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Augustine of Hippo — patron saint of theologians
At some point any serious, committed Anglican — particularly someone who understands, or has been told, that Anglican spirituality is actually thoroughly Catholic, though distinct from Roman, Eastern Orthodox, Old Catholic, and Oriental Catholic — is likely going to confront a simple but serious question: What is the nature of Anglican theology?
This is a good question. Perhaps for Catholic Anglicans, it is a crucial question, because this particular question might get at the heart of authentic Anglican identity. And doesn’t the Anglican communion face a crisis of identity that would be particularly good to resolve, in order to save what might be an imploding tradition?
Many Anglicans know, and all should, that Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher (d. 1972) famously said about Anglicanism, “We have no doctrine of our own. We only possess the Catholic doctrine of the Catholic Church enshrined in the Catholic Creeds, and these creeds we hold without addition or diminution. We stand firm on that rock.” These words ought plaster the top of every formation handout given to Anglican in parish formation classes. ++Fisher’s statement is profound, scriptural, patristic, and humble. Its truth guides our tradition.
Yet there is a difference between doctrine and theology. These are intimately related, but markedly distinct. Indeed, the Archbishop remains correct: Anglicanism has no unique doctrine of its own. It, after all, is rightly understood as a “school of Catholic spirituality”. Spiritual schools, after all, do not concoct new official doctrines. Rather various Catholic traditions work with the doctrines that holy Church has defined, according to the whole — the Vincentian Canon is ever-useful: “Care must especially be had that that be held which was believed everywhere, always, and by all.” But yet again, we have the distinction between what is believed (doctrine) and how the doctrine is worked with, how it manifests in the life of a particular tradition or school (theology).
So we know what Anglican doctrine is. It is Catholic doctrine, as believed everywhere, always, and by all (which is not to even slightly suggest its use is merely static and perfunctory) — foundational doctrines include the Doctrine of God, the Doctrine of Creation, and Doctrine of the Church, and so on. But the nature of Anglican theology is another matter. And here we are entitled to claim a particular “theology”. But let’s be clear: we follow Anselm (along with many, if not most, Christians) in defining “theology” as faith seeking understanding. Or to expand this: theology is the manner by which faith in the orthodox doctrines of holy Church seeks to develop both language and practice in the dynamic life of Christian communities. Immediately we perceive that “the manner by which” presupposes a plurality of theologies. Different theologies emerge in the working out in actual Christian lives of doctrine universal to the whole Church from its first moments today. Different schools have their differing languages and differing practices — within the Mystical Body of Christ exist a matrix of complementary living theologies. This is all well and good, and thoroughly orthodox. Because there are various Catholic schools within the historic Church, it follows that there are various Catholic theologies.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
So, amid this plurality, the many strands of catholicity within the Church, what is Anglican theology? What is our school of Catholic theology, born of our spirituality?
I would propose that Martin Thornton has given Anglicanism a permanent gift, which is his book, English Spirituality. This book is already well-loved and appreciated in Anglicanism, certainly in the United States. It is the go-to book to discuss ascetical theology and is a resource for pastoral theology. But I would argue that neither application exhausts the book’s gift. No, its true significance is more profound: it is nothing less than a thorough map of Anglican theology in its historical lineage. That is to say, from Thornton, we have a clear sense of what the core curriculum is, and should be, for Anglican historical theology. His might be the very first instance that the contours of our school of theology have been thoroughly and concisely articulated. For this, we must give all thanks to Triune God.
To be fair, I’m not certain that Thornton himself grasped this — he very well may have! — although I would highly doubt he would disagree strongly with this application of his work. But perhaps as my study of Thornton deepens (I’m doing my master’s thesis on his corpus), I would revise that speculation. In any event, all are advised to purchase the book immediately if it does not grace your collection. And if it does, pull it out and give it serious attention in this new light. I will not rehearse here the extended argument that Thornton makes, because it is nuanced and does require participation in Anglican liturgical and sacramental life to fully appreciate (as any school would require).
No, at this time, I merely want to present the basic curriculum in diagram form. Some of this is indicated by the book’s Table of Contents, to be sure. But the finer details are not, and I might add that the diagram would bear further detailing. This is just a first-glance intended to orient Anglicans to the genuine root-stock of our theological breeding. Here is the diagram, with a bit of commentary to follow:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Let me add some additional remarks:
Importantly, Archbishop Ramsey wrote an article called “What is Anglican Theology?“. I do recommend it, yet one must immediately note his answer is not to outlined a curriculum, but to describe our Anglican method. Thornton talks about method, as well, in English Spirituality — he calls our method “speculative-affective synthesis”; but this can be described different ways, so ++Ramsey’s piece is useful. The “how” is just as important as the “what”. Yet do grasp the difference: above is Thornton’s understanding of the core curriculum of the Anglican theology. Thus something of this map is how Anglicanism has been, and must continue to be, a theological tradition, and not merely a methodological tradition — again, nothing short of being one of the genuine schools of Catholic spirituality.
