Search

ANGLICAN BLOGS AND WEB SITES

1662 Book of Common Prayer Online

1928 Book of Common Prayer Online

A Living Text

Akenside Press

แผ€ναστฯŒμωσις

Anglican Audio

An Anglican Bookshelf (List of recommended Anglican books)

Anglican Catholic Church

Anglican Catholic Liturgy and Theology

Anglican Church in America

Anglican Churches of America

Anglican Church Planting

Anglican Eucharistic Theology

Anglican Expositor

Anglican Internet Church

Anglican Mainstream

Anglican Mom

Anglican Music

An Anglican Priest

Anglican.net

Anglican Province of America

Anglican Province of Christ the King

Anglican Rose

Anglican Way Magazine

The Anglophilic Anglican

A BCP Anglican

Apologia Anglicana

The Book of Common Prayer (Online Texts)

The Cathedral Close

Chinese Orthodoxy

The Church Calendar

Classical Anglicanism:  Essays by Fr. Robert Hart

Cogito, Credo, Petam

CommonPrayer.org

(The Old) Continuing Anglican Churchman

(The New) Continuing Anglican Churchman

Continuing Forward: Joint Anglican Synod

The Curate's Corner

The Cure of Souls

Diocese of the Holy Cross

Drew's Views

Earth and Altar: Catholic Ressourcement for Anglicans

The Evangelical Ascetic

Faith and Gender: Five Aspects

Father Calvin Robinson

Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen

Forward in Faith North America

Francis J. Hall's Theological Outlines

Free Range Anglican

Full Homely Divinity

Gavin Ashenden

The Homely Hours

International Catholic Congress of Anglicans

Martin Thornton

New Goliards

New Scriptorium (Anglican Articles and Books Online)

The North American Anglican

O cuniculi! Ubi lexicon Latinum posui?

The Ohio Anglican Blog

The Old High Churchman

Orthodox Anglican Church - North America

Prayer Book Anglican

The Prayer Book Society, USA

Project Canterbury

Ritual Notes

Pusey House

Prydain

radix occasum

Rebel Priest (Jules Gomes)

Reformed Episcopal Church

Ritual Notes

River Thames Beach Party

Society of Archbishops Cranmer and Laud

The Southern High Churchman

Texanglican

United Episcopal Church of North America

Virtue Online

We See Through A Mirror Darkly

When I Consider How My Light is Spent: The Crier in the Digital Wilderness Calls for a Second Catholic Revival

HUMOR 

The Babylon Bee

The Low Churchman's Guide to the Solemn High Mass

Lutheran Satire

"WORSHIP WARS"

Ponder Anew: Discussions about Worship for Thinking People

RESISTING LEFTIST ANTICHRISTIANITY

Black-Robed Regiment

Cardinal Charles Chaput Reviews "For Greater Glory" (Cristero War)

Cristero War

Benedict Option

Jim Kalb: How Bad Will Things Get?

The Once and Future Christendom

Trouble

RESISTING ISLAMIC ANTICHRISTIANITY

Christians in the Roman Army: Countering the Pacifist Narrative

Bernard of Clairvaux and the Knights Templar

Gates of Nineveh

Gates of Vienna

Jihad Watch

Nineveh Plains Protection Units

Restore Nineveh Now - Nineveh Plains Protection Units

Sons of Liberty International (SOLI)

The Once and Future Christendom

Trouble

OTHER SITES AND BLOGS, MANLY, POLITICAL AND WHATNOT

Abbeville Institute Blog

Art of the Rifle

The Art of Manliness

Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture

Church For Men

The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity, (Leon Podles' online book)

Craft Beer

Eclectic Orthodoxy

First Things

The Imaginative Conservative

Katehon

Men of the West

Monomakhos (Eastern Orthodox; Paleocon)

The Once and Future Christendom

The Orthosphere

Paterfamilias Daily

The Midland Agrarian

Those Catholic Men

Tim Holcombe: Anti-State; Pro-Kingdom

Touchstone

Pint, Pipe and Cross Club

The Pipe Smoker

The Salisbury Review

Throne, Altar, Liberty

Throne and Altar

Project Appleseed (Basic Rifle Marksmanship)

Turnabout

What's Wrong With The World: Dispatches From The 10th Crusade

CHRISTIAN MUSIC FOR CHRISTIAN MEN

Numavox Records (Music of Kerry Livgen & Co.)

 Jerycho

WOMEN'S ORDINATION

A Defense of the Doctrine of the Eternal Subordination of the Son  (Yes, this is about women's ordination.)

