Old Books. For Formularies RAG.

The Formularies: A Rookie Anglican Guide

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โ€œWhat Do Anglicans Believe?โ€ Many Anglicans, both new to the Anglican way and those who have followed it for several years, wrestle to succinctly and confidently answer this question. Over the course of the 20th century, clarity on Anglican theology and doctrine became increasingly muddled. There are a number of reasons for this, including increased cultural pressure, growing secularism, and the lack of historical, Biblical, and theological rigor. Over the last 150 years, there has been a decreased awareness of and fidelity to the founding documents of Anglicanism, which are commonly referred to as โ€œThe Formularies.โ€

What are the Formularies?

The Anglican Formularies are the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal (the service for ordaining clergy). A strong case can be made that the Books of Homilies also serve this function. These documents from the early years of Anglicanismโ€™s break from the Roman Catholic Church were primarily the work of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556). Their inherent authority may be seen in a similar vein to that of the founding documents of the United States, which have ongoing authority beyond the time of the American Revolution. Those documents clarify the beliefs and values that should govern our nation. They are not something we are meant to outgrow but something we are meant to live into.

The Anglican Formularies have historically been understood comparably. The failure to do so makes answering the question above far more subjective or even impossible. Without an anchor, the ship drifts. We have seen this repeatedly in the last few generations of the Church, where too many people have been left wondering, โ€œWhat do Anglicans believe?โ€ The Formularies provide both cohesiveness and clarity to the Church’s doctrine.

The Thirty-Nine Articles

The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion underwent several iterations before their final revision in 1571. The Articles are brief statements on key theological points that unite us with the historic universal Church of Jesus and show our commitment to basic Reformation principles.

For instance, the first five articles address the major elements of agreement among all Christian churches, such as the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Resurrection of Jesus. The next and largest section of the Articles deals with those Reformation views that drove the Anglican Church to separate from the Roman Catholic Church (Henry VIIIโ€™s divorce was not the principal reason for our separation). Article VI places Holy Scripture at the apex of authority for Anglicans when it says,

โ€œthat whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby [the Scriptures], is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or thought requisite or necessary to salvation.โ€

2019 Book of Common Prayer, 773

The Protestant doctrine of Faith Alone as the basis of our justification is found in Article XI:

We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works or deservings.

2019 Book of Common Prayer, 776 (emphasis mine)

While the Articles are brief, they are clear. They are confessional and were intended to be so when they were written. J.I. Packer notes,

Cranmerโ€™s first object in compiling his Articles was that they should establish in this situation a necessary minimum of doctrinal order, by fixing the bounds of belief permissible for Anglican clergy.

J.I. Packer, The Thirty-Nine Articles: Their Place and Use Today (Latimer House, 2006), 39

The Sum Total of Anglican Theology

Generations of English clergy were required to subscribe to them, and they were the basis of the Churchโ€™s theology and self-understanding. In Anglicanism: A Reformed Catholic Tradition, Gerald Bray notes, โ€œThe sum total of Anglican theology may be more than the Articles, but it is not less.โ€ Our first stop for understanding Anglican theology and doctrine should be the 39 Articles. There, we learn what the Church believes about the authority of the Bible, the function of the sacraments, the nature of the Church, predestination, and a host of other commonly-asked items.

In the Fundamental Declarations of the Province, the Anglican Church in North America says,

We receive the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of 1571, taken in their literal and grammatical sense, as expressing the Anglican response to certain doctrinal issues controverted at that time, and as expressing fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief.

2019 Book of Common Prayer, 767

The Book of Common Prayer

The first of the Anglican Prayer Books came in 1549, with subsequent revisions in 1552, 1559, 1604, and 1662. The general movement of each revision reflects the theological tug-of-war that raged within England during these years. The question was less about whether the English Church was reformed but how it was reformed. The 1662 Book of Common Prayer became the standard prayer book for the Anglican Church (and remained so for centuries) and is widely regarded as one of the most poetic and influential Christian works outside the Holy Scriptures.

The Prayer Book has long been viewed as an authoritative source of Anglican belief and practiceโ€”particularly the 1662 version. While each province has often produced books that are locally adapted and govern the worship of their respective churches, the 1662 Prayer Book remains the standard in terms of theological authority. As signers of the Jerusalem Declaration (2008), the ACNA โ€œupholds the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer.โ€

The Prayer Book in Context

It is important to remember that the Book of Common Prayer does not exist in isolation from the rest of the Anglican Formularies. The Prayer Book is an outworking, in prayer and liturgical expression, of the theology contained in both the Articles and the Homilies. It is eminently scriptural in its content and focus. We err if we view the Prayer Book as a source of theology of its own accord, independent of the theology that informed and undergirded its composition.

In the Book of Common Prayer, we find the rites that govern the religious life of the Anglican Church. From the Daily Office to Communion, to baptism, confirmation, matrimony, and the burial of the dead, these rites are not only declarative but instructive. They not only proclaim the Church’s beliefs but instruct it as it moves through each successive iteration of the Christian Calendar or each event of Christian life. Since over 80% of the Book of Common Prayer is Scripture, we can clearly see the scriptural focus and authority underscored in each page.

The Ordinal

Within the pages of the Book of Common Prayer is โ€œThe Form and Manner of Ordaining Priests,โ€ alongside rites for the ordination of deacons and the consecration of bishops. Together, these are commonly referred to as โ€œThe Ordinal.โ€ While the Ordinal maintained the three historic orders of ministry, it also reformed the Churchโ€™s understanding of them.

