I recently rediscovered a text written by Urban T. Holmes III Dean of the School of Theology at Sewanee. I was captured by the title many years ago for its simplicity, What is Anglicanism? In this series of articles I’m attempting to give a synopsis of each chapter that conveys the most important parts of our heritage as Episcopalians and Anglicans.
Anglican Consciousness(Identity) is what sets us apart. Anglicanism is a method/expression of Christianity that attempts to describe
us in the experiences between God and humanity in light of a biblical,
historical, and modern perspective.
This synthesis of Anglicanism takes these experiences of God
and integrates them in such a way that produces a spiritual life that enables
us, a people of the current age, to remain connected to the past while at the
same time engage the modern struggles of the age in which we live.
This way of being Christian evens out the ups and downs of
history, leveling the triumphs and more importantly raising the valleys of the
human experience. It keeps us even keeled.
Within this religious construct Anglicanism strategically
sees God’s work of creation and preservation in all its diversity despite the
destructive characteristics of that same created and preserved universe. We acknowledge God’s sovereignty in this chaotic
world, even though the chaos appears to be out of anyone’s control.
To help understand Anglican Consciousness we know that in the world there are modes of describing thinking processes. We have heard of left and right brain thinking. We have heard about the two hemispheres of the brain, one is more skilled in logistical processes while the other is adept in creative processes. Anglican consciousness tends to align more with the right brain of creativity while leaving the left brain to more systematic endeavors. This is not a slight to the left brain; both are required.
This helps us to understand why Anglicans
appear to be capable of absorbing the conflicting natures of life while
remaining steady through those conflicts.
For example, we understand that good and evil exists at the same time in
this world. Anglican consciousness acknowledges
that reality but does not spend a lot of effort attempting to explain the paradox. Instead it puts its efforts into restorative
work establishing God’s Kingdom on earth trying to support and build up the good.
Holmes writes more about Anglican consciousness in his book
related to miracles great and small. You
might take a look.
Blessings,
Fr. Stephen+
