An Anglican Ethos

by The Rev. Tony Clavier frtony@dakota.net I was recently asked to defend the proposition that there is an Anglican ethos, or that if there is, it is merely a form of elite snobbery. I granted that it was often just that, but then went on to say:

I'd identify a few aspects, perhaps with my tongue in my cheek, in this manner:

A non-defensive orthodoxy
A respect for scholarship
An insistence on freedom to debate, to discuss
Undemonstrative spirituality
Liturgical excellence trimmed to suit the surroundings
A sense of proportion and of humour
A patient sense of time and a realization that the "moment" is not all there is.
A pastoral emphasis
Respect for the ordained ministry in itself
A mistrust of those who are ordained and particularly bishops
Dislike of fanaticism
A belief that opposites can attract and can be "comprehended"

Historically it is impossible to divorce our tradition of theology and spirituality from our ethos or to decide which came first...there's a long line of chickens and eggs.

Fr. Tony Clavier
Trinity Episcopal Church, Watertown, SD 57201
http://www.tecwatertown.org
605-886-4167 (O) 605-886-3639 (Fax)

The Series: 'Joy Anyway!': http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/joyanyway/joy.html
Louie Crew's Anglican pages: http://newark.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/rel.html
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