Essays on the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood from the Episcopal Diocese of Ft. Worth

Faith and Gender: Five Aspects of Man, Fr. William Mouser

"Fasten Your Seatbelts: Can a Woman Celebrate Holy Communion as a Priest? (Video), Fr. William Mouser

Father is Head at the Table: Male Eucharistic Headship and Primary Spiritual Leadership, Ray Sutton

FIFNA Bishops Stand Firm Against Ordination of Women

God, Gender and the Pastoral Office, S.M. Hutchens

God, Sex and Gender, Gavin Ashenden

Homo Hierarchicus and Ecclesial Order, Brian Horne

How Has Modernity Shifted the Women's Ordination Debate? , Alistair Roberts

Icons of Christ: A Biblical and Systematic Theology for Women’s Ordination, Robert Yarbrough (Book Review, contra Will Witt)

Icons of Christ: Plausibility Structures, Matthew Colvin (Book Review, contra Will Witt)

Imago Dei, Persona Christi, Alexander Wilgus

Liturgy and Interchangeable Sexes, Peter J. Leithart

Ordaining Women as Deacons: A Reappraisal of the Anglican Mission in America's Policy, John Rodgers

Ordination and Embodiment, Mark Perkins (contra Will Witt)

Ordinatio femina delenda est. Why Women’s Ordination is the Canary in the Coal Mine, Richard Reeb III

Priestesses in Plano, Robert Hart

Priestesses in the Church?, C.S. Lewis

Priesthood and Masculinity, Stephen DeYoung

Reasons for Questioning Women’s Ordination in the Light of Scripture, Rodney Whitacre

Sacramental Representation and the Created Order, Blake Johnson

Ten Objections to Women Priests, Alice Linsley

The Short Answer, S.M. Hutchens

William Witt's Articles on Women's Ordination (Old Jamestown Church archive)

Women in Holy Orders: A Response, Anglican Diocese of the Living Word

Women Priests?, Eric Mascall

Women Priests: History & Theology, Patrick Reardon

Powered by Squarespace
Categories and Monthly Archives
This area does not yet contain any content.

      

 

 

 

 

Thursday
Dec242015

A Final Word on Altar Dances, Fire Juggling, and "Three Streams" Anglicanism

Referencing the discussions below.

I want to preface this blog entry on something of a positive note.  Mr. Alspach concluded his interaction at the Facebook discussion by saying, "For the record, Bishop Ruch is one of the godliest and creedally orthodox men I've ever met, and apart from his charismatic views of worship, he's a fantastic bishop." I would say the same thing about my own AMiA bishops.  Mr. Alspach and I simply question certain aspects of Pentecostal theology and the propriety of altar dancing, fire jugglers, etc., that's all.

Furthermore, I personally don't mean to single out either Bishop Ruch or Church of the Resurrection for critical treatment.  As should be evident by this discussion, what we're talking about here is the much broader phenomenon of "Three Streams" Anglicanism, and I want to say a couple of words here about that.

I know a priest through Facebook who once wrote that he left AMiA because of its "Three Streams" orientation, which he wryly described as, "You know, the charismatic, the charismatic and the charismatic."  If that's a characterization, it's probably an unfair one, but if it's meant to be hyperbolic, I for one can understand its point.  There does seem to be an overemphasis on the "signs-and-wonders" manifestations of the Holy Spirit in certain quarters of Three Streams Anglicanism, one that could be rectified by both a more balanced trinitarianism and a healthier balance with the "biblical" and "Catholic" streams.

Now, I am not a cessationist, for three reasons: 1) there is no sound exegetical case that Spirit-wrought miracles were confined to the time of the apostles; 2) there is testimony throughout church history of miracles.  In his City of God, St. Augustine recounts a number of miracles he had observed in his day.  At least two of them, from what I remember, were Eucharistic and relic-related miracles, the same kind of miracles to which modern Roman, Orthodox and Anglican Catholic Christians have attested; 3) in my experience as a chaplain, I have witnessed what appears to have been a miraculous recovery from the death process.  The lady, a Roman Catholic, was actively dying, but suddenly woke up and was discharged a day later.  The hospital staff were blown away.  So, the Holy Spirit still "does stuff" in this day and age.

However, it does not follow from any of this that everything that purports to be miraculous activity of the Holy Spirit is indeed so.  Both the Old and New Testaments are abundantly clear about the need to exercise discernment when it comes to prophecy and miracles.  One of the things that stand out to me about the history of charismatic Evangelicalism is all the many times it has failed to exercise proper discernment.  One can think of any number of stories about fraudulent televangelists and clearly fake miracles, and shake his head in wonderment why so many charismatics were so gullible about these things.

Nor does it follow that just because the Spirit still "does stuff" in this day and age mean that every "Spirit-filled" worship service is an authentic manfestation of the Spirit's activity.  Take the Holy Ghost Hokey Pokey, for example.  So, the other criticism I have is that so much of what happens in charismatic worship is based on emotional manipulation, usually accomplished by cues from either the "worship leader," the "worship band" or both.  As a friend of mine familiar with one such church explained his experience to me,  "It's a weekly thing. . . .  There's about 10-15 songs that they routinely play throughout the year too that trigger it." 

