church person by virtue of belief in the primacy of Christ and the Church. Any faithful Anglican should also, at least in theory, be 'low church' by virtue of belief in an evangelical proclamation of the Gospel. Evangelical Anglicans, by the way, were influential in the abolition of slavery in England and her colonies.

Why is your worship so formal?

Our worship is not so much formal as liturgical (or interactive if you will). We believe that our hearts follow our bodies. We kneel to pray, stand to praise and to hear the Holy Gospel at Mass, and we sit for instruction--the sermon or homily. Worship is not a spectator activity. Everyone participates.

We also believe that worship of God should be characterized by order and dignity. The Book of Common Prayer is based on that premise. Worship is not something we do casually.

Do Anglicans Pray the Rosary?

Some Anglicans pray the rosary, a traditional method of prayer by which beads are used to keep track of certain prayers which are repeated as a form of meditation. The rosary itself consists of beads arranged into groups (decades or groups of ten on the 'Roman' rosary and weeks, or groups of seven on the 'Anglican' rosary). The traditional rosary prayers are the 'Hail Mary,' the 'Our Father,' and the Gloria Patri. Other Prayers may also be used. Many Christians who pray the rosary use the 'Jesus Prayer' of Eastern Orthodoxy. For more information about rosary devotions click on one of the links below.

How is your church governed?

Anglican polity is episcopal. That is, our Church is governed by bishops who trace their succession back to the apostles. We believe that episcopal polity is scriptural. St. Paul urged St. Timothy to stir up the "gift that is in you by the laying on of my hands" (2 Tim. 1: 6). As early as the second century, Polycarp, a disciple of St. John, was consecrated bishop. The early church fathers (many of them only a generation removed from the apostles) believed that episcopal polity was authorized by Holy Scripture.

Although our bishops have a good deal of authority, they do not rule with an iron hand. They meet regularly in convocation--or synod--to make decisions that impact the life of the Church. They receive input from the other clergy and lay representation is always present at synod.

Anglican authority is collegial. In the continuum, we may have a presiding bishop or a Metropolitan, but his authority derives from all the church. It is not unlike democracy, although not exactly like democracy either.

The primary source of authority for traditional Anglicans is Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture, as interpreted by the Church Fathers .

What do you believe about saints, images, and icons?

Saints are people who followed the teaching and example of Our Lord Jesus Christ and who acknowledged Him as Savior and Lord. Many of them did so at the cost of their own lives. We are all part of the wonderful communion of the saints--all of us who worship the triune God, and accept Jesus as His only begotten Son. Our acknowledgement of the saints who have gone on before us is our way of recognizing that the veil between life and death is a thin one--and that we are not out here, in the twenty-first century "doing our own thing." We are the heirs of a wonderful tradition.

Images and icons are a way of recognizing that the Christian faith is Incarnational. God became man in Jesus, His only begotten Son. That fact dignifies all of created order amd reinforces the Old Testament teaching that God created us in His image. Artistic representations of the saints, crucifixes, and similar religous imagery are appropriate devotional expressions. However we do not worship them. We recognize them as a human effort to express the inexpressible.

What exactly do you believe about Holy Communion?

We believe that the consecrated bread and wine of the Eucharist are the true Body and Blood of Christ. We are unwilling to engage in lengthy philosophical and theological debates about how that actually happens. Hence, we do not officially believe in 'Transubstantiation' or 'Consubstantiation.' We subscribe to a broader principle--Real Presence-- which includes both of those doctrines. We believe that Christ is really present in the Sacrament of the Altar (or Eucharist, Mass, Divine Liturgy, Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper as it is called in various traditions). Many Anglican Churches reserve the Sacrament. That is, they keep some of the consecrated bread in a place on or near the altar called a tabernacle. In those churches a light burns constantly as a reminder that Christ is sacramentally present in the Church. In most Anglican Churches, Holy Communion is the principle service of Sunday worship, and on Holy Days.

Do you believe in Purgatory?

Many Anglicans, including the great writer of the last century, C.S. Lewis, believe in the possiblity of an interim state after death, and prior to final judgement. However, we do not believe in indulgences or some of the other practices of the medieval Church which eventually led to the Protestant Reformation. Many Anglicans are uncomfortable with the concept of Purgatory--because of its historical associations. Many Anglicans understand Jesus' reference to 'Paradise' to the repentant thief to be a reference to an interim state. Scripture alludes to such a state; however many questions are left uananswered. Anglicans are not required to believe any doctrine which cannot be supported by Holy Scripture.

Why aren't your priests celibate?

Clerical celibacy (the requirement that priests remain unmarried) was not a requirement of the ancient Church. Certain historical factors related to the inheritance of "livings," (the incomes derived from parishes and dioceses) led the Roman Church to require celibacy of her priests.

The Eastern-Rite Churches have never required celibacy of their priests--even those of the eastern rite who remain in communion with Rome. Part of Anglican Christianity's reformation heritage was a return to the ancient condition which did not require celibacy. Celibacy is an option for priests, and is required of monks and nuns in our tradition. An unmarried priest would be required to maintain a chaste life, and would not marry without his bishop's approval.

Can anyone take communion in your Church?

Anyone who has been baptized in the Name of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and who has examined his conscience and believes that Christ is really present in the sacrament is welcome to take communion in most Anglican Churches.

Do you give Holy Communion to children?

The practice varies from diocese to diocese--and maybe even from parish to parish. If a child is baptised, some parishes will offer instruction to prepare for a first Holy Communion. Others will allow children to communicate if their parents desire--and if the children have been baptized. Check with the parish priest. In all instances, children are welcome to come up to the rail to be blessed.

The Anglican Diocese of Mid America, formerly the Diocese of St. Augustine.