Anglican 101: Prayerbook Resources and Training
Are you interested in learning more about Anglican spirituality and the Book of Common Prayer? Are you interested in learning how to pray like an Anglican or joining an Anglican Church? Are you curious about what conservative Anglicans in North America believe about the Bible, Sacraments, and Culture? Perhaps you feel called to the priesthood and are looking for materials to help discern your calling?
Then you’ve reached the right site.
My blog is dedicated to resources, articles, and training materials for Anglicans and friends of Anglicanism. This includes folks from my corner in the Reformed Episcopal Church, but also the greater Anglican Communion and all the Churches and spiritual traditions that trace their origins to the Church of England.
Discover Posts about:
I came to Anglicanism as an adult. I’m not a cradle Episcopalian and I wasn’t raised in the Church. After coming to Christ as a teenager, I longed for a faith deep enough to answer my objections, inspire my awe, and challenge my own sinfulness. I believe I have found this in Anglicanism as a branch of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Anglicanism is the only church able to emphasize the importance of both the doctrinal faithfulness of the Protestant Reformation and the riches of our historic Catholic Heritage.
But where does one begin?
Unfortunately, many “anglican” groups have been hijacked by a spirit unfaithful to the historic faith of the English Church. Many have maligned and besmirched this rich and deep tradition by undermining the Prayerbook with modern innovations and by abandoning its Biblical values.
The fruit of such carelessness has resulted in a divided church. Rather than the humble charity of St. Vincent’s rule – modernist have introduced division.
But how can we know what is “truly Anglican?”
The Anglican Church is a historical church, not a modern or even a reformation sect. St. Vincent’s famous maxim: “Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all.”
This last maxim guides my view of Anglicanism and sets it apart from other groups that may tolerate liberal or heretical innovations. This study is guided by the Ancient and Historic Model of the Church as expressed through the Formularies of the English Reformation.
The following Standards guide my Anglican Resources:
- The Holy Scripture as God’s inerrant, infallible & unchangeable Word
- Book of Common Prayer (1662/1928)
- The 39 Articles of Religion
- Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral
What’s the Point? Planting Churches and Growing Christians.
Planting Churches: Anglicanism is an expression of the church, not just individuals. Anglicanism therefore must be focused on building a missional community. Anglican churches provide a place for unbelievers to ‘belong’ before they ‘believe.’ as they care for the least, the last, the lost, and the lonely.
Growing Christians: Anglicanism teaches that that the Bible provides a comprehensive world and life view. Anglican Christians believe Church growth is not just more Christians, but bigger Christians, form with the Christian character of the 10 Commandments and teachings of Jesus.
I am frustrated by Anglicans, too.
I don’t want you to be confused or frustrated by Anglicanism or those who claim to be Anglican. Many start their way down the Canterbury Trail only to be discouraged by the teachers they encounter. Many then decide they have to settle for Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. They don’t – Orthodox Anglicanism is alive and thriving in North America.
My goal is to help you confidently find your way in the Anglican Church and the Prayerbook tradition. From there, you will discover the benefits of a faithful obedience to a historic and apostolic tradition – one that will teach you how to enjoy the rhythms and stability of Anglican spirituality.
A Downloadable Reading List
- Link: The Book of Common Prayer (American 1928)
- Link: On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius of Alexandria
- Link: Captains and Courts: A Biblical Defense of Episcopal Government by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Ray R. Sutton
- Link: Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World by Rev. James B. Jordan
- Link: Paradise Restored : A Biblical Theology of Dominion by Rev. David Chilton
- Link: The Institutes of Biblical Law by Rousas John Rushdoony
- Link: A Survey Of Christian Epistemology by Dr. Cornelius van Til
- Link: Anglican 101 by St. Patrick’s Anglican Church