We love Jesus. We love our neighbors. We make disciples who make disciples. We plant churches that plant churches.
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Why do Anglican clergy dress differently during different seasons and events?
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How important is Anglicanism in our identity?
1. Why do Anglicans use the Book of Common Prayer (BCP)?
Here are three reasons:
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To be biblical. We want to ensure that the worship of the Church is biblical in its language. What we pray together in the group teaches us how to pray privately. The BCP has more Bible in it than any other form of Christian Worship we are aware of.
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Spirit anointed language. These prayers have commended themselves to the Saints of God over long periods of time. Bishop Ryle said, "If all of the people could pray all of the time the way some of the people pray some of the time, we might not need Prayer Books.”
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Participation. Common prayers can be prayed together, actively and in unity.
At Church of the Holy Spirit, we project words on the screen, but the words themselves come from the BCP. [Back to top]
2. What are the Sacraments of the Church?
There are two Sacraments of the Gospel: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These
sacraments were instituted by Christ himself, and are necessary for all
people. In addition, there are 5 other sacramental rites of the church:
confirmation, marriage, ordination, the reconciliation of a penitent, and
unction of the sick. These apply the grace of Christ to specific stages and
states in the Christian life, and are not necessary for all people. We
believe that these rites have been instituted in the life of the Church
under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Sacraments are outward and visible
signs of an inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain
means by which we receive that grace. [Back to top]
3. Why do Anglican clergy dress differently during different seasons and
events?
Not all Anglican clergy dress alike. Anglican clergy have dressed
differently at different times in history and in different places.
Evangelical Anglican clergy, particularly in the British Isles, dress just like the laity.
Many clergy in America dress
either like pre-reformation clergy…thereby stressing the traditional lineage
of the Church; or they like the clothing worn after the Reformation of the
16th Century…thereby stressing the reformed character of the Anglican
Church; or they dress in the commonly worn white alb with stole that has
become popular in many denominations today. White symbolizes our purity
before God as we trust in his righteousness alone. [Back
to top]
4. Why do Anglicans stand, sit and kneel during worship?
Since we are embodied spirits, it is important to get our whole persons
involved in worship. The body impacts the spirit. In many Anglican churches,
people stand to praise and sing; sit for instruction; and kneel to pray. At
Church of the Holy Spirit, we stand to pray because we don’t yet have
kneelers for the gym floor. Just keep an eye on the leader and those in
front of you, and do likewise. [Back to top]
5. Why do some people raise their hands or cross themselves?
Some people like to raise their hands in song or prayer as a gesture of
surrender or praise to God. Uplifted hands in prayer is a thoroughly
Biblical practice, and was a standard prayer posture in Jesus’ day. Others
cross themselves because of the central importance of the Cross in the
Christian life. Only Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, and our faith in Him
as Lord, enable us to enter into His presence in confidence. The sign of the
Cross is a recalling of that gift. No one is required to do either
of these, but they are ancient and appropriate signs and customs. [Back
to top]
6. Why do we celebrate the Lord's Supper every week?
The Lord's Supper is the central act of Christian worship. It reminds us of
Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross for us, and it nourishes us by
strengthening our union with Christ. As an “Acts 2 Church,” we order our
lives in as close an accord with the first Church in Jerusalem as possible.
This Scripture passage suggests that the earliest Christians celebrated the
Lord’s Supper very often, and the latest scholarship on the early church
suggests that from the earliest times, the Church celebrated it in most
places every Sunday. Our liturgy has been reformed to look like the earliest
liturgies we have found, like the liturgy of Hippolytus from about 215A.D.
Some Anglican congregations celebrate the Lord's Supper once a month or once
a quarter, either in order to emphasize its importance by making it more
special, or to give the congregation more opportunity to fulfill the
biblical injunction to prepare for it through confession and reconciliation.
[Back to top]
7. What is Apostolic Tradition and why is it important?
Apostolic Tradition refers to the passing along of
the Faith and Fellowship of the Apostles through the life of the Church in
history. This is carried on through a variety of means. The Scripture of the
Old and New Testaments, the historic Creeds, the Gospel Sacraments, and the
lineage of Bishops, Priests and Deacons all assist the Church to pass on the
Apostolic Faith and Life.
Anglican Bishops are in “Apostolic Succession,” which means they are in an
unbroken line of consecration from the time of the early undivided Church.
This continuity in ministerial order is one evidence that our church is in
Apostolic Tradition; that is, that it carries on the faith of the Apostles.
However, along with evangelical Anglicans worldwide, we at Church of the
Holy Spirit believe that the content of the faith taught is far more
important than lineage in determining the true successors of the Apostles.
