I am a fan of the blog Ask the Priest. This blog is maintained by Episcopal priests who answer questions on faith submitted to them by members of the public. Some of the questions posed are quite challenging, but the answers are always straightforward and pastorally sensitive. If you are looking for a new blog to subscribe to, I would recommend Ask the Priest.
A recent question posed to the blog was "what is orthodoxy?" The priest who answered this particular question is David Simmons, rector of St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The Rev. Simmons' reply is so direct, sensitive and truly Anglican that I want to share it with you. See if it is what you, also, would offer as an Episcopal answer to the question of what is orthodoxy:
A reader writes in:
That’s a tall order, and I’ll link to some other articles on the role of the Bible in the Episcopal Church at the end of the post. But the central question is one of “orthodoxy.” Are Episcopalians “orthodox” Christians or not? It depends on your definition of “orthodoxy,” of which there are many. For Eastern Orthodox Christians, it means a Christian who is part of the Orthodox Church. For Roman Catholics, it means a Christian who accepts the all the Dogmas of that church. For Fundamentalist Evangelicals, it means a Christian who accepts (among other things) the literal inerrancy of the Bible. When the term is used in the Anglican tradition, it is often being used by conservative Anglo-Catholic or Evangelical separatists to define themselves over and against the existing church. That definition usually has to do with positions over human sexuality couched in scriptural language.
The word “orthodoxy” is made up of two greek roots, “ortho” meaning “right” and “doxos” meaning “Praise.” Orthodoxy is literally using the right praise of God. However, most people interpret it to mean something doctrinal. Some start with the so-called “Vincentian Canon,” which was formulated by St. Vincent of Lerins in 434, “that which has been believed everywhere, always and by all.” My experience is that those who quote it think that whatever they believe fits that category. However, it is very hard to get down to something that basic. The Trinity? Not for many early Christians before the first church councils. The two natures of Christ? Not for the Oriental Orthodox Churches. None of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity can be said to be held “everywhere, always and by all” except perhaps the Biblical exclamation, “Jesus is Lord!” and the reality of the Resurrection in some form.
Since “orthodoxy” is a hard target to hit, perhaps it would be better to ask “What do Episcopalians believe?” and then decide whether that accords with your understanding of the Christian faith. The normative beliefs of Episcopalians are to be found in the Book of Common Prayer. The Catechism on page 845 is a starting point. One Anglican writer notes that the “Anglican Dogmas” are the Trinity and the two natures in one person of Christ. Now, do ALL Episcopalians believe in the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, and the bodily Resurrection? Nope. But that’s no more an indication of the central teaching of the church than nuns fomenting for women’s ordination reflect the central teaching of the Papacy.
The Anglican tradition has been one of a “Middle Way” between Catholicism and Protestantism, where membership has to do with participation in worship rather than affirmation of any catechism or confession. This goes all the way back to the Elizabethan Compromise. As a result, our doctrine IS a little vague, and intentionally so. We are more a family of churches than a singular incarnation of Christianity. There is room in the Anglican tradition for manifestations of various flavors of Christianity. We have extreme gin-and-lace Victorian Anglo-Catholics, Bible-thumping Evangelicals, Crypto-Unitarians, liturgical Pentecostals and more variations on those themes than you can imagine. Yes, there is a “hippy-trippy” element to parts of the Episcopal Church, but that part has always been there. The first Unitarians in America at the time of the Revolution were Anglicans who removed Trinitarian references from their BCPs and we have always retained that edge.
No matter what certain individual members may beleive, as a denomination we affirm Jesus as our Lord, even while engaging in interfaith dialogue. I highly commend the Statement on Inter-religious Relations and Interfaith Dialogue which was passed at our 2008 General Convention for an excellent exploration of how we uphold our truth claims about Jesus while talking to others.
Whether the Episcopal Church is a good fit really has to do with HOW you view your Christian faith. If you are the kind of person who wants a strict set of doctrines to believe, and to think that everyone else in the church has that same exact set, the Episcopal Church is not and has never been that place. Much of the turmoil in the last few years has been due to people finally realizing that. However, if you are “playful” with your faith, and think you might have something to learn from someone who believes differently, we might be the place for you. Our rock is Jesus as the second person of the most Holy Trinity. The rest, while sometimes important, is commentary.
David+
I once read a discourse from a leader at Virginia Theological Seminary which was given at a local parish in Alexandria, VA on the topic of "Orthodoxy." While I remember little of the content of the paper nor do I remember the name of the writer I do remember that his final evaluation of what it means to "orthodox" for us is that we proclaim faith in "Jesus as Lord." So, for me that is all is needed. Simplistic? Perhaps. But ok with me.
Posted by: Richard Angelo | January 12, 2012 at 06:56 PM
How very well expressed! Some wag said, a few years ago, that "the Anglican tent is big enough for everyone but people who play with matches." Orthodoxy? As Bart Ehrman shows in his recent book, "Jesus Interrupted," a great deal of "the faith once delivered" would scandalize the Apostles and, quite possibly, Jesus too.
Posted by: Robert T Dodd | January 12, 2012 at 04:21 PM
This is exactly what I know to be true and what I have believed since first starting to examining what the Episcopal Church stood for. As a cradle Episcopalian, being confirmed at age 12, I needed, as an adult, to examine just what the Episcopal Church stood for and what I believed . I am proud of our national church and her stand on issues of inclusion of all the faithful! And I am deeply ashamed of the Diocese of Albany for its stand against the inclusion of the LBGT faithful servants in its midst.
Posted by: Mary Lawthers | January 04, 2012 at 07:58 PM