There's nothing whatsoever in the New Testament that would justify this kind of emotionalist worship centered on a "worship leader" and a "worship band."  Throughout her history, the Church's worship has been liturgical only, centered around Word and Sacrament only.  The only "worship leader" known to the Catholic Church, of which we Anglicans are a branch, has been the priest acting in persona Christi.  For most of its history, the Church's music was sung or chanted a cappella by choirs generally not visible to the congregation.  This is how Anglicans worshipped until the late 20th century, when Pentecostalism and "contemporary Christian" music were embraced by many Anglicans.

Not all Anglicans, however, and when looked at historically not most Anglicans.  What's more, the advent of "Three Streams" Anglicanism has only served to introduce yet one more divisive "party" into an already divided church.  For me personally, this and the problems described above have prompted a major rethink about the "new things" said to be the work of the Holy Spirit.

            

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

EmailEmail Article to Friend

Reader Comments (5)

Merry Christmas brother! I have to say I'm a bit shocked that you joined AMiA considering their perception for being heavily Pentacostal in influence. But I suspect the UECNA and REC must be strict cessationist?

December 25, 2015 | Unregistered CommenterAnAwkwardAardvark

Hello AAA. Good to hear from you again, and Merry Christmas to you as well!

Keep in mind that both charismatic and more traditional Episcopal bodies affiliated with AMiA when it was founded in back in 2000. My wife and I, having left the Continuing Anglican parish through which we were received into Anglicanism, started searching around for an Anglican parish nearby that did not feature all the "blended" worship and "enthusiasm" you'll find in much of the Realignment. We eventually found a very small church that worshiped the traditional way, though with Rite 2. We immediately fell in love with the people, and having a call to ministry I naturally pursued holy orders. At the time, the local priest who is the official gatekeeper asked me if I had any problems with the sign gifts, because if I did that would be a deal breaker. I told him that I am not a cessationist, but that I personally have never exercised any of those gifts. That was acceptable to him, and I entered the process shortly thereafter.

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone, though it's clear that AMiA is predominantly charismatic. At the candidate's retreat, we were told that AMiA is intent on planting Three Stream churches and only Three Stream churches. My sense is that since 2000 AMiA has forged close relationships with the Vineyard churches and other charismatic bodies and has drawn a number of young men from those bodies into holy orders.

I have heard through the wire that there are a small number of Anglo-Catholics in AMiA. Our canon lawyer Kevin Donlon is an AC and active in FIFNA North America. So it appears that while AMiA is predominantly charismatic, it is not monolithically so.

UECNA is not part of ACNA but is a Continuing jurisdiction in communion with both the ACC and APCK. Its Presiding Bishop Peter Robinson is a Facebook friend. REC, however, is affiliated with ACNA. For a time I was toying with the idea of pursuing holy orders in REC, but the closest parish is 5 hours away and I would have been expected to be there fairly regularly. That, and sensing that God had brought us to this little church in the Denver metro area led me to conclude that I should bloom where I am planted.

All this could change, of course. We have plans to retire in TN or NC, and I will probably need to transfer if there's no AMiA presence where we end up. The other possibility is that we stay here for the fore the foreseeable and something happens that leads to a transfer from AMiA. There are small ACC and APCK parishes relatively nearby. Even though I left the ACC, I didn't burn any bridges. I'm in touch with some folks in a new ACC church plant here and I correspond with their bishop from time to time. So who knows? It's all in God's hands, and I am thankful for that.

Until then, I plan to remain loyal to AMiA. They've been very good to me so far.

December 26, 2015 | Registered CommenterEmbryo Parson

Thank you brother for explaining the state of AMiA as I haven't heard much in quite some time. I can tell from your blog you are extremely thoughtful in your move from continuing Anglicanism to the Realignment and I pray and wish you Godspeed. It is always a pleasure to read your blog and I've been delighted to see how active you have been lately.

December 26, 2015 | Unregistered CommenterAnAwkwardAardvark

"I can tell from your blog you are extremely thoughtful in your move from continuing Anglicanism to the Realignment. . . ."

Well, I have worked a few things out since then. I am a staunch classical Anglican, and there's a case to be made that here in the US classical Anglicanism can only be found in the Continuum and in ACNA jurisdictions like DFW and REC.

December 27, 2015 | Registered CommenterEmbryo Parson

Agreed on parts of the REC and parts of the Continnuum are classically Anglican. There's a decent presence also in parts of CANA. I wish FACA would grow into a solid classical Anglican version of SCOBA.

January 1, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterAnAwkwardAardvark

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
« Happy Christmas to All! | Main | Facebook Dustup Over the "Anglican Post-Eucharistic Joy" Video »