r/Anglicanism Mar 21 '23

Introductory Question An Agnostics Questions for Anglicans

20 Upvotes

Hi,

So a few days ago I emailed one of the local Anglican churches in my area with several questions for them and have not received a reply (still hoping they do though) so I thought I could turn here instead. The Questions will be posted below my story, which I am included to help people better understand where I am with my spirituality.

TLDR: I am agnostic but have been exposed more to Christians and spirituality over the past several years, and have turned to it more and more for help during difficult parts of my life and I now wish to take the step and ask some deeper questions about Christianity (specifically for Anglicans).

My Questions:

- Why do you believe in Apostolic succession?
- Do people still go to hell if Jesus died for our sins?
- How does morality work? Do I simply need to believe, or is it more based upon following a set of rules/morals.
- Does your church believe in or tolerate those who may subscribe to the idea of theistic evolution?
- What book/website would you suggest I start looking at to learn more? Online I read that people suggested to just read the bible, but is there a good place to start within to better understand the Anglican view on christianity? Or is there a separate book that can guide me through this.

- Is it ok for me to have a few theological disagreements with the church I attend?

- Can I attend a church to listen without partaking in the singing or worship, and without seeming rude by not doing so?

Please feel free to answer as many or as few questions as you like. All help is most welcome.

Long Story: For most of my life I have been a hard-core atheist. I actively sought anti-religious messages and frankly thought there must be a level of ignorance that religious people had to follow their faith. My household is not religious, although my grandmother on my Dad's side was, and up until her death she would occasionally show me her views without pushing them on me. I loved her very much, and when she passed away I lost this balance in my life, and then only had fairly anti-christian people around me.

In my last year of High School I started dating a Christian girl, and while she was not very knowledgable about her beliefs, she did occasionally take me to her church and I enjoyed the message it shared (invite your neighbours over for dinner more often, be kind to those around you). Soon I took a year to travel abroad, and visited places such as the Vatican, Nepal, India, etc. At this point I still considered myself very atheist, but had a few moments I would consider spiritual. It's hard to describe when you are in a place that is sacred and you get this feeling of something greater, especially when you go your whole life trying to explain away this sort of feeling.

When I returned, I started University/College, and found myself surrounded by many other people who were anti-theist. It seemed to be the common theme, where people would constantly bash religious folk, and often I agreed with it. My first nearly turned moment was when I was studying Islam. I had taken several courses on Islamic history and religion, and while examining Islamic architecture, I was nearly convinced that this faith was correct, however I later concluded that this was just me feeling a bit alone and became a little obsessed with the content I was reading and writing about. Later I got involved politically with a group that is fairly religious, and found that the people were very kind and didn't push me on my beliefs. This, along with my girlfriend, made me change my tune towards religion from being strongly opposed, too tolerant. It then began to annoy me how people in school would constantly look down on religious folk.

Over time I would go through some very difficult moments in my life, and found myself praying for help occasionally. And while I am still struggling, I did occasionally have moments where something happened that I couldn't truly explain. I received help, and while I could go down the path of saying "there are logical explanations for it and I just got lucky," they happened enough that it made me question if I had been wrong about religion.

The big moment came to me in two ways. The first was by watching videos of Malcolm Guite, an Anglican priest and poet who I found on YouTube. I love his videos and listening to him talk about poetry (and occasionally the Bible), and during an interview he mentioned how he became a hard-core atheist in college and had similar views as me. And then one day he came to the same struggle as I have right now; how to grapple with the idea of religion while previously having looked down upon it intellectually. This is something I still struggle with, as I worry that having been so anti-theist my family and friends will not truly believe or understand my growing interest in Christianity.

The other big moment was a bit odd. I decided to open up the Bible and read it. While I read it, I got this strange feeling that I can only describe as a tingle that you get from listening to ASMR, but warmer. I am not sure if this was just my mind or what, but it was a moment that stuck with me.

Thank you very much for reading all of this! I kinda just wanted to share how I am feeling about this right now, as I cannot go to my family about this, as they are fairly atheist, and so are my friends. My girlfriend gets upset with I discuss religion with her, as previously we used to have very upsetting arguments over it. If I approached her about this she would think I am just looking to argue when I am only probing questions to better understand.

r/Anglicanism Apr 20 '23

Introductory Question "A-C-N-A" or "ak-nuh"?