The focus of these orders was intentionally rooted in Holy Scripture as the standard of life and ministry for those seeking ordination. The principal duty of the ordinand was to preach the Gospel and combat heresy. There is an intentional shiftโ€”even in Cranmerโ€™s first Ordinal, written in 1550โ€”away from an overly hierarchal and sacramentally-heavy view of the ministry. This was a distinguishing feature that marked a departure from the Roman Catholicism of the day.

Messengers, Watchmen, and Stewards

Clearly, the Ordinal expects much more from the Churchโ€™s clergy than simply conducting liturgies. For example, in the Exhortation given to the candidate by the bishop, there is no mention of the priestโ€™s sacramental function at all. That doesnโ€™t mean the Sacraments are neglected or diminished, but that their place is reframed. The clergy are to be โ€œmessengers, watchmen and stewards of the Lord; to teach and forewarn, to feed and provide for the Lordโ€™s family.โ€ Later, the bishop says that the priest is to

…consider how studious ye ought to be in reading and learning the Scriptures, and in framing the manners of both yourselves and of those who especially pertain unto you, according to the rule of the same Scriptures.

1662 Book of Common Prayer, International Edition (Intervarsity Press, 2021), 601-2

The Ordinal does address the necessity of diligently administering the doctrine, sacraments, and discipline of the Church. But these are rooted in a commitment to Biblical authority and submission to avoid the excesses, abuses, and superstitious practices that had been so prevalent before the Reformation. The ordinal also provided a way for Anglicans to select, train, ordain, and consecrate these ministers without dependence upon the Roman Catholic Churchโ€”an important issue that required addressing in the aftermath of the Anglican Churchโ€™s break with Rome.

The Books of Homilies

In the years immediately following the establishment of the Anglican Churchโ€™s independence from Rome, it was necessary to instruct the people of England on the beliefs of this Church. Thomas Cranmer, in 1547, set about compiling a set of 12 sermons that would present a systematic theology that firmly rooted the hearers in the teaching of the English Reformation.

Due to the back-and-forth of the preceding years, where the Church moved toward Protestantism (under Henry VIII and Edward VI), then back toward Roman Catholicism (under Mary), and finally reached some degree of equilibrium with Elizabeth in 1563, Church members were confused and disoriented. Many clergy were largely untrained in Scripture and doctrine. Therefore, a second book was released by the Church of England in 1563 during the reign of Elizabeth.

The Contents of the Homilies

The first book gives five sermons on core doctrinal topics, and the remaining homilies deal broadly with issues of Christian living. For instance, the first sermon in the First Book of Homilies deals with Scripture, giving us a sense of the priority the framers gave to the Bible. The Homilies then move into topics such as sin, justification, salvation, and Christian love. The Second Book of Homilies deals with a wide range of issues regarding Church ministry and life, including things like sacraments, almsgiving, prayer, as well sermons against gluttony, idolatry, and idleness.  

How should we understand our relationship with the Books of Homilies today? Chiefly, we should view them as an explanation, expansion, and exposition of the 39 Articles. For example, Article IX speaks of Original Sin as,

The fault and corruption of the Nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adamโ€ฆis of his own nature inclined to evil.

2019 Book of Common Prayer, 776

The Article concerning this incredibly central Christian doctrine is only a paragraph long. But if we turn to the First Book of Homilies, the sermon โ€œOf the Misery of All Mankindโ€ gives a far more comprehensive explanation of that article. Thus, the Homilies serve as an expanded explanation of many doctrinal concepts in the Articles.

Final Thoughts

Gerald Bray notes,

The historic formularies were designed by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer to give the English Church a solid grounding in the three fundamental areas of its life โ€“doctrine, devotion, and discipline.

Gerald Bray, The Faith We Confess: An Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles (Latimer House, 2009), 1

While Anglicanism is expansive and diverse, it still has an identity and theology of its own. There is a field on which to play and explore, but also boundaries that, when crossed, put one out of bounds. To ignore the Formularies is to join Esau in foolishly relinquishing his birthright.

An Anchor in the Storm

The Formularies provide a much-needed anchor for a storm-tossed church. They should be viewed together, as Tim Patrick observes,

The formularies can only be fully understood when they are understood together as part of a carefully prepared matrix of documents, each one designed to advance the Protestant cause on a different front, but all in concert with each other.

Tim Patrick, Anglican Foundations (Latimer House, 2018), 2

A serious and accurate answer to the question, โ€œWhat do Anglicans believe?โ€ is not an impossible question to answer. However, it requires us to re-familiarize ourselves with Anglican history and its theological foundations. It may require us to forego some of our proclivities and assumptions that have been misinformed. We have a beautiful and rich heritage. We have a means of sharing the Gospel that is distinctive and rich without being eccentric and aloof. Many modern people find the Anglican way an attractive way of following Jesus. When they ask, โ€œWhat do Anglicans believe?โ€ let us have a ready and robust answer.


Photo by rcphotostock, courtesy of Canva.

Author

Chris Findley

The Very Rev. Chris Findley is Rector of St. Patrickโ€™s Anglican Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Dean of the Nashville Deanery (ADOTS). A graduate of Trinity Anglican Seminary, Chris and his wife, Sheryl, live outside of Nashville and have three children.

View more from Chris Findley

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