Now to the question of including John Macquarrie. Thornton’s subsequent books, such as Prayer, without question add John Macquarrie to the curriculum he had already traced — after all, he wrote more total pages of commentary on Macquarrie than he does on any other theologian. All of Prayer is a work commentary on Macquarrie’s Principles of Christian Theology; additionally, Thornton’s The Function of Theology, The Rock and the River, and My God explicitly reckon with Macquarrie’s emergence onto the scene. At least as far as Thornton is concerned, Macquarrie is a major figure in the historical flow of Anglican theology. In terms of his work being an example of our school, Thornton demonstrates that it is through his commentary — we see the speculative-affective synthesis all throughout Macquarrie’s Principles of Christian Theology, and without question one can immediately see the dialogue between his work and that of Julian of Norwich, Hilton, Anselm, and Augustine.
Again, whereas English Spirituality has been interpreted and used as a guide for ascetical theology (a good thing!), I suggest its fullest gift is as a clear presentation of our true lineage of historical theology — as well as a helpful general commentary upon each of the major theologians living in our tradition, ancient and more contemporary. I believe that discerning and then living out explicitly our true inheritance of historical theology (as of 1986 when Thornton died) would go a long way toward long-term resolution of the identity crisis that plagues contemporary Anglicanism, and has hobbled Anglicanism for far too long of time. It is not a panacea, to be sure, but a thoroughly helpful guide, not merely to be looked at but used. Thornton invites you to pray with the works of our tradition, and English Spirituality is an expert-level commentary to help you as you do.
What is Anglican theology? Point to something like this diagram — as a solid point of departure and do return to it as a guiding touchstone. Something of this historical course is why we as Anglicans pray the way we do.
Obviously one could add complexity to this map in any number of directions with myriad additions. I’m unfairly lumping all the Caroline Divines together, for example, several of whom were in significant dialogue with, and critique of, various Reform theologies, not to mention an array of Fathers. The same could be said for the Tractarians and in particular Newman. And theologians more contemporary than the Tractarians don’t show up at all, save for Macquarrie; Thornton himself spends time looking at the work of E.L. Mascall, H.R. McAdoo, and K.E. Kirk; others could fit here. The Body is a Body — abundance abounds! At all points in this diagram, that is, for every theologian, complexity exists with influences aplenty, and not all of a theologian’s corpus can be considered to be an active or useful part of Anglican theological discourse. And of course, if one were teaching seminary courses using this diagram, one most likely would want to add to this map.
But what Thornton has provided is the foundational map of our school of Catholic spirituality. In other words, we can add to it — after all, our school, if it is to be a living school, must be dynamic! — but we ought resist subtracting from it, because to do so risks a deformed picture of who we are and how we have tended to follow Christ by means of the Holy Spirit. Clearly, seminary application of this map would be one thing; yet at the parish level for formation courses, even this basic outline provides an ample treasury of resources for reflection and devotional/doctrinal study. Parish priests take note!
Reflecting upon the diagram, I find this to be an amazing list of theologians — and yet, a list that is accessible not only to seminary-level study but to any serious Catholic Christian whose preference is the Anglican school. Authentic Anglicanism is truly graced with a glorious inheritance of theologians — and yes, I hold the 14th century group to be genuine theologians, arguably no less profound than Augustine — who thoroughly demonstrate the key characteristic cited by Thornton as crucial to Anglicanism through its ancient historical unfolding: a clear synthesis of doctrine and devotion — aka speculative-affective; intellectual-emotional; thought-feeling — that issues in a distinct and comprehensive pastoral sensibility and spirituality.
We are truly created by God’s abundant grace! And today, as we seek recovery, rediscovery, and renewal, our task perhaps is to have the humility, patience, and strength to claim, own, live with, critique, and speak through the words given to us by these Saints — not as tokens to be quickly by-passed, nor as idols to be mechanistically repeated … but as Icons which point us harmoniously and directly to the Sacred Humanity of Christ Jesus, himself the Perfect Icon of the God the Father Almighty.
Update 1:
To respond to questions, here is a short “core list“, recommended as a starting point for a curriculum in Catholic Anglican theology (historical and present-day):
St Augustine: Enchiridion
St Benedict: Rule
St Anselm: Proslogion
Walter Hilton: The Scale of Perfection
Julian of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love
Margery Kempe: The Book of Margery Kempe
John Macquarrie: The Faith of the People of God: A Lay Theology (or, Principles of Christian Theology)
Update 2:
In response to more requests, here is an unorganized list of the works Thornton considers relevant to any comprehensive study of Anglican theology. Much is taken selectively from the appendix to English Spirituality:
St Augustine — Enchiridion
Hugh of St Victor — The Divine Love
St Benedict — Rule of St Benedict
William of St Thierry — Meditations, Mirror of Faith, On the Nature and Dignity of Love
St Bernard — On Grace and Freewill, Sermons, On the Love of God, The Steps of Humility
St Aelred — Letter to His Sister, On Jesus at Twelve Years Old
St Anselm — Monologian, Proslogion, Meditations and Letters
St Thomas — Compendium of Theology
St Catherine of Siena — The Dialogue
Walter Hilton — Scale of Perfection
St Bonaventure — The Mystical Vine
Richard Rolle — Meditation on the Passion
Margery Kempe — The Book of Margery Kempe
Julian of Norwich — Revelations of Divine Love
Jeremy Taylor — Holy Living and Holy Dying
More and Cross (eds.) — Anglicanism (anthology of Caroline writings)
John Macquarrie — Principles of Christian Theology