Book Review: An Anglican Anchor
Andrew Brashier, An Anglican Anchor: A Guide to the ACNA Fundamental Declarations. Independently Published, 2026. 164 pp.
In a letter to John Calvin in 1552, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer said,
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As nothing tends more injuriously to the separation of the churches than heresies and disputes respecting the doctrines of religion, so nothing tends more effectually to unite the churches of God, and more powerfully to defend the fold of Christ, than the pure teaching of the gospel, and harmony of doctrine.
Thomas Cranmer, “Letter to John Calvin,” March 20, 1552, in Original Letters Relative to the English Reformation, ed. Hastings Robinson (Cambridge, 1846), 24.
Although Cranmer wrote that quote over 450 years ago, it is an important point for us to consider today. While Anglicanism has an organic breadth of theology and practice, it also has boundaries. We are inheritors of a unique and distinct theological tradition. However, over the centuries, the basic convictions of Anglican identity have been muddled by importing theologies and practices from various other historical and theological corners of Christendom. This can confuse the church and make things awkward when asked, “What is the Anglican position on _________?”
An Anchor for the Church
Andrew Brashier’s book, An Anglican Anchor seeks to shed light on this issue and offer a framework for a renewed appreciation for the Anglican heritage that is ours. He opens his book by noting,
Living within the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) can be quite confusing. Diocese to diocese (even parish to parish within the same metro area) often results in the jarring reality that doctrine differs across the province.
Brashier, 4
Brashier invites us to look to the Fundamental Declarations of the Province, found in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer (page 766), as a way forward in grounding the church’s doctrine in true catholicity and in authentic Anglicanism.
Scripture, Sacraments, and Bishops
Beginning with the Church’s convictions regarding Scripture, he notes that the first of the Fundamental Declarations unambiguously states that the Bible is the final authority and standard for Christian faith and practice.
This binds the ACNA to recognize that where Scripture declares the faith, it must be followed. Where Scripture defines Christian living, one must obey. This is the authentic and faithful Anglican way.
Brashier, 27
He highlights the centrality of the sacraments ordained by Christ himself: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which are to be ministered “with unfailing use of His words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him” (2019 Book of Common Prayer, 766).
Through the Book of Common Prayer, the words of institution and the formula for Baptism—found in the Scriptures—become forever part of the Church’s common life. According to the Fundamental Declarations, we are bound to the words and elements of these sacraments as passed on to us by the church catholic.
The third declaration upholds the episcopacy (governance by bishops). Brashier notes,
The fundamental of point 3 is that the Anglican Church has the historic episcopacy, and reflects the apostolic faith and practice enshrined in the Holy Scriptures.
Brashier, 42
The Bishop is
…called to use his mind to teach the faith once delivered, his mouth to preach the Gospel, his heart to love the Church as Christ loves His flock, and his feet to visit the congregations committed to his care as a steward.
Brashier, 46
He also highlights the importance of selecting devoted, courageous, and servant-minded men to serve this important office.
The Prayer Book and 39 Articles
After working through the Declarations on Creeds and Councils, Brashier turns our attention to the Book of Common Prayer:
Our common faith instills common doctrine if we are committed to the common core of our faith enshrined in the prayer book.
This conviction should deter us from endless liturgical innovation that, while perhaps well-intentioned, severs us from our roots. Brashier candidly remarks,
The prayer book is not a cut-and-paste adventure for the rector to determine weekly on a whim. The prayer book invites us into a life which must be lived. Common Prayer creates a common life within the church.
Brashier 79-80
Anglican churches have neglected few things in the last hundred years as much as the 39 Articles. The seventh Fundamental Declaration calls us to retrieve this unique part of our Anglican tradition and recognizes it as authoritative for the church today because it expresses “fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief” (2019 Book of Common Prayer, 767). He notes,
Together, the prayer book and the Articles are necessary and complementary for living the ancient, reformed catholic faith in the Anglican way.
Brashier, 91
Going Forward, Holding Fast
The various fractures that have emerged in mainline Christianity in the last hundred years often involved issues related to what the Fundamental Declarations address –the primacy of the Scriptures and the sacraments, leadership and authority, worship, and sources of doctrinal roots. Andrew Brashier helpfully reminds us of what Cranmer articulated to Calvin in 1552:
Nothing tends more effectually to unite the churches of God, and more powerfully to defend the fold of Christ, than the pure teaching of the gospel, and harmony of doctrine.
As we face the challenges and pressures, both external and internal, to the Church, may we commit to upholding and defending the Fundamental Declarations of our Church. In his concluding chapter, Brashier says,
The Fundamental Declarations’ strength is serving as a north star steering North American Anglicanism back to safe harbor, where she may safely anchor in the calm waters of sound doctrine.
Brashier, 96
Disclaimer: Andrew Brashier, the author of An Anglican Anchor, is a frequent contributor to Anglican Compass, including the article “What are the Fundamental Declarations of the ACNA?”
Disclaimer
A book review on Anglican Compass does not constitute an endorsement of the views, writings, and public statements of the book’s authors, contributors, editors, or publishers. Likewise, the review author’s views are solely their own and do not represent those of Anglican Compass, its authors, editors, or ministry board.
Image: An Anglican Anchor, © 2026 Andrew Brashier.
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