Why I Am Anglican - Part Three

Another reason I chose to become Anglican is the fact that tradition is a critical part of our Anglican heritage. I agree with the 16th century Reformers that doctrine should always be judged against Scripture for consistency, but I also realize that the meaning of Scripture is most certainly not self-evident to the average reader. Scripture was never meant to be interpreted in a vacuum since the Bible itself did not exist in complete form until several hundred years after the Resurrection.

Many movements within Christianity proclaim that they are 'Bible-based' or that they rely solely on the 'plain sense' of Scripture. This would be acceptable if it were not for the fact that different people may interpret the same Bible passage in vastly different ways. How does one decide which interpretation is correct? The tradition of the Church and our God-given capability to reason help us sort out these kinds of problems.

Tradition is also essential to preserving Christians from further fragmentation. If there is no framework outside of the Bible for discussion the only result can be further schism since the scale will be totally imbalanced in favor of private judgment. Without tradition to inform our decisions we as a Church are in danger of falling prey to theological fads or dogmatizing ourselves into corners.

The Church was meant to live as a catholic community of faith where the views of all are to be considered and formed into an integrated whole. This perspective includes listening to the Christians who have come before us as well. This does not mean we should observe stagnant traditionalism, but we should take the time to learn from the experiences of those who have come before us to avoid reinventing the theological wheel. To quote Jaroslav Pelikan, "Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living."

I became Anglican because I believe that the Anglican Communion does the best job of incorporating tradition into the life of the Church. It sets boundaries for debate with the historic Creeds, the Book of Common Prayer, and Holy Scripture while providing the flexibility to deal with new and unexpected situations not foreseen by the original Apostles. It cherishes the contributions of the past while looking to the future.

Tradition also binds us together when we pray as a corporate body with the Book of Common Prayer. Lex orandi, lex credendi -- we pray what we believe. A tradition formed and nurtured in common prayer is by its very nature a living tradition, and in our postmodern society only traditions with this kind of vibrancy can survive.

Anglicanism is not afraid to question itself, and with that inquisitive outlook comes a great many challenges not found in more conservative churches. That intellectual honesty is one of the reasons I became Anglican in the first place. Being both catholic and reformed presents us with unique opportunities as well as difficulties when it comes to understanding tradition in the life of our Church today. In many ways we are on the front lines of coming to terms with the effects of postmodernism on the Church. Dealing with postmodernism and secular liberalism is not an easy task, but it is a struggle that the Church as a whole must undergo as we move into the 21st century. Tradition and Scripture will keep us grounded amidst all of this if we do not lose sight of them.