J. I. Packer and Michael Jensen on Anglicanism: Two Articles

What is Anglicanism? (J.I. Packer Speaks)

Anglicanism is first biblical and protestant in its stance, and second, evangelical and reformed in its doctrine. That’s a particular nuance within the Protestant constituency to which the Anglican church is committed – the 39 Articles show that.... Keep reading

9 Things You Should Really Know About Anglicanism

Anglicanism is Reformed. The theology of the founding documents of the Anglican church—the Book of Homilies, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion—expresses a theology in keeping with the Reformed theology of the Swiss and South German Reformation. It is neither Lutheran, nor simply Calvinist, though it resonates with many of Calvin’s thoughts. Keep reading

Both Packer and Jensen affirm the biblical, Protestant, Reformed, and evangelical heritage of the Anglican Church--something that the Anglican Church in North America has not done in any of the doctrinal statements that the ACNA has issued to date--its fundamental declarations, its canons, its ordinal, its trial services of Holy Communion, and its catechism. Indeed, as I have repeatedly pointed out in numerous articles, the ACNA does not in these documents make room for the beliefs and practices of  Anglicans who affirm that heritage.

The ACNA College of Bishops is meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, from June 22-26, 2015 along with the ACNA Executive Committee and Provincial Council. Interestingly the ACNA announcement of these meetings on its website describes all three organs as "governing bodies" of the ACNA. The ACNA constitution and canons, however, recognize the Provincial Council as the only official governing body of the ACNA. The Executive Committee under the provisions of these governing documents is ancillary to the Provincial Council and not a separate organ of governance. The constitution and canons do not recognize the College of Bishops as an organ of governance at all!

I am anticipating that the College of Bishops will endorse the proposed rites for the admission of catechumens, baptism, and confirmation. Their endorsement will add three more pieces to the puzzle. The picture that has been completed so far shows that the ACNA in its stance is unreformed Catholic and in its doctrine a curious blend of Arminianism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Roman Catholicism. Whether "Anglican" is an accurate description of the ACNA is open to debate.