We seek common mission with all Christians who believe without reservation
in the Scriptures and the historic creeds, and who uphold the Great
Commandment and the Great Commission. [Back to top]
8. Why Bishops, Priests and Deacons?
At the Reformation of the 16th Century, the Anglican Church kept all in the life and witness of the Church that was good and in harmony with the Scriptures. Bishops, priests and deacons were an early form of Church Orders raised up in the history of the Church under the leadership of the Holy Spirit; and many of these bishops, priests and deacons were proponents of the Reformation and Biblical in their Faith. Thus the ancient orders were kept as a blessing and an expression of continuity with the historic Church. Faithful Christians disagree on the need for these orders, so other forms of ordained ministry were adopted. [Back to top]
9. How are we the same as, and different from, the Roman Catholic Church?
The Anglican Church is like and unlike the Roman
Catholic Church in many ways. We are like the Roman Church in that we both
uphold the traditional orders of ordained ministry: bishop, priest, and
deacon; we both accept the first seven ecumenical councils and the
theological statements made by those councils as normative; and many of our
churches celebrate the Holy Eucharist every Sunday.
Chief among the ways we are different is that the Anglican Church embraces
the theology of the Reformation, and at its best continues to uphold the
supreme authority of Holy Scripture. Anglican Churches are not under the
jurisdictional authority of the Bishop of Rome, nor do they require celibacy
of the clergy. While we both believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist,
our views on how that happens are
different.
10. How are we the same as, and different from, other evangelical
churches?
We are both like and unlike other evangelical churches. We are like other evangelical churches in that we uphold:
1) The authority and
sufficiency of Holy Scripture;
2) The uniqueness of our redemption through the death
of Christ on the cross;
3) The need for personal conversion; and
4) The necessity, propriety, and urgency of evangelism.
These four emphases are common to most Christians who call themselves evangelical. Most of us at Holy Spirit find ourselves at home reading Christianity Today, attending a Promise Keepers or Woman of Faith Meeting, and listening to Dr. Dobson and Tony Evans on the radio. As conservative Anglican evangelicals who uphold Holy Scripture as our primary rule of faith, we also appreciate the supporting roles of tradition, reason and experience in shaping our faith. We believe that the Evangelical, Charismatic, and Sacramental streams of the church belong together. (For more information about Our Movement, See "Three Streams, One River.") Some fathers of Anglican Evangelicalism are Thomas Cramner, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, John Wesley, William Wilberforce, J.C. Ryle, John Stott, and J.I. Packer. [Back to top]
11. How are we the same as, and different from, other charismatic
churches?
We are both like and unlike other charismatic churches. We share the belief that the Holy Spirit is active in distributing supernatural gifts in the Church today. We believe that the Holy Spirit can speak through any believer, even during Sunday worship! Unlike many Pentecostal Churches, we do not believe that every believer must speak in tongues. We do believe that tongues and other spiritual gifts like prophecy and healings are a blessing and a gift to the church that should be sought and embraced. A good book that summarizes charismatic beliefs is Fire in the Fireplace by Charles Hummel. Some fathers of the charismatic movement in Anglicanism are John Wesley, Dennis Bennett, Terry Fullam, David Watson, and Nicky Gumbel of ALPHA fame. [Back to top]
12. What do we call our clergy? Pastor? Father? Reverend?
The Anglican tradition includes a variety of theological emphases, which carries forward in the titles of clergy. Like most Anglican pastors, Clancy is ordained both Deacon and Priest. (The word “Priest” is a short form of the word “presbyter,” or elder.) He prefers that adults call him Clancy. If you or your children desire to use a title for him, the title he prefers is “Pastor Clancy.” That title describes his function, and emphasizes his evangelical commitments. Many Anglicans of a more catholic piety call their clergy “Father.” Clancy answers to that, too. “Reverend” is a title others give to an ordained person as honoring their office. So, the formal way to refer to our pastor in writing is “The Rev. Clancy Nixon.” [Back to top]
13. How important is Anglicanism in our identity?
Our identity has several layers, listed here
in order of their importance. First, we are people of the Kingdom of God,
committed to God's mission to restore all people to Himself. Second, we are
followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we love unreservedly. Third, we are
charismatic evangelicals - our theological commitments. Fourth, we are
Anglicans, organically connected both with the vibrant Global South and with
other orthodox Anglicans here in North America. Our affiliations emphasize our commitment to the
authority of Scripture, the uniqueness of Christ, and biblical standards for
leadership. Anglicanism is but one of many faithful ways of following
Christ. We remain committed to unity with all who profess the historic
Christian faith.
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