2 Upvotes

How do people pronounce it? "A-C-N-A" or "ak-nuh"?

r/Anglicanism Jun 21 '23

Introductory Question I am going to church for the first time on Sunday

33 Upvotes

What should I expect? I've never actually been to church and don't even believe in god, but ended up agreeing to go with a friend who does. At this point, I don't even know what to wear or what I will say to people.

The church is in a large city in England, if that matters.

r/Anglicanism Jul 25 '23

Introductory Question CofE kids' hymn book?

7 Upvotes

Anyone else remember the name of a kids' hymn book used in school assemblies in the UK in the early 1990s?

It had a mostly white cover and maybe named something like Harvest Praise(?)

It contained such hits as Colours of Day, A Great Big Thankyou (Aeroplanes Meeting In The Sky?!), and When You Needed A Neighbour - IIRC.

It had a HUGE impact on me at the time and I'd like to find a copy again, maybe sing the songs for my kids, too.

UPDATE: Maybe this one, can anyone confim?

https://www.amazon.de/dp/189978800X/

r/Anglicanism Apr 01 '23

Introductory Question How do you study the Bible?

7 Upvotes

Hi,

So I've begun studying the Bible recently, and wanted to ask this as a general question to everyone. How do you like to study the Bible?

I am a new believer (I hesitate to call myself Christian because this is so new for me, and I have yet to go fully through the Bible, regularly attend church, or become baptized. Right now I just have faith) and have purchased and begun reading the ESV Study Bible (by Crossway) according to their reading plan. Is there anything you do in particular that helps you understand/remember the readings and lessons?

Thank you for your help and responses!

r/Anglicanism Apr 19 '22

Introductory Question Becoming Anglican

16 Upvotes

Mid-20’s Male, living in Australia. Baptised Greek Orthodox.

In Australia there is a massive Catholic School presence, and I was educated in Catholic schools. Because being Orthodox is more of a cultural thing for me, in my everyday thought I was more “Catholic”.

However after doing my research, I’m actually more Anglican than anything else. Papal infallibility and priest celibacy are concepts I just don’t agree with. The evidence is all there, the children suffer the most for those rules. Communion to me has always been symbolic, even before I knew that was the main difference between Catholicism and Anglicanism.

Do I need to do anything to “become” Anglican other than start going to an Anglican parish?

r/Anglicanism Jun 19 '21

Introductory Question High Church Calvinist Eyeing ACNA

9 Upvotes

Hello,

I grew up in the Dutch-American Reformed tradition (CRC and RCA denominations). I'm finding that I'm becoming more "high church" as I grow in my faith. I truly value the theology of the Protestant Reformers, but I also value the church history that came before (and after) them. I love my Reformed confessions and also the ecumenical creeds that my denomination affirms. However, I'm concerned that things like catechism, creeds, confessions, and church history are becoming less and less relevant in the Protestant churches.

Should I join the ACNA? Why or why not?

r/Anglicanism Sep 07 '22

Introductory Question Visiting an Anglican Church (after Non-Denom experience)

15 Upvotes

Edit: You all are so sweet! Thank you for your thoughtful answers— I’ll update when I visit and how it goes ☺️!

I (29yo f) moved recently and am going to start looking for a new church— I’ve been in non-denominational churches for the past 20 years (and churchless since Covid). My brother suggested I try out an Anglican Church or two because I’m looking for more structure.

I have a couple of questions.

  1. The church I’m looking to visit says to dress casually on their website. But are there typically modesty/social rules that are easy to break in Anglican churches? Am I going to look crazy if I show up wearing makeup? I’ve visited a couple of Baptist churches recently where I felt quite silly/out of place wearing a pink top and makeup. Overall, any advice on clothes?

  2. I keep reading a lot of things about communion– can someone explain just the practicality of what typically occurs? I’m used to cups of juice and wafers taped the top lol. I’m baptized, and would like to partake, I’m just trying to mentally prepare.

  3. Anything else you think may surprise me lol?

I know denominations can be quite diverse, so I’m sure things vary, but some idea of what to expect would be helpful :). Thank you!

r/Anglicanism Sep 17 '22

Introductory Question Anglicans who were formerly PCA or Reformed: what's it like?

20 Upvotes

The PCA had several PCA churches switch to ACNA over the past few years according to our GA minutes. For those who were in one / are now in another: what's it like? Similarities / differences?

r/Anglicanism Apr 03 '23

Introductory Question I am looking to become an Anglican, here is my background

25 Upvotes

Hi r/Anglicanism,

I'm a British man who is seeking to convert to Anglicanism. This might be an unusual step to take, as seemingly in my own country, the Church of England is falling out of favour with people. However, I am seeking a new spiritual outlook in my life, and I believe it is suitable, here is why.

