St. Paul's Church (ACA)

Some very nice people worship here. The liturgy is dignified, the organist is talented, and the hymns are classic. The rector is cheerful and avuncular even when his sermons are unfocused and unedifying. Tragically, the parish leaders seem more interested in the culture wars and their own private opinions than in mastering, let alone imparting, the doctrine of their denomination, or in appreciating the nuances of Anglican theology and the complexities of church history. Their voices echo more those of generic American Evangelicalism and pop-Calvinism than those of the Church Fathers and the great Anglican divines. They fancy themselves orthodox Episcopalians, yet when they finally discover what their denomination (ACA) has clearly taught for decades, they sidestep their bishop, prevent him from addressing the parish, ignore their brethren around the diocese, and join another conservative Anglican splinter group (UECNA) more to their liking—arguably a very protestant and certainly a very congregationalist move, but hardly episcopalian. In short, this is a flock tended by inept shepherds. But again, some very nice people in the pews.

This is not a Protestant church but a parish of the Anglican Church in America (ACA), an Anglo-Catholic denomination of the Continuing Anglican movement launched in the ’70s by traditionalist Episcopalians over liturgical changes and women’s ordination. Their founding charter, the Affirmation of St. Louis, subordinates all historic Anglican doctrine and practice to that of the pre-Great Schism Church of the First Millennium. Their lodestar is the rule of St. Vincent of Lérins: that which has been believed “everywhere, always, and by all” is truly catholic. As such, Continuing churches like ACA try to steer a via media or “middle way” between Rome’s papal Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy—not, as many Anglicans have attempted, between Protestantism and Rome or between Lutheranism and Calvinism. Thus, while its liturgy may be traditionally Anglican, ACA doctrine—from its view of the Sacraments and the Mass, to the authority of Sacred Tradition and the nature of the Church, and even to the Atonement and salvation itself—is closer to Eastern Orthodoxy, Old Catholicism, and even Rome than to Reformation-era Anglicanism and core Protestant tenets like Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, penal substitution, and imputed righteousness. This is, in other words, the richly patristic and creedal, not confessional, Anglicanism of the Caroline Divines and the 19th century Catholic Revival, artfully defended by Vernon Staley in his classic ‘The Catholic Religion’ (1893) and more recently by Jonathan Munn in ‘Anglican Catholicism’ (2019) and Gerald McDermott in ‘Deep Anglicanism’ (2024). Nevertheless, Anglicanism’s reputation for comprehensiveness (or ambiguity) means that St. Paul’s draws an eclectic crowd, and even longtime parishioners may be unaware of how distinctive the ACA is from classical Anglicanism and especially from Evangelicalism, with which it is frankly incompatible. (Because it subscribes to Branch Theory, the ACA doesn’t even recognize most Protestant sects as true churches). Moreover, some prominent voices here are Calvinists with views that sound closer to those of RC Sproul and the Gospel Coalition than to CS Lewis’s mere Christianity and the “re-formed Catholicism” of many classic Anglican divines. Persuaded that Anglicanism is merely the episcopal branch of Reformed Protestantism (Presbyterianism plus bishops), they themselves may be unaware of the theological range and depth of the Anglican tradition and the decidedly Anglo-Catholic identity of the ACA and its partners in the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) and Anglican Province of America (APA). Settled points of doctrine, such as the efficacy of the sacraments and infant baptism, may be downplayed or questioned, with standard Evangelical priorities brought to the fore instead: being born again not by Baptism but by conversionism, the sacraments as our works of obedience instead of God’s means of saving grace, “assurance of salvation” by the inner witness of the Spirit, perseverance of the saints, etc. So, while this isn’t a Protestant church, many Protestants may be found here. Without the doctrinal clarity and consistency that comes of sound catechesis, what seems to unite this motley crew is a high view of Scripture, preference for high liturgy, resistance to the new moral theology and social positions of the Protestant Mainline, and a simple desire to follow Christ. Visitors are likely to note that the old church is handsome and well maintained. That the liturgy, which uses the traditional Elizabethan language of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and classic hymns, is reverent and dignified. That the organist is obviously very talented and skilled. That the clergy take Scripture seriously and have pastoral hearts. That most parishioners—a sizable portion of whom are New Mainers—are warm and welcoming. And that most people seem to earnestly desire to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. All things considered, then, while it could improve on clarity of doctrine and consistency of faith and practice, St. Paul’s still has many real virtues and much to recommend it.

