Anabaptism and Anglicanism

I became a Christian as a teenager from what was an unchurched background. There was family history—mostly distant and infrequent contact with the Episcopal Church—but I was an outsider in any Christian gathering. On the other hand, if I had a picture of a church, it was very Episcopalian.

My early years as a disciple were spent in an unusual combination of evangelically minded Episcopalians and Jesus freaks. Episcopalians are one expression of the worldwide communion of Anglicans. Episcopalian refers to their church government, by bishops. Anglican references the geographical/cultural side of the church—England, and its primary leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury. One strong identifier of the Anglican world is the Book of Common Prayer and the normal liturgical worship. I still love that worship, and if it were up to that issue alone, I would have probably never found my way to the Mennonites.

There has been a lot of uproar in the Episcopal Church. As time progressed, it became extremely liberal theologically and as such, has become one of the most liberal expressions of Protestantism. This trend drove a lot of believers out. Many former Episcopalians who still treasure this expression of church have developed new Anglican lines of affiliation and hold to a historic orthodox faith—that of the creeds, etc. I’ll call them all Anglicans for simplicity’s sake.

Who are they? Anglicans are the principal expression of faith coming from the English Reformation, which trails the continental one by just a few years. The Reformation in England is tied to the sordid stories of Henry VIII and his many wives, but there is also a strong tradition of brave leaders and martyrs. Its theology is quite similar to Lutheran theology, but its history and emphases are all its own. 

Anglicans practice infant baptism; Anglicans have priests and a claim to apostolic succession; Anglicans have cherished rituals and, very often, the Eucharist is the high point or focus of worship. To those unfamiliar with this kind of church, Anglicans might seem very similar to Catholics. You should remember that though there are parallels, Anglicans are Protestants and interpret what they do in Protestant terms. There are yet other offshoots, and in one sense that includes Methodism, but there are smaller groups of Charismatics and Reformed subgroups. Some of these branches lean more toward Catholicism.

For a formal expression of Anglicanism, one can turn to the Thirty-nine Articles that are in the back of the Book of Common Prayer. Some of these articles kick back against the Roman Catholics; one seems to be aimed at the Hutterites or similar Anabaptist groups. Some lay down a belief in predestination, but that can be a long study with no certain end. 

Most of us know about the Pilgrims and Puritans. The Pilgrims came first. Think Mayflower, Plymouth, Bradford, first Thanksgiving paintings. They never joined the established Anglican Church in their day and had already fled to Holland (there’s a great Mennonite connection there that is interesting to read about). The Puritans were rigorists who thought that residual Roman Catholicism and laxity in the Church of England needed to be purged. They were not the same as the Pilgrims in style, approach, or thinking. 

Besides the reforms and critiques of the early English settlers to America, the Anglican communion in the new world suffered over loyalty issues during the American Revolution. The church ultimately backed American independence. Anglicanism, especially in the English version, does not believe in the separation of church and state.

I loved the worship in my first church. In my later teen years, I aspired to be a priest and maybe even an Episcopal bishop. I was blessed with great teaching, leaders with integrity, and a focus on the scriptures and evangelism. I loved the approach to discipleship that treated believers like adults who must make their own decisions and accept the consequences. They were never patronizing, controlling, or infantilizing.

I was mostly happy in the Episcopal world and was married in it, but I never joined. I guess I didn’t have a future as a priest after all! I didn’t believe in infant baptism, but I loved the liturgy. I also longed for a stronger sense of community, mutuality, and discipleship with a group orientation. I wanted worship that paid more attention to the immediate needs of the congregation. I believed in nonviolent discipleship as a normative requirement.

I made the best choice I knew how to make when I was in my mid-twenties and I found my way to the Mennonite world. Oh my…