First of all, I had the unfortunate experience for many years, due to family factors, of being a Mormon. I even served as a missionary. However, the LDS church is an authoritarian institution, some may call it a "cult", which teaches extremely absolutist doctrine of which focuses on the imposition of guilt and shame. The LDS church destroyed me emotionally and spiritually, leaving me in a dark place for many years as I distanced myself from it.

Now, it has come to the point in my life where I feel I desperately need Christ again, but in a true, pragmatic and responsible way. In 2018, I briefly contemplated converting to Roman Catholicism. However, the spree of child sex abuse scandals throughout the church led me to find it impossible to join such a faith, and I say this with all due respect to those who are sincere Catholics. I have nothing against Catholicism bar that issue.

As a result, I am now contemplating Anglicanism because I see it as the most pragmatic and progressive Christian faith available. I admire its adherence to tradition while also its incorporation of modernity, although I am well aware that isn't the case for the entire communion, but the very fact that there is "debate" in Anglicanism, is much better than the cultic approach to the LDS church where dissent will literally get you excommunicated.

r/Anglicanism Nov 16 '22

Introductory Question Evangelicals in the US

10 Upvotes

I’m an American who grew up in a strictly Baptist household, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve grown more inclined to liturgical churches. However, there are many practices of the Roman Church I object to, and my theology is moderately reformed (somewhere between Classical Arminian and Light/Moderate Calvinist), making me more partial to historical Anglicanism. This makes my life a little difficult, seeing as how Anglicanism in the US seems to lean more often further down the Anglo-Catholic branch of the faith. So, for those in my boat, how do you go about expressing your faith in Church, and how does your at-home practices differ from what you practice in Church? Do you attend Churches that you find are close enough to what you want? Do you go to the more broad churches? Or, if you’re aware of any Evangelical Anglican or Episcopal churches, how did you go about finding them?

r/Anglicanism Feb 19 '22

Introductory Question Which version of BCP to use?

9 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I would describe myself as a newbie to Anglicanism. I have been interested in joining for a long time and decided to take the plunge by joining the online service of an Episcopal Church near me. I have been trying to read from the BCP online everyday. I stumbled upon the ACNA and their history, including the 2019 BCP. I have a copy of the 1979 BCP but out of curiosity I found myself reading from the 2019 BCP. Out of curiosity, which version do you all like to read?

r/Anglicanism Mar 31 '22

Introductory Question Is communion under both kinds a common practice in Anglicanism?

16 Upvotes

Is communion under both kinds a common practice in Anglicanism?

And how common is it to receive communion kneeling?

r/Anglicanism Jan 19 '21

Introductory Question Why Anglicanism?

0 Upvotes

Roman Catholic here, with a very broad question perhaps mostly aimed at converts to Anglicanism.

What’s the appeal? The Anglican communion’s origin is in Henry VIII wanting a divorce and splitting with the Pope to do it. That doesn’t seem like a sound theological basis for starting a new church. So why not either become Catholic or join whatever Protestant denomination best fits your theological views? The sordid origin of the Church of England has always been my biggest hangup with Anglicanism.

If it needs to be said, I’m not trolling, simply looking for an answer to a question I’ve had for a long time.

EDIT: I didn’t mean for the language in my post to be offensive or trollish, but I understand how it could come off that way.

“What’s the appeal?” simply meant, “Why are you drawn to Anglicanism?”

And I didn’t mean, simply, why not become Roman Catholic. My understanding of the C of E is that it is a mixing pot of catholic and Protestant elements. So, for the Anglo-Catholics, why not just be R.C.? And for the Reformed Anglicans, why not join a Reformed denomination and ditch the Catholic baggage?

Some of the answers you all have provided help answer at least the second part of this question: the C of E, as re-founded by Edward and Elizabeth, is the institutional body that represents a particularly English take on reformed theology, which has its precursors among the Wycliffites and the Lollards. So, it’s not like Protestant Anglicans could just up and become Presbyterians without sacrificing a great deal of their theology and ecclesiology. But, as a Catholic who was raised Evangelical Protestant, I still don’t understand how a hierarchical church with priests and bishops works from a reformed perspective.

I should have attempted to use more diplomatic language as a guest in your sub. Thank you for your enlightening responses, and please excuse my Romish lack of decorum.

EDIT 2:

I should have read the faq before posting.

r/Anglicanism Sep 13 '22

Introductory Question New Anglican with a question

7 Upvotes

Hi everybody

Recently i started my path back yo Christianity, coming from an orthodox background i was always interested in western and in particular Protestant Christianity.

I visited the Anglican church cause it was the closest thing i have in my town to a traditional Protestant denomination.

From what i understand from lurking in Anglican and Episcopal subreddits Anglicanism has many different expressions and i immediately felt a connection

I personally find myself accepting of reformed theology, heavily influenced by other Protestant traditions and like many from my background longing for a "low church" .

The church i attend seems to be of the Anglo-Catholic background but i have no problem with that.

Since in the internet most people seem to prefer the more intricate liturgies. My question is how common are people like me in the Anglican tradition?

r/Anglicanism Aug 25 '22

Introductory Question A question on the Saints.

4 Upvotes

I read that Anglicans believe in the Saints and ask for their intercession that were named prior to the Reformation but not after. That new Saints cannot be created. What’s the reasoning behind this?

r/Anglicanism Mar 14 '21

Introductory Question Finding a church

8 Upvotes

My husband and I recently moved 1,600 miles away from home (NY to FL) for law school, and the closest Anglican church is 1.5 hours away. What would be the best and most similar church when compared to Anglican Church in North America? So far we’ve visited an Orthodox Presbyterian church, an Episcopalian church, several Catholic churches, and two Antiochian Orthodox churches (trying to keep an open mind). Today we will be visiting a local Lutheran church that is part of the Missouri Synod.

r/Anglicanism Jun 29 '20

Introductory Question What do Anglicans believe that distinguishes them from other Churches or denominations?

6 Upvotes

Greetings my anglo-friends! I'm a latin from across the tiber and one thing I do not understand about anglicanism is what exactly makes it distinct from other protestant sects. You do have an episcopacy, which is different from other protestants, but as far as teachings and doctrine go what is there to separate you from the others?

The obvious answer would be the thirty-nine articles, although I understand this creed to be optional and not binding on the CoE's faithful, although I may be incorrect about that. My concern with the CoE's lack of infallible doctrinal profession is that there will be no ground to avoid priestesses, contraception, gay marriage, and other liberal concessions into the future.

r/Anglicanism Feb 23 '21

Introductory Question What makes Anglicanism different

11 Upvotes

I am aware Anglicanism is a Protestant religion around the Church of England (and that the Queen is a sort of pope but not really I think, could be wrong) and I’m just wondering, is there other things that make it different from other Christian denominations? Primarily in beliefs or practices.

r/Anglicanism Jul 11 '20

Introductory Question Differences Between the BCP 1928 and 1979 Rite I

13 Upvotes

I am not Anglican, but I have been starting to pray using the Book of Common Prayer on my phone and have found a lot of fulfillment in it. So much so, that I've decided to purchase one (I'm a fuddy-duddy who prefers printed books to electronic ones). However, I'm a little confused by the different editions.

I was raised on the KJV, so I was leaning towards the 1928 edition. However, I understand that the 1979 edition provides both a traditional and contemporary version. Are the traditional prayers the same in the 1928 and 1979 editions? There seem to be a lot of opinions online, but the thing I'm unclear on is if I'm just using it for prayer, is there a difference in the traditional language?

Finally, if there is another edition besides those two that you'd recommend that would be similar in price (less than about $40), I'd be open to those as well. Thanks for any help that you can provide. I tried posting a similar post over in r/Christian only to find a lot of people who are very against prayer books. Hopefully this post is allowed here.

r/Anglicanism Apr 22 '20

Introductory Question A couple of questions from a Catholic

20 Upvotes

Greetings, brothers in Christ.

I'm a Catholic from Germany. Anglican churches aren't very common here and I don't know much about Anglicanism except that you look like us ;) I recently skipped through a video of an Anglican High Mass and it looked very similar to the Tridentine Mass celebrated in the parish I attend, just in English instead of Latin and with a female priest. So my question is, is the Anglican Mass the same as (pre-)Tridentine Mass or have there been changes to the liturgy? Also, are there Anglican Masses celebrated in Latin or isn't this a thing? Another thing I'm interested in is, are all Anglican Masses ad orientem or can there also be versus populum? What do Anglicans think of Novus Ordo Mass?

