What is the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)?

the anglican church in north america or acna is a denomination started in 2009 in the anglican tradition that was founded by churches leaving the episcopal church in the united states and the anglican church of canada as well as other smaller anglican denominations that merged together the acna is the second largest anglican denomination in the united states behind the significantly larger episcopal church the episcopal church is significantly more theologically liberal and less committed to the historic anglican confessions the acna's view of the confessions is as follows we received the book of common prayer as set forth by the church of england in 1662 together with the ordinal attached to the same as a standard for anglican doctrine and discipline and with the books which preceded it as the standard for the anglican tradition of worship we received the 39 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 is expressing the fundamental principles of authentic anglican belief the acna affirms the trinity christ's deity his virgin birth and his literal bodily resurrection as well as a literal heaven and hell because the acna is made up of both church plants as well as churches in the anglican tradition from many sources there can be a wide variety and what you experience in acne churches some churches look much like evangelical churches others seem more like a reformed church and others yet are anglo-catholic we'll discuss this as we get to each issue also we'll be referencing the 2020 printing of to be a christian and anglican catechism produced by and for the acna there are those within the acna who have some disagreement with some of the contents of the catechism though they are the minority though i won't mention every time there is a dispute i will mention a few of them realize though for any particular congregation that you may find some differences now let's discuss the sacraments the 25th of the 39 articles says in part there are two sacraments ordained of christ our lord in the gospel that is to say baptism and the supper of the lord those five commonly called sacraments that is to say confirmation penance orders matrimony and extreme unction are not to be counted for sacraments of the gospel being such as have grown partly of the corrupt following of the apostles partly are states of life allowed in the scriptures but yet have not liked nature as sacraments with baptism and the lord's supper for that they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of god now let's look at to be a christian the acna's new catechism question 123 asks and is answered in this way what sacraments were ordained by christ the two sacraments ordained by christ that are generally necessary to salvation are baptism and holy communion also called the lord's supper or the holy eucharist these are sometimes called sacraments of the gospel question 124 follows up with this are there other sacraments other rites and institutions commonly called sacraments include confirmation ordination marriage absolution and the anointing of the sick these are sometimes called sacraments of the church and question 125 how do these differ from the sacraments of the gospel they were not ordained by christ as necessary to salvation but arose from the practices of the apostles and the early church or are blessed by god in scripture god clearly uses them as means of grace some of those who are more distinctly protestant in the acna as opposed to those who are anglo-catholic have disagreed with the catechism here not believing anything other than baptism and the lord's supper should be considered as sacraments however the catechism does go on to describe each of these other sacraments for example on absolution the catechism states in absolution a priest acting under god's authority pronounces god's forgiveness in response to repentance and confession of sin in absolution god conveys his pardon through the cross removes and cancels my sin declares me reconciled and at peace with him and grants me the assurance of his grace and salvation let's now discuss baptism article 27 of the 39 article states the baptism of young children is in any wise to be retained in the church as most agreeable with the institution of christ baptism in the acna is generally practiced for infants but also for unbaptized adult converts the 2019 book of common prayer suggests two modes for baptism when it says then the celebrant immerses the candidate or pours water upon the candidate three times the diocese of san joaquin's rectors and wardens manual says baptism by immersion though preferable is not always possible in church therefore in church water should be poured not sprinkled three times in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit additionally the book of common prayer adds the celebrant makes the sign of the cross upon the forehead of the newly baptized and may use the oil of chrism to do so baptism is taught as a part of salvation to be a christian says through faith repentance and baptism we are spiritually united to jesus and become children of god the father and also the inward and spiritual grace is death to sin and new birth to righteousness through union with christ in his death and resurrection i am born as sinner by nature separated from god but in baptism through faith in christ and the gift of the holy spirit i am made a member of christ's body and adopted as god's child and heir in response to the question who are god's children the catechism answers all who come to god through faith and baptism in christ are adopted as children of god the father the 2019 acna book of common prayer indicates by its wording for baptism that the seal of the holy spirit comes by baptism it recommends as optional wording you are sealed by the holy spirit in baptism and marked as christ zone forever the acna does practice confirmation to be a christian says confirmation is the laying on of the bishop's hands with prayer for strengthening by the holy spirit following a period of catechetical formation in confirmation i make a mature confession of faith publicly renewing the vows and promises made at my baptism on the lord's supper here is the 28th of the 39 articles on the matter the supper of the lord is not only a sign of the love that christians ought to have among themselves one to another but rather it is a sacrament of our redemption by christ's death in so much that to such as rightly worthily and with faith receive the same the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of christ and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of christ transubstantiation or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the supper of the lord cannot be proved by holy writ but is repugnant to the plain words of scripture overthroweth the nature of a sacrament and hath given occasion to many superstitions the body of christ is given taken and eaten in the supper only after in heavenly and spiritual manner and the mean whereby the body of christ is received and eaten in the supper is faith the sacrament of the lord's supper was not by christ's ordinance reserved carried about lifted up or worshipped article 31 also states the offering of christ once made is that perfect redemption propitiation and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world both original and actual and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone wherefore the sacrifices of masses in the which it is commonly said that the priests did offer christ for the quick and the dead to have remission of pain or guilt were blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits communion is practiced at least weekly on sundays anglicans generally would affirm a view of the lord's supper that would be termed as one of the real presence of christ in the acna there are a variety of ways that this could be expressed the diocese of fort worth requires a real presence view for participation in the sacrament their website states our policy is that any baptized person who is a communicant in good standing in his or her own church may receive the sacrament in our church if that person feels the spiritual need to do so is repentant of their sins and approaches the holy communion as an expression of the real presence of jesus christ once again the dioceses in the acna can be very different many are not based on geography but rather on policy various terminology is used for the lord's supper in the acna with terms such as communion eucharist and the blessed sacrament all being used by some in the denomination the acna in line with the 39 articles accepts the 39 books of the old testament and 27 of the new as canonical the most well-known historical anglican bible translation the king james version originally contained the apocrypha and anglican bibles still today may have it included anglican house publishers a ministry partner of the acna which uses the acna's logo on its website prints an esv bible with the apocrypha the question why apocrypha is then answered as stated more fully in article 6 of the articles of religion the apocrypha is not part of the canonical scriptures of the holy bible therefore it has been included in a separate section following the old testament and the new testament this esv translation of the apocrypha stands in the mainstream of classic apocrypha translations extending back over the last five centuries the lectionaries of most editions of the book of common prayer since 1549 include canticles and readings from the apocrypha at morning and evening prayer as does the book of common prayer 2019 of the anglican church in north america article 6 states that the 14 ancient books of the apocrypha are read for example of life and instruction of manners but not to apply them to establish any doctrine the apocrypha is primarily an aid for reading the daily offices for instruction and living and for lectionary readings in the church here is what the acna says about the scripture we confess the canonical books of the old and new testaments to be the inspired word of god containing all things necessary for salvation and to be the final authority and unchangeable standard for christian faith and life the acna as a church body doesn't use the term inerrant for the scripture many within the church would reject a strict literal view of the creation account in genesis for example and much of the other theology that is usually applied by the term of inerrancy however there are certainly those within the acna who do hold to inerrancy and at least one of the jurisdictions officially uses the term the reformed episcopal church which is represented as three of the acna's dioceses states prominently on their website that since 1873 the reformed episcopal church has remained faithful to the inerrant word of god powerfully proclaiming the unchanging gospel of jesus christ and worshiping him in spirit and in truth using the time honored book of common prayer the acna has no dogmatic position on the age of the earth or on the subject of human evolution theistic evolution old earth and young earth creation can all be found among other positions in the membership on the human sin nature the acna teaches in original sin and rejects a view of the human nature as a blank slate that only becomes sinful upon one's commission of sin in part article 9 of the 39 article states original sin standeth not in the following of adam as the pelagians do vainly talk but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man that naturally is engendered of the offspring of adam whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness and is of his own nature inclined to evil so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit and therefore in every person born into this world it deserveth god's wrath and damnation most in the acna would reject the concept of a one-time salvation or born-again experience as taught by evangelical christianity infant baptism is viewed as bringing a child into the church with all of the church's benefits in relation to salvation later to be confirmed and nurtured through participation in the lord's supper an article by father wes christie rector at all saints anglican church in jackson tennessee and acna congregation states the anglican tradition takes seriously the biblical language that salvation is not a commodity received at a one-time event in the past but is rather a reality you enter into and continue to grow in as the apostle paul teaches you were saved ephesians 2 8 you are being saved first corinthians 15 2 and you will be saved romans 13 11. the anglican view of baptism fits this view of salvation much more comfortably than those who reduce salvation to a one-time event if salvation is a process then baptism the continual nourishment received from the lord's supper confirmation ongrowing growth in the faith and ultimately perseverance are all aspects of this mysterious and yet wonderful gift of god to save us both from our sins and also for his work in the world the 39 articles deny that works are part of salvation article 11 reads of the justification of man we are accounted righteous before god only for the merit of our lord and savior jesus christ by faith and not for our own works or deservings wherefore that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort as more largely is expressed in the homily of justification followed by article 12 of good works albeit that good works which are the fruits of faith and follow after justification cannot put away our sins and endure the severity of god's judgment yet are they pleasing and acceptable to god in christ and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith in so much that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit the 39 articles of firm predestination but anglicans disagree on whether god predestines some people to hell or not the acna takes no solid position on these viewpoints so there will be some in the acna who hold to more calvinistic viewpoints and others who lean more toward arminianism this is similar to anglicanism of the past centuries where calvinists like george whitfield and arminians like john wesley ministered together in the church the acna is not opposed to charismatism and there are charismatic ministers in the church for example canon to the ordinary for the anglican diocese of the south greg goebbel who also founded anglicancompass.com says having grown up in and pastored in the pentecostal charismatic tradition people often ask if i am still a charismatic now that i'm an anglican fortunately to be anglican does not require one to cease being charismatic and i feel i've continued in that once again though the acna is diverse and there are dioceses without much charismatic influence or where it is frowned upon on end times or eschatology the acna does not require a particular stance on the millennium though amillennialism is most common the matter is not commonly brought up within anglicanism generally and there are those who hold to post-millennial and pre-millennial positions also anglicanism does follow covenant theology however so a dispensational position would be outside of the mainstream in the acna because of this nearly all anglicans would view the catching up of believers commonly termed the rapture as taking place at the second coming of christ and not separated by a literal seven year tribulation period like dispensationalism teaches let's discuss one of the issues that even led to the creation of the acna as the anglican church bodies in the global south noticed the progression of the u.s anglican body the episcopal church into less and less distinctively anglican doctrine and practice it led to the formation of missionary dioceses in north america additionally some less progressive dioceses and parishes within the episcopal church begin to break off the acna in 2009 would begin joining these groups together into a unified north american church body the acna says in the article our genesis about what led to the formation of the acna that within the last decades the episcopal church in the united states and the anglican church of canada have increasingly accommodated and incorporated unbiblical unanglican practices and teaching one of the issues that was considered to be both unbiblical and unanglican was the episcopal church's election of gay bishop gene robinson in 2003 the aca's position on marriage is the anglican church in north america affirms our lord's teaching that the sacrament of holy matrimony is in its nature a union permanent and lifelong of one man and one woman titled two cannon eight of the acne's canon states in view of the teaching of holy scripture the lambuth conference of 1998 and the jerusalem declaration this church upholds faithfulness and marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage and cannot legitimize or bless same-sex unions or ordain persons who engage in homosexual behavior sexual intercourse should take place only between a man and a woman who are married to each other the acna cannons address the matters of divorce and remarriage as follows as marriage is a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman in which the two become one flesh it is both an ordinance of creation affirmed as such by our lord and commanded by saint paul as a sign of the mystical union between christ and his church matthew 19 3-9 ephesians 5 22-32 therefore the failure of a marriage is always a tragedy scripture acknowledges our fallen nature and does provide guidance to know when a marriage may be declared a nullity or dissolved and allows the possibility of a subsequent marriage in certain circumstances matthew 19 and first corinthians 7. number one couples who request to be married by a member of the clergy of this church must have approval from their bishop if either party has ever been divorced number two when a divorced person seeks permission to remarry the clergy must ascertain the pertinent facts concerning a declaration of nullity