Father Tony is up early this morning and the fruits of his early morning ruminations are an impressive attempt to layout the basic ideas of Anglicanism.

The post itself is rather long and very meaty, so it’s hard to pull out just one bit of it for a taste. But this sentence in particular speaks to one of most appealing (to me) aspects of what it is to be a Christian in the Anglican/Episcopalian tradition:

“Anglicanism rejects the sectarian ideal that churches are for like-minded ‘saints’who agree about each others’ virtue, or election, or enlightenment, or on an agenda other than the Catholic Faith as described in the Liturgy and other documents, and in the living voice of scripture, the living experience of the Tradition and the living application of sanctified reason.”

This statement follows from the premise that Anglicanism claims no “special doctrine” or “revelation” that sets it above other denominations. It is also an outgrowth of the wonderfully pragmatic understanding that the Catholic Church is the whole of the Church and not just one particular denomination.

Take some time today and read the rest here: WHAT IS ANGLICANISM ANYWAY?

(Via Fr. Tony Clavier.)