This is not a Protestant church but a parish of the Anglican Church in America (ACA), an Anglo-Catholic denomination of the Continuing Anglican movement launched in the ’70s by conservative Episcopalians over liturgical changes and women’s ordination. Their founding charter, the Affirmation of St. Louis, subordinates all historic Anglican doctrine and practice to that of the pre-Great Schism Church of the First Millennium. Their lodestar is the rule of St. Vincent of Lérins: that which has been believed “everywhere, always, and by all” is truly catholic. As such, Continuing churches like the ACA try to steer a via media or “middle way” between Rome’s papal Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy—not, as many Anglicans have attempted, between Protestantism and Rome or between Lutheranism and Calvinism. Thus, while its liturgy may be traditionally Anglican, ACA doctrine—from its view of the Sacraments and the Mass, to the authority of Sacred Tradition and the nature of the Church, and even to the Atonement and salvation itself—is much closer to Eastern Orthodoxy, Old Catholicism, and even Rome than to Reformation-era Anglicanism and core Protestant tenets like Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, and imputed righteousness. This is, in other words, the richly patristic and creedal, not confessional, Anglicanism of the 19th century Catholic Revival, artfully defended by Vernon Staley in his classic ‘The Catholic Religion’ (1893) and more recently by Gerald McDermott in ‘Deep Anglicanism’ (2024). Nevertheless, Anglicanism’s reputation for comprehensiveness (or ambiguity) means that St. Paul’s draws an eclectic mix, and even longtime parishioners may be unaware of how distinctive the ACA is from classical Anglicanism and especially from Evangelicalism, with which it is frankly incompatible. (The ACA doesn’t even recognize most Protestant groups as true churches). This may be partly due to the fact that some prominent voices here are Calvinists with views closer to those of RC Sproul and the Gospel Coalition than to CS Lewis’s mere Christianity and the “re-formed Catholicism” of many classic Anglican divines. Persuaded that Anglicanism is merely the episcopal branch of Reformed Protestantism (Presbyterianism plus bishops), they themselves may be either unaware of, or simply choose to overlook, the theological range and depth of the Anglican tradition and the decidedly Anglo-Catholic identity of the ACA and its partners in the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) and Anglican Province of America (APA). One may even hear settled points of doctrine, such as the efficacy of the sacraments and infant baptism, being downplayed, questioned, or flatly denied, and standard Evangelical and Baptist priorities being brought to the fore instead: “assurance of salvation” by the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, being born again not by Baptism but by conversionism, the sacraments as our works of obedience instead of God’s instruments of saving grace, etc. So, while this isn’t a Protestant church, many Protestants are to be found here. Without the doctrinal clarity and consistency that comes of sound catechesis and firm clerical vetting, what seems to unite this motley crew is a high view of Scripture, preference for high liturgy, resistance to the new moral theology and social positions of the Protestant Mainline, and a simple desire to follow Christ. Visitors are likely to note that the old church is handsome and well maintained. That the liturgy, which uses the traditional Elizabethan (thee/thou) language of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and classic hymns, is reverent and dignified. That the organist is obviously very talented and skilled. That the clergy take Scripture seriously and have pastoral hearts. That most parishioners—a sizable portion of whom are New Mainers—are warm and welcoming. And that most people seem to earnestly desire to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. All things considered, then, while it may be light on clarity of doctrine and consistency of faith and practice, St. Paul’s still has many virtues and much to recommend it.