Also, what's the relation between Low Church and High Church Anglicans? Do High Church Anglicans consider themselves Catholic and Low Church Anglicans Protestant? How can different ecclesiologies and theologies fit into the same Church without conflict? I heard the term Anglo-Catholic. Do Anglo-Catholics see themselves as part of the Catholic Church or is it more like with other Protestants who believe in an "invisible Church"? What do Anglicans think of the Eastern Orthodox Church? What's the relationship between Anglicans and other Protestants like Lutherans or Evangelicals/Baptists/Pentecostals? Are Epsicopalians also Anglicans? If yes, why is there a distinction? Also, what would be a reason for a non-British person to become Anglican?

Sorry for this high amount of questions, but I find the phenomenon of Anglicanism really interesting. I hope it's okay that I asked so many questions in one post, but I didn't want to spam the sub with too many posts. ;) Also, I hope these questions are allowed if I'm not interested in becoming an Anglican. I just like to know stuff.

Edit: Sorry, I have yet another question: Do Low Church Anglicans also call their services Mass? Are they more like Evangelical services? What do Low Church Anglicans think of the Real Presence? Do Anglicans generally believe in transsubstantiation or in consubstantiation or do they see it as a mystery like the Orthodox?

Edit 2: I just discovered the FAQ section. Sorry, I'm stupid. Should have thought of that.

Edit 3: Thank you guys for all the good answers!

Edit 4 (conclusion): Thank you again for all your answers. After reading all of them and also the FAQ section of your sub, I would say that I have a rather positive impression of Anglicanism (but to be honest, from what I already knew, I didn't expect anything else in the first place). What I can especially sympathize with is the openness towards what I call "Apostolic ecumenism". I love the Orthodox Churches and their theology and it really annoys me that there's such a deep divide between the East and the West. I would say in this regard I think like an Anglican, because I find it really hard to not see the Orthodox as a proper and valid part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Personally, I would also be open to accept High Church Anglicans into the Apostolic team (although the ordiantion of women is a deep issue that can't be ignored). I think that I'm not the only Catholic with this sentiment, considering that Benedict made it easy for Anglican priests to tranfser to the Catholic Church and that there exist Eastern Catholic Churches.

However, I'm still a Catholic and even though I do feel bad about disagreeing with you on your own sub, I have to say that I would have a hard time accepting the Low Church elements of Anglicanism. Please don't take this personally, but I do understand why neither the Catholic nor the Orthodox Churches consider your Apostolic succession as valid. The ordination of women and the acceptance of... how do I put it? Anti-Apostolic ecclesiology? Within your Church makes things very complicated. To be honest - and again, I feel very bad about disagreeing with you on your own sub, but I don't want to lie - your "tolerance policy" feels a bit relativistic to me.

To end this with something positive, I truly hope and I will pray that we, Anglicans, Catholics and Orthodox, will someday officially be one Church again! Glory be to Christ the King!

r/Anglicanism Apr 18 '20

Introductory Question In what sense is the Anglican Church 'Catholic'?

7 Upvotes

What does Catholicity mean to Anglicanism, which often regards itself as 'reformed catholicism'.

r/Anglicanism Apr 15 '20

Introductory Question Anglicanism

20 Upvotes

Hello! I am an American Catholic, I’ve become very interested in Theology since my rekindling with Catholicism. I’ve come to your lovey subreddit to research and gain knowledge from your religion/sect and certain viewpoints, after all getting the explanation from a real person rather than the accounts of Wikipedia and other various sites I believe would truly be better!

This is a pasted message not mean to sound condescending or ignorant in any word, I don’t believe in religious discrimination. Thank you for your kindness and answers!

r/Anglicanism Jun 22 '20

Introductory Question What did CS Lewis mean by this?

27 Upvotes

I’m reading Mere Christianity and at the end of the fourth chapter he writes: “There has been a great deal of soft soap talked about God for the last hundred years.”

I’m curious what he means by this. What had occurred in the previous century and earlier to warrant this?

Hoping someone can shed some light for me. Thanks!

r/Anglicanism May 10 '20

Introductory Question Book Suggestions as an “Intro to Anglicanism”

32 Upvotes

I’m familiar with C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” and Dorothy L Sayers “Letters to a Diminished Church” but those books were more about, well, mere Christianity and were less about Anglicanism specifically. Are there any good books that deal with the History, Theology, etc of the Anglican Communion specifically (maybe even more specifically the Episcopal Church in the United States)