I am an Anglican!

A friend asked me why I stay an Anglican.

The answer is that I believe that Anglicanism best weaves together the major strands of Christianity - Catholic, Charismatic, Evangelical, and Liberal - together.

Simply put:

Catholic - An emphasis on Tradition and a high view of the Church
Evangelical - The centrality of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection
Charismatic - The Holy Spirit and his gifts
Liberal - The human element

It should be noted that if you lack a Charismatic or Liberal component, you have a Christianity that is incomplete. If you lack the Evangelical or Catholic components, you have something that is not Christian at all.

The American Anglican church has almost entirely lost the Evangelical part while the Liberal piece dominates. This is not good! This leaves you with an identity that is completely determined by a human perspective (It is ironic that in places that are dominated by the Charismatic perspective, while being theoretically God-centered, they often become just as anthropocentric as the Liberals!) .

Anglicanism has gone through periods where each part has been in the ascendancy, but on the whole, Anglicanism can hold these together. I contend that this is the true "via media." I pray that we can return to a place there all four are included.