If you want to understand some Christian denominations or churches, you will likely be pointed to a systematic theology or a confession or catechism. In short, you will be given a set of propositions to compare with other systems.

Anglicanism has propositions, to be sure, but to really understand it, you have to understand the history, the unfolding of the actual, dramatic experience of the Church of England.

The Anglican Formularies—The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion; The Book of Common Prayer; The Ordinal; and The Books of Homilies—are the result of this inherited, embodied, historical, approach to theology.

C. Jay and Jared are back for another episode of Canterbury Trails, and today it’s the uniquely historical and national approach to Christian faith and life, as laid out in the Formularies, that they’ll be discussing, as the conclusion to their three-part series on Anglicanism 101.

Anglicanism is unique in that it is a national church tradition. The goal was to keep England together in a difficult time. The Formularies was not the result of a few theologians in an ivory tower hammering out fine points of doctrine. It was a project to publish a worship book and a statement of faith that declared, “this is how we worship, here in England, in these isles, and here is what we believe.”

The Book of Common Prayer, for instance, has a lot of theology, but it’s not just a statement of beliefs—it’s a course of action. And this is where Anglicanism’s historical expression of the Faith meets Christians today. For in reading through the Scriptures at home each day, and by engaging in Morning and Evening prayer, we learn that it is the rhythms of life we get into, and the things we pray for, that most shape us.

Image of Anglo-Saxon map by Hel-hama - Own work using:InkscapeSource: England and Wales at the time of the Treaty of Chippenham (AD 878). From the Atlas of European History, Earle W Dowe (d. 1946), G Bell and Sons, London, 1910 (see: File:England-878ad.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19885072

One issue that continues to divide Christians is the question of spiritual authority. All Christians agree that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God. But what about other authoritative voices and claims within the Church? Which authorities have the right to bind the conscience? Is the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura valid, and if so, what is the proper understanding of it? What about pastors, priests, popes?

Anglicans are the third largest group of Christians in the world after Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. But many global Anglicans do not recognize the US Episcopal Church as a true church nor the Archbishop of Canterbury as a true Archbishop. How are we to understand these differences?

Is there authority to be found in the institutional church as it manifests in various denominations? And if church officials or bodies misuse their authority is serious ways, is it best to stay within our ecclesiastical institutions and work for reform? Or should we separate and form new micro-denominations? And what is the effect of all these disagreements on the unity of Christ’s body?

These are among the questions tackled by Jared Lovell and C. Jay Engel in this second installment of our Canterbury Trails series, "Anglicanism 101." And when they’re done, our hosts conclude by asking: how can we best seek Christian unity? The answer will help you to think more clearly about these matters, and how you can work toward genuine unity without compromise.

Image of Anglo-Saxon map by Hel-hama - Own work using:InkscapeSource: England and Wales at the time of the Treaty of Chippenham (AD 878). From the Atlas of European History, Earle W Dowe (d. 1946), G Bell and Sons, London, 1910 (see: File:England-878ad.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19885072

On today’s Canterbury Trails, Jared Lovell and C. Jay Engel introduce a new series for the podcast: Anglicanism 101, tackling questions that those new to Anglicanism—or those who are just curious—might ask.

For this first installment in the series, we’ll talk about Worship and Liturgy. Why do Anglican (and other high worship) traditions seems so strange to modern Evangelicals?

Is Sunday morning just about fellowship and an inspirational talk?

Or is it intended to be something more?

Perhaps the most important difference between liturgical and evangelical worship is that liturgical worship is about enacting the story of Christ together. That’s why historic Christian worship begins with a call to worship, continues on with a confession of sins, assurance of pardon, and a proclamation of God’s word, concluding on the high note of Communion where we receive Christ’s body and blood, at His table.

C. Jay and Jared discuss such questions as, Why do I need to be reminded of forgiveness by the priest when I already know it from the Bible? What is the point of robes, and other elements of high liturgy? How often should we take Communion? Isn’t it inauthentic to kneel or do other things just because everybody else is doing it?

Join the conversation and discover the riches—and true emotional depth—of the Anglican liturgy.

Image of Anglo-Saxon map by Hel-hama - Own work using:InkscapeSource: England and Wales at the time of the Treaty of Chippenham (AD 878). From the Atlas of European History, Earle W Dowe (d. 1946), G Bell and Sons, London, 1910 (see: File:England-878ad.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19885072