From the Rector

Editor’s note: At Mosaic’s September gatherings, Fr Robert reviewed what Anglicanism is and what it means to be an Episcopalian. The emphasis of the classes was on the comprehensiveness of Anglicanism, i.e, how part of its essence is to hold together things that sometimes seem (and have often been) in conflict.

As Saint Philip’s welcomes people from many different faith traditions who become part of the community, it seems important for people new to the Episcopal faith to do just that: appreciate what is helpful from their traditions and individual histories, and incorporate that as they continue to explore how they understand God and the Episcopal tradition.

This perspective is not new to Fr Robert. In 2014 he wrote a series of blog posts about this topic. Over the next three weeks, portions of those blogs (updated where appropriate) will be shared in this space.

Being Anglican means being blessed to be part of a tradition formed and informed by both the Reformed, Evangelical stream of Christianity, as well as the Catholic. In a unique way, we blend traits of both that form a distinct persona within the spectrum of Christian belief, practice, and history.

We are part of a tradition that has a distinct distrust of the perceived excesses of both strains. How many times have we heard that something is “too Catholic” or “too Evangelical” to be Episcopalian? We have many within our Church who have been hurt by the unreflective and reflexive adherence to respective sources of authority within both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.

Unfortunately, we can often miss the gifts of both traditions in our rush to run from popular excesses in either.

While I think the Episcopal Church embodies the best of both the Catholic and Reformed traditions, it can be tempting to look at other expressions of those traditions and say, “Well, we’re not that!” That can be easy and sometimes emotionally gratifying, but it is ultimately unproductive to build an identity on the negatives of other traditions.

The more difficult task is not differentiation but self-expression. Who are we—not in reaction to the hurts of the past but in response to our hope for the future? Where are we being called as a people who come not cast out of one place but called into another?

When I came to the Episcopal Church it was with the great realization that I had found a place of Catholic Evangelism—or Evangelical Catholicism. It is a place that draws on what is essential to the nature of both Evangelicalism and Catholicism and holds these in tension—correcting the imbalances that arise and drawing strength and hope from the wellspring that is both.

Each tradition is a source of renewal and grace for both the individual believer and the whole Church. When I consider our most essential quality, I often ponder the collect for Richard Hooker. It reads,

“O God of truth and peace, who raised up your servant Richard Hooker in a day of bitter controversy to defend with sound reasoning and great charity the catholic and reformed religion: Grant that we may maintain that middle way, not as a compromise for the sake of peace, but as a comprehension for the sake of truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.”

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert