What are the strengths and weaknesses of Anglicanism?

Answer 1

Answer: Anglicanism has traditionally seen itself as being a bridge between the perceived excesses of Catholicism and the perceived excesses of Protestantism. As a result, Anglicanism has been regarded as a communion of churches (rather than a single church) with a great deal of toleration. A particular attraction of Anglicanism may be that it is possible to worship in a parish that is very similar to a Catholic parish or in a parish that is somewhat Methodist, or even Baptist in character. There are Anglicans who believe in seven sacraments and Anglicans who believe in only two. Some churches have statues, icons, vestments and incense and others have a plain wooden cross and a pulpit in the centre instead of an altar; indeed, the Cathedral in Sydney Australia does not have an altar. This broad band of tolerance and wide breadth of liturgical practice and theological belief has proved a great attraction for many people uncomfortable with the more intense discipline of Catholicism or the rather bland worship style of some Protestant groups. The fact that Anglicanism has within its communion such a variety of beliefs and practices has meant that its leaders have had to be open-minded as well as good listeners. However, in recent years, this tolerance and breadth of practice has been challenged as being wishy-washy with some Anglican leaders accusing others of pandering to changes in society rather than remaining true to the values of the Gospel. The question is: how far can a person, parish, diocese or national church go before no longer being able to be called Anglican or even Christian? Due to the structure of Anglicanism, each bishop actually has greater autonomy than Catholic counterparts; this also applies to national groupings. The Archbishop of Canterbury is regarded as the spiritual leader of Anglicanism, but is seen as first-among-equals rather than an Anglican pope. This means that, in effect, there is no real central authority within the Anglican Communion in terms of discipline. Thus, when an individual bishop "falls out of line" it is the national church that disciplines. However, when a national church does so, the Archbishop of Canterbury is quite powerless. This is what has happened regarding the Episcopal Church in the USA, and to a lesser extent the Anglican Church in Canada. As of August 2009 the Anglican Communion is threatened by schism as groups of bishops condemn others and rival dioceses are set up in conflicting jurisdictions. For many, the strength of Anglicanism is also its greatest weakness. (See related links)