A Liberty Student Finds Anglicanism
I reached a spiritual breaking point when I started college at Liberty University. Everyone seemed to be talking directly to Yahweh except for me, yet I couldn’t shake this feeling that something was off and that we were chasing not Christ, but a feeling, and that I was doing the same.
From a Baptist Pastor’s Son to an Anglican
For many years, I had felt discomfort with Baptist doctrine; this was from someone who was reciting sections of the Baptist catechism as part of his homeschool curriculum. Every time I heard my dad or some other pastor preach on Titus and Timothy about church government, every time we did the Lord’s Supper, and every time we spoke about salvation, something seemed off. I say these things not to reject the individuals above; on the contrary, I mention these to emphasize that God used their commitment to Christ and the scriptures to draw me deeper into the faith.
Sponsored
In the thick cloud of my Baptist background, I distinctly remember a small thunderbolt of reformed catholicism etching its way into my life. My dad had a conversation with a Lutheran friend about the Sacraments and was explaining it to the rest of the family; this conversation was the beginning of my conversion to Anglicanism. I was only 14 then, but little did I know that Yahweh was using this moment as a springboard to lead me in the spiritual direction that He wanted me to go. Another formative influence was my good Roman Catholic friend Ryan, who was always ready to provide an alternative opinion.
Frustration and a Lack of Christian Growth
During my high school years, I was spiritually struggling and frustrated. I felt like I couldn’t get closer to Yahweh no matter how hard I tried, how often or for how long I prayed, how many Bible studies I participated in, or what kind of schedule I created for myself. Soon, I had trained myself to fall into a habit of legalistic Christianity in pursuit of this connection with Christ that I felt that I was sorely missing. Perpetually, I could feel this deafness, as if Christ was giving me the silent treatment, but He was talking to everyone around me.
Research at Liberty University
I reached a breaking point when I started college at Liberty University. Everyone seemed to be talking directly to Yahweh except for me. Be that as it may, I couldn’t shake the feeling I got every time I went to Bible studies, heard the doctrines expounded, or heard someone give a topical sermon. This feeling that something was off, and that we were chasing not Christ, but a feeling, and that I was doing the same.
I suddenly felt a unique urge to research why I believe what I believe about the Bible, not just the hard stuff, even the basic stuff like baptism, salvation, or even how the Church should operate. To this day, I believe this was Jesus utilizing how I think and process information to lead me closer to Him.
This research quickly led me to Anglicanism. I read To Be a Christian, Anglicanism: A Reformed Catholic Tradition, Concise Theology, The Heritage of Anglican Theology, Simply Anglican, and The 39 Articles of Religion. Armed with the Anglican Compass, the ACNA website, and the 2019 Book of Common Prayer, I went to work. However, it was hard to wrap my head around this sudden influx of information, which often contrasted with my presuppositions. My friend Ryan threw himself at me as he heard me consider many of the ancient interpretations he had given me years ago!
Encountering the Anglican Church
Eventually, I decided there was no substitute for face-to-face conversation. I tried desperately to set up a conversation with anyone willing to talk to a Southern Baptist in crisis. I got a callback from my current priest, Fr. Morse, Rector of All Saints Parish in Lynchburg, VA. He met with me, heard all of my struggles, and answered all of my questions.
I attended one Anglican service, which felt overwhelmingly Catholic to me at the time, and I reluctantly marked the Anglican experiment as a mistake on my part. At the time, I was still trying to make Anglican doctrine fit with my Baptist doctrine, rather than approaching it with the question, “Could I be wrong?”
I considered that question the following year when my friend Ryan and I decided to have a formal debate. This debate lasted two very long phone calls. However, it ended with me profoundly stuck on the questions he posed to me about the authority of the Church, apostolic succession, the significance of the Lord’s Supper, and that challenging practice of infant baptism.
Soon, I found myself dusting off those old books I had long since put away, flying through podcasts like The Classic Anglican and Word & Table, and ingesting the theological conversations between Matt Whitman and various Christian faith traditions, contrary to my own, in his Learning About Other Churches series on YouTube.
Finally, my eyes opened, and I was understanding my faith for the first time, or beginning to anyway. Since then, I have been entirely devoted to learning more about Christ through the lens of the Anglican tradition while also being subject to Ryan’s constant “told you’s” as I tell him about my constant doctrinal realizations!
The Value of Anglican Compass
As I look back at the variety of resources that led me here, Anglican Compass stands out. Being a Southern Baptist in Virginia, finding any resources on Anglicanism was as challenging as it sounds, without paying a pretty penny for a book or scheduling a meeting with an actual Anglican priest. Christ blessed me with a lucky Google search that led me to a site with a wealth of information on topics I struggled to understand, however.
To this day, Anglican Compass is my go-to for quick information, whether for my own research on topics such as confirmation or for recommending my fellow Baptist friends when they ask me a question I know the Compass will answer better. I want to leave with a verse that has stuck with me throughout this journey; I think it should be a verse that all Christians, regardless of faith tradition, should strive to imitate:
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Acts 17:1
We are thrilled to share Jaden’s story as part of our True North series, which demonstrates the missionary impact of Anglican Compass.
Image: © Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
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