Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi

And sadly, the Anglican Church in North America seems to be heading in the same direction. When our worship language and practices do not line up with our theology (Thirty-nine Articles, the Homilies, and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer), when we define ourselves in conciliar terms (Anglo-Catholics, charismatics, and evangelicals gathering in one boat with fingers secretly crossed) rather than in theological and confessional ways, the friction this makes indicates a very unsettled and unsure future.

Erik Erickson wrote of an awkward psychosocial stage that adolescents go through in the process of discovering who they are. As a new denomination, the ACNA is stuck in that preteen stage having to make some adult decisions about our future.

It may be sound confusing, but it’s really simple: a choice between two ways. Either we stick to a conciliar (a big boat) understanding of Anglican identity that we received from our dead parents and slug our way through the fog and this present time of indisposition, or we reinvest in what has defined Anglicans and catholic Christians for many centuries.

The first option makes theology a radically secondary matter for the sake of unity focused around our disdain for homosexual marriage and, for some, women priests. The latter moves us theologically towards permanent Anglican identity grounded in a Reformation tradition that is thoroughly biblical, theologically confessional and reformed, liturgically beautiful, and pastorally generous.

If we take the “conciliar road,” as Archbishop Duncan urged us to do at the 2008 GAFCON meeting in Jerusalem, we need to do something with those nagging Anglican formularies. We can ignore them like many already do, or we can dispose of them in more official ways. For example, we could write a new catechism and Prayer Book to reflect a happy meeting place for all Anglican expressions – oops, that’s what we’ve been doing for ten years!

We could also rewrite our Constitution and Canons to eliminate the historic Anglican formularies as our theological standard and try to persuade our GAFCON partners to do the same. This would work if it didn’t look to be as “progressive” as those nasty folks we left.

If the conciliar road is our way, we have to retire the Articles of Religion in some way, especially those particularly irritating ones that state that the corrupted nature of everyone and our opposition to Pelagianism, that speaks of the church and its traditions as subordinate to Holy Scripture and the councils having erred at times in matters of faith, that predestination is an unspeakable sweet comfort for godly persons as the Bible says, that there are two sacraments which communicate God’s grace to those who, with faith, receive the same, and that Anglican worship and ceremonial will be guided by the one overriding rubric of justification by grace through faith alone.

If we can’t shelf the formularies because we don’t want to appear progressive like our foes, then I have a modest proposal, that we add a 40th Article: “Anyone who does not subscribe to the forgoing may change any to suit their personal aesthetic tastes. This applies to individuals, churches, and whole dioceses.”

The alternative of course, is to revisit and rediscover our historic landmarks, the old paths. This means allowing our theology to guide our worship and our personal aesthetic preferences – credendi leading orandi.

Even though most American Anglicans are functionally Lutheran (or even Roman Catholic without the word “transubstantiation”), I hold out hope that we can recapture a historic Anglican understanding of the sacraments whereby God-given grace is received by God-given faith, that honors God as the consecrator of the bread and wine not some priest intermediary saying and doing magical things for the people.

And even though we are inclined institutionally to put the ancient undivided church over Holy Scripture or to consider the Bible as a product of the church, it’s not too late to cede to the God-inspired revelation of God to his people.

It’s not too late for bishops to authorize worship that brings us each time to the glorious doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ, rather than allowing each priest and each church to do whatever they want.

The Episcopal Church has already determined its fate, but not so the ACNA. This is the time to repent and return to our first love. The direction we are facing is not good, but there’s nothing that says we can’t challenge and change the course.

Pray for our bishops that we will see again the beauty of our confessional identity that’s rooted in the ultimate authority of the Bible. Enkindle in them and in us a love for true doctrine. Give us all a love for those who have not yet believed the gospel of God’s unconditional love.

Lex orandi lex credendi, indeed! with unity that comes from a right understanding of God and a love for his people!

LEX ORANDI, LEX CREDENDI

By Chuck Collins
www.virtueonline.org
May 10, 2024

Lex orandi, lex credendi – the law of prayer is the law of believing.

It’s an ancient saying that dates back to the 5th century (Prosper of Aquitaine) that’s used to show the connection between what we pray and what we believe. But it has been retooled in modern times to justify our designer liturgical appetites.

This has long been the case in mainline denominations who institutionally have weak or no credendi, except “what feels right.”