ACNA on predestination

[Tigger45]

Specifically, what is the ACNA's doctrine of predestination? Double, single, assurance & free will? Thx

 

[Albion]

I'd be surprised if it's taken a specific stand on that. Most members, having been TEC members until recently, most likely believe in Free Will.

 

[Shane R]

"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 the fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief."

That's as close as you will get to an official statement; make of it what you will. The predestination article is notoriously ambiguous.

 

[Albion]

"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 the fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief."
That's as close as you will get to an official statement; make of it what you will. The predestination article is notoriously ambiguous.

...as is that ACNA statement, if you notice.

 

[Feuerbach]

I wouldn't think the ACNA would have a specific position on that question - wouldn't that depend on which predecessor hierarchy one belonged to whether REC, AMiA, etc?

 

[Albion]

I wouldn't think the ACNA would have a specific position on that question - wouldn't that depend on which predecessor hierarchy one belonged to whether REC, AMiA, etc?

Good point. And members still do belong to all those jurisdictions because ACNA has never completed its projected merger.

 

[Tigger45]

"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 the fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief."

That's as close as you will get to an official statement; make of it what you will. The predestination article is notoriously ambiguous.

Ok that makes sense. I researched it by reading the Thirty nine articles and the Anglican catechism and couldn't come up with anything.

 

[Tigger45]

I'd be surprised if it's taken a specific stand on that. Most members, having been TEC members until recently, most likely believe in Free Will.

Are any of the branches of Anglicanism more specific on doctrine? Particularly the more traditional/historic Anglicans?

 

[Albion]

Are any of the branches of Anglicanism more specific on doctrine? Particularly the more traditional/historic Anglicans?

"more specific?" I could cite a few statements that have been issued, but the most accurate reply is, I think, that the issue has basically been left where it stands with the Article on Predestination and Election which, as shane correctly said, is somewhat ambiguous. There are both predestinarian and freewill Anglicans and this division among Anglicans is generally taken in stride.

 

[Tigger45]

Thank you for helping me understand the overall mindset of Anglicanism. I knew they could be fairly tolerant of different biblical interpretations but I just wasn't sure if some groups were more specific than others.

As you might remember I attend a Lutheran church (LCMC) and I really appreciate Lutheran's clarity on their doctrines although it really doesn't come up in my pastors' sermons for the most part other than 'Law and Gospel'.

Does the concept of preaching the Word through the lens of 'Law and Gospel' come up within Anglicanism?

 

[Feuerbach]

Does the concept of preaching the Word through the lens of 'Law and Gospel' come up within Anglicanism?

Not to the degree that it does in Lutheran or conservative Calvinistic circles; at least not in my experience.

 

[Tigger45]

Not to the degree that it does in Lutheran or conservative Calvinistic circles; at least not in my experience.

Thank you

 

[everbecoming2007]

Is the historic Anglican position then different from both Calvinism and Arminianism? Or do we simply accept both views?

What about monergism verses synergism? I'm thinking the Articles probably tend away from the latter although perhaps lend themselves to a compatible doctrine with a different emphasis, I don't really know.

 

[Shane R]

I wish/hope there is a page with this type of thorough research on Anglican Eucharistic Theology: http://anglicaneucharistictheology.com/Anglican_Eucharistic_Theology/Welcome.html
for Anglican soteriology.

In my experience, I have not encountered a truly Arminian Anglican priest but I have encountered one that was essentially Lutheran, one that was Reformed in the classical sense (not five-point Calvinist), one that was neo-Reformed (ie. 3 point/semi-Arminian), and one that bordered on Semi-Pelagianism. In my studies, I have found Anglicanism to historically be more favorable to Reformed theology without going to the excesses of the Synod of Dort and with a high view of the Sacraments, which is more compatible with Lutheran theology than Reformed theology.

 

[everbecoming2007]

I wish/hope there is a page with this type of thorough research on Anglican Eucharistic Theology: http://anglicaneucharistictheology.com/Anglican_Eucharistic_Theology/Welcome.html
for Anglican soteriology.

In my experience, I have not encountered a truly Arminian Anglican priest but I have encountered one that was essentially Lutheran, one that was Reformed in the classical sense (not five-point Calvinist), one that was neo-Reformed (ie. 3 point/semi-Arminian), and one that bordered on Semi-Pelagianism. In my studies, I have found Anglicanism to historically be more favorable to Reformed theology without going to the excesses of the Synod of Dort and with a high view of the Sacraments, which is more compatible with Lutheran theology than Reformed theology.

I am not all that familiar with the Lutheran position, but it will be interesting to compare all these positions sometime. I do find the Anglican position much more ambiguous if only because there is so little to read on it.

That is a wonderful website by the way! I've spent quite a bit of time perusing it and have linked to it on these forums before.

 

[Albion]

Thank you for helping me understand the overall mindset of Anglicanism. I knew they could be fairly tolerant of different biblical interpretations but I just wasn't sure if some groups were more specific than others.

As you might remember I attend a Lutheran church (LCMC) and I really appreciate Lutheran's clarity on their doctrines although it really doesn't come up in my pastors' sermons for the most part other than 'Law and Gospel'.

Does the concept of preaching the Word through the lens of 'Law and Gospel' come up within Anglicanism?

I'd say that we, unlike confessional Lutherans, tend not to spend a lot of time defining non-essential doctrines or preaching about methodology.

 

[Feuerbach]

Is the historic Anglican position then different from both Calvinism and Arminianism? Or do we simply accept both views?

What about monergism verses synergism? I'm thinking the Articles probably tend away from the latter although perhaps lend themselves to a compatible doctrine with a different emphasis, I don't really know.

A lot of it is going to depend on what you mean by "historic." There are periods and movements within Anglicanism that are Reformed yet much of Anglicanism is broadly Arminian (though not Wesleyan). Others are neither (such as the Cambridge Platonists) and some don't fit onto that spectrum (Anglo-Catholics, for instance). Anglicanism is not a confessional magisterial movement the way that Calvinism or Lutheranism are and so some of these questions will result in strange answers if you're approaching it from a Lutheran background or assume all Christians fit along a Reformed-Arminian spectrum.

 

[Yardstick]

The Conciliar Anglican has laid out a rather thorough explanation of what he interprets the classical Anglican view of predestination to be.

The first part can be found here: http://conciliaranglican.com/2011/1...t-the-anglican-view-of-predestination-part-i/

 

[Tigger45]

The Conciliar Anglican has laid out a rather thorough explanation of what he interprets the classical Anglican view of predestination to be.

The first part can be found here: http://conciliaranglican.com/2011/1...t-the-anglican-view-of-predestination-part-i/

Thanks for the link, it was a great summary. I have Fr. Jonathan as one of my YouTube subscriptions but he hasn't posted anything in quite a while and I'd forgotten all about it.

 

[VolRaider]

I've never know TEC to take a stance on this. At least not when I grew up in the Church.