or a termination of marriage and in the absence of a declaration of nullity forward such information to the bishop in writing for his godly advice and consent number three the diocese is responsible to create a process by which this discernment may be made with reasonable promptness on abortion to be a christian states what other actions are considered murder genocide infanticide abortion suicide and euthanasia are all forms of murder sins of murderous intent include physical and emotional abuse abandonment willful negligence and wanton recklessness the acna church cannon section on of the music of the church states it shall be the duty of every member of the clergy in charge of a congregation to a point for use psalms hymns and spiritual songs which are appropriate for worship the member of the clergy in charge is the final authority in the administration of matters pertaining to music in the congregation different parishes and dioceses again may be different in their forms of worship and styles of music one theme that may be often but not always seen is that churches that were previously part of the episcopal church will be more likely to have the high church liturgical style and hymnody where churches never part of the episcopal church would be more likely than those to have a more contemporary type of worship the acna music task force and musicians of the anglican church in north america has a website which includes resources for psalms in worship choirs contemporary music and more indicating the diversity of the acna on this topic despite that there are also some similarities you will find in all acna churches the church uses the book of common prayer and readings from it are expected in worship the 2019 book of common prayer says in the section concerning the divine service of the church daily morning and evening prayer the great litany the order for holy communion and the orders for holy baptism and confirmation as set forth in this book are the regular liturgies appointed for worship in this church daily morning prayer and daily evening prayer are the established rites offices by which both corporately and individually god's people annually encounter the word of the holy scriptures daily confess their sins and praise almighty god and offer timely thanksgivings petitions and intercessions the prayer book tradition has historically expected clergy to pray the daily office morning and evening each day the acna does not prohibit the use of alcohol and its documents are silent on the issue the acna canons state that one of the duties of the laity is as follows to give regular financial support to the church with the biblical tithe as the minimum standard of giving the church polity of the acna is episcopal their website states we confess the godly historic episcopate as an inherent part of the apostolic faith and practice and therefore as integral to the fullness and unity of the body of christ the book of common prayer says we recognize that god has called and gifted bishops priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of god for their ministry in the world we uphold the classic anglican ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders the acn is faq says the following about the issue of women in ministry something controversial within the acna at the inception of the anglican church in north america the lead bishops unanimously agreed to work together for the good of the kingdom as part of this consensus it was understood that there were differing understandings regarding the ordination of women to holy orders but that there existed a mutual love and respect for one another and a desire to move forward for the good of the church this commitment was deeply embedded in the constitution in canons overwhelmingly adopted by the inaugural assembly 2009 in respect of the two integrities concerning holy orders three matters were specifically agreed in constitution and canons the province shall make no cannon abridging the authority of any member dioceses clusters or networks whether regional or affinity-based and those dioceses banded together as jurisdictions with respect to its practice regarding the ordination of women to the diaconate or presbytera constitution article 8 except as here and after provided the norms for ordination shall be determined by the bishops having jurisdiction title 3 canon 1.4 to be a suitable candidate for the episcopate bishop a person must be a male presbyter at least 35 years old title iii canon 8.3.7 the 32nd of the 39 article states bishops priests and deacons are not commanded by god's law either to vow the estate of single life or to abstain from marriage therefore it is lawful for them as for all other christian men to marry at their own discretion as they shall judge the same to serve better to godliness the acna is part of the global anglican future conference an anglican conference representing the majority of anglicans that claims to represent orthodox anglicanism and affirms marriage between one man and one woman the acna is in fellowship with many church bodies of anglicanism especially in the global south but not at this point considered to be in fellowship with the global anglican communion the relationship between the acna and the episcopal church is also not friendly with the episcopal church suing and often winning settlements against dioceses that leave the episcopal church the episcopal church claims the right to church property of dioceses or parishes that leave in 2019 the acna reported 972 congregations and 127 624 members anglicanism and the episcopal church are compared to independent baptists in this video here on the ready to harvest channel and there are more videos upcoming with other such comparisons please take a look at the other videos here we discuss different denominations in many different ways

Channel: Ready to Harvest

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Length: 22min 35sec (1355 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 01 2020