Coming to Anglicanism from Another Christian Tradition
As part of our True North Campaign, we are publishing articles that highlight the missionary impact of Anglican Compass. Here we welcome Ed Smither, who explains how Anglican Compass assisted his journey into the Anglican tradition. Enjoy!
Answering Questions
Coming to Anglicanism from another Christian tradition, I had many questions:
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- Why do priests wear vestments and what do they mean?
- What do the four Advent candles signify?
- What is compline?
- What are ember days?
- What is the Oxford Movement?
The Anglican Compass website became a rich and accessible source for me to find quick but substantive answers to many questions, including those that I felt were so dumb to pose to another human! The Anglican tradition can be daunting to an outsider and Anglican Compass proved to be a welcoming guide.
In addition to being a place to find answers, Anglican Compass was a great repository of other resources. As a professor, I value good reading lists and the site provided great introductory suggestions in Anglican theology, history, and liturgy. Anglican Compass has also published some helpful introductory books on Anglicanism, including Winfield Bevin’s book, Simply Anglican, written especially for those without Anglican backgrounds.
Article Helps
What I’ve gained most from Anglican Compass are helps in navigating the Book of Common Prayer, particularly the Lectionary and the Daily Office. While I prefer to use a hard copy BCP in daily worship, the digital resources provided have helped with daily prayer, especially when I am traveling.
With that, Anglican Compass has also been helpful for navigating the rhythms of the church year, including the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Ordinary Time, and the major feasts of Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Ascension, Trinity Sunday, and All Saints Day.
Eventually, I was able to do further studies in an Anglican seminary and dig deep into Anglican theology, history, liturgy, and spiritual formation. That said, I find myself returning to Anglican Compass to read articles or look for further reading suggestions. I often share links and articles with friends and students, especially those who are exploring Anglicanism and need a quick guide. Anglican Compass is a great starting point and resource hub.
I remain grateful for the ministry of Anglican Compass and will continue to pray for and financially support the work.
Please support the work of Anglican Compass, so we can continue to support those who are coming to Anglicanism from another Christian tradition.
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