Via VirtueOnline:

TRURO, VA: British Seminary Principal Promotes Anglicanism

By Chip Webb
October 2, 2010

"Anglicanism presents wonderful opportunities for church growth" because it is "firmly founded and firmly rooted" and well-positioned "to be a transforming influence on society," according to the Rev. Dr. Richard Turnbull, Principal of Wycliffe Hall in Oxford, England. The author of Anglican and Evangelical? and Shaftesbury: The Great Reformer, Turnbull delivered a lecture sponsored by the Anglican District of Virginia titled "Anglicanism: Burden or Opportunity?" at Truro Church on Friday, September 17. He both presented an argument for that claim and addressed the challenges facing the worldwide Anglican Communion.

A Firm Foundation

Most fundamentally, Turnbull sketched a picture of Anglicanism as a confessional church grounded in Scripture. "It's a complete myth that Anglicanism doesn't believe anything," he said, referring to the belief that Anglicanism is more centered on church unity than doctrine. "The Scriptures are there in the liturgy."

Christian tradition serves as another critical building block, even though it is "not determinative" in matters of faith and practice to the same degree as the Scriptures. The relationship between Scripture and tradition is perhaps best summed up in the Church of England's proclamation that the Christian faith is "'uniquely revealed'" in the Scriptures and "'set forth in the catholic creeds.'"

Anglicanism is Reformed "in the sense of [holding to] the centrality of the Reformation," Turnbull asserted. He described it as a "graced" church in its adherence to the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The sacrament of Baptism reflects the Reformed focus on covenant; even infant baptism is "an expression of God's covenant relationship with his people."

Furthermore, "[m]ost Anglican evangelicals are moderate Calvinists," Turnbull said. This "means we do affirm the sovereignty of God . . . but we will also want to proclaim the gospel" so that people may freely choose Christ.

That emphasis on evangelism, as well as a Protestant understanding of the Eucharist, makes Anglicanism an apostolic church, according to Turnbull. And in its organizational structure, "essentially Anglicanism is a local church with biblical oversight" provided by the bishop. "We don't believe . . . that we can just do as we please."

A Transformational Church

Turnbull presented these six characteristics-scriptural, confessional, Reformed, graced, apostolic, and Reformed Episcopal-as marks of the Anglican Church that enable it to transform society.

Such transformation has been evident in Anglicanism's history in the sense of both evangelism and social reform. Turnbull cited the role of Anglican leaders such as George Whitefield and John Wesley in spreading the gospel, and William Wilberforce and the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury in social concerns.

Anglicanism also possesses a humility that can speak to society. "Anglicanism isn't static. It does believe that the church is continually in need of reform," Turnbull commented. It is not a fundamentalist church, he added, because it allows for diverse opinions on secondary matters of faith.

Challenges Facing Anglicans

Nonetheless, the lack of adherence to critical matters of faith has negatively impacted Anglicanism recently. Turnbull argued that "the real crisis" is not over sexuality, but rather the authority of Scripture. The Episcopal Church would say that the Bible is important, but "it is just one [authority] among many."

As an example, Turnbull cited the Episcopal Church's disregard for the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. "What is the point of evangelizing if Jesus is just one way [to God]?" he asked.

A second concern relates to church structure. In the Episcopal Church, "[t]he primacy of the [local] church has been replaced by the primacy of the diocese," in contradiction to Anglicanism's Thirty-Nine Articles, Turnbull asserted.

Despite these challenges, Turnbull sees Anglicanism not as a burden, but an opportunity. The difficulties can be met by reclaiming the authority of "God's grace, God's initiative, and God's word"; centering Anglican identity in the Scriptures; working toward communion with both other Anglicans and other Christians; and evangelizing non-Christians.

Evangelical Anglicanism in England

A self-professed historian who loves both history and tradition, Turnbull was visiting the United States to promote Wycliffe, an evangelical Anglican seminary that is part of the University of Oxford.

Some differences exist between evangelicals in the Church of England and those in American expressions of orthodox Anglicanism. "In England, 'evangelical' is normally defined theologically and doctrinally," while it takes on cultural overtones in America. Evangelicals have a considerable amount of influence in the Church of England, even though theological liberals dominate among bishops.

Three major challenges face Christians in England: secularization, growing religious pluralism, and the lack of church attendance. (Only five to six percent of the population regularly goes to church.) Surveys show that while most English citizens do not trust the church, they do not trust prominent atheists such as Richard Dawkins either.

Evangelicals in the Church of England often have attempted to meet these challenges partially by replacing traditional worship with contemporary expressions. Turnbull lamented the tendency in some evangelical Church of England parishes to eliminate reciting the creeds.

While women's ordination is polarizing to Anglo-Catholics and other traditionalists in the Church of England, Turnbull believes that only "an infinitesimal number" will leave the Church of England for Roman Catholicism.

Regarding the issue of whether the Church of England should be disestablished from the English state, Turnbull said that he on the whole supports establishment, but that British Christians fall on both sides of the issue.

For more information on Wycliffe Hall and Turnbull's books, contact the Friends of Wycliffe Hall USA. http://friendsofwycliffehall.org/


---Chip Webb is a Truro Church parishioner and former vestry member