Opinion: Anglicans and the Via Media

Anglicans have traditionally been called the "Via Media" or "the middle road" between Catholicism and Protestantism. What does that even mean any longer?

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WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - "Why did the Anglican cross the road?" He never did, he stopped in the middle.

Anglicans have traditionally been called the "Via Media" or "the middle road" between Catholicism and Protestantism.

Depending on which way a certain Anglican group may lean, they could be described as Catholic Lite or Protestants with Prayer Books. Until the mid-20th Century, however, most of them stayed in the middle of the road together.

I remember some of my early lessons as a teenager in the Episcopal Church where we were talk that we were taking the best from both worlds and expressing a faith that stands between the Catholic Church and the Reformers, embracing both and borrowing from each.

In recent years, this Via Media declaration has taken on a new luster, where the middle of the road could now be considered the point between theological liberalism vs conservatism or even orthodox Christianity vs heresy.

One recent blog published an entry called "Alphabet Soup, Anglican Edition." The list included the initials for individuals, groups, ministries, and denominations connected in some way (though not necessarily official) with the Anglican Communion. The number is astounding, especially when you count up the separate denominations that are included.

In the early days of the Anglican movement one was Anglican when they were in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and there could be no more than one entity in any given nation or territory that bore that relationship. The only exception was in the Philippines, where Canterbury recognized both the Episcopal Church of the Philippines and the Philippine Independent Church.

Anglicanism was a cohesive, albeit diverse group. They were help together significant by their Book of Common Prayer, whose various editions traced their roots back to Thomas Cranmer of the Sixteenth Century. Their prayer book also contained "The 39 Articles," which listed the areas where Anglicanism different from their Protestant and Catholic brothers and sisters.

An amazing thing happened, however, during the late 1970's in America. With the advent of the new 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the ordination of women, a number of "Anglican" groups split off from the Episcopal Church USA (TEC). In fact, one count I did back in the early 90's indicated that during that period of time there were 27 different Anglican jurisdictions in America all claiming the right.

This was not the first Anglican schism in America. The Reformed Episcopal Church exited TEC during the earlier century.

This new reporting of Alphabet Soup among Anglicans reinforces that, once the via media, this classification of churches is now all over the map. No longer are Anglican aligned on any middle ground, they stand at different places with respect to traditional faith and classical Anglicanism.

The question then comes, what is it that now constitutes an Anglican identity? This will be the work of these churches for decades to come. It would seem that this work would come by making some dramatic shifts in ethos and core identity.

Anglicanism, in terms of a movement, can no longer defined by communion with Canterbury, since all who lay claim to a jurisdiction are not. Further, it cannot be defined by its name alone, since Anglicanism can sweep the breadth of theological conviction, authority of Scripture, and Ecclesiology, along with many other issues.

From the eyes of this commentator, it would seem that the work of Anglicanism is to re-discover its own patrimony. One must gaze far beyond the upheavals of the 20th century, earlier Victorian cultures, or even the Reformation-enhanced antics of Henry VIII and look upon the heritage that is theirs. The English church existed much earlier than any of those epochs in church history and much was established prior to those times.

The Church must also re-engage with the things held in common through Holy Scripture, the Historic Creeds, and Apostolic roots. As a Catholic, my hope is that Anglicans would see their way back into full communion. Whether or not this would happen, the work of establishing a new embrace of their theological and ecclesiological tenets is vitally necessary for their survival.

The Anglican Church has given much to the Christian world. Beautiful English liturgies, priceless hymns, and great thinkers such as C.S. Lewis, are only a few of the great gifts we have all received.

May they regain a sense of their place in the broader Christian community, rediscover their historical foundations in Christian orthodoxy and make a true contribution to the work of the Holy Spirit in the work of recovery,renewal and communion.

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