school of Catholic spirituality

The Anglican Spiritual Tradition, parts 1 and 2

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By Martin Thornton

PART ONE
There is good reason for dividing this lecture into two unequal parts. I must first offer a brief resumé of what I take the Anglican spiritual tradition to be; then I should like to look rather more fully at the contemporary impact of our tradition, concluding with a somewhat dangerous game of attempting to read the signs of its future unfolding.

Pedantic haggling over the meaning of words is not the most exciting exercise, but it is apparent already that some attention must be given to that most ambiguous and abused term “Tradition”; paradosis, traditio, literally a giving-over, or handing-over. Handing-over be it noted and not handing-down.

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Archbishop Fisher: “We have no doctrine of our own”

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“The Anglican Communion, with its fellowship of Churches, has a special responsibility at this time in the world. We have no doctrine of our own—we only possess the Catholic doctrine of the Catholic Church enshrined in the Catholic creeds, and those creeds we hold without addition or diminution. We stand firm on that rock. We … Read more

What is “English Spirituality”?  

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“The foundation of Christian life is the liturgy, seen as both Mass and Office, from which flows personal devotion based on the Bible.” So begins Fr Martin Thornton’s description of a key characteristic of “English spirituality,” in his classic book of the same name. Our spirituality—that is, total life responding to God’s creation—really is impacted in a … Read more

Martin Thornton’s Ressourcement Syllabus

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[from the appendix to English Spirituality: An Outline of Ascetical Theology According to the English Pastoral Tradition, rev. ed. 1986.] A Course of Study in Ascetical Theology for Parish Priests and Theological Students of the Anglican Communion After delivering lectures on this and kindred subjects, I am invariably asked for a “reading list” by those of … Read more

“‘Spiritual but Not Religious’ as Seed of Evangelization: A Personal Tale”

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[Note: This article appeared in the 9 September 2012 issue of The Living Church.] Surely enough ink has been spilt about how the claim “I’m spiritual but not religious” reflects some sort of depravity. Whether it is a pervasive laziness or unthinking reaction to any whiff of institutional religion (usually the Christian Church) is unclear. Perhaps … Read more

John Macquarrie and panentheism, part 1

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A former dean of Nashotah House, Robert Munday, has written a blog post that, in the course of stating his pehttp://akensidepress.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?post=1130&action=edit&message=1rspective and feelings about the recent announcement that the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Katherine Jefferts Schiori, has been invited to preach at The House (where I am studying in a distance MTS program), … Read more

The Case for a Prologue Office of Praise

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“It is not sufficient to participate regularly in the Eucharist, with its unequal stress on individuality and formalism; rather we have to be eucharistic people. We have to live perpetually in the eucharistic context and this means preparation in the form of constant attempts to resolve the underlying paradoxes involved. The cosmic and the local, … Read more

The Person of Jesus Christ (Lecture 1 of 5) by John Macquarrie

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[display_podcast] LECTURE 1 “The State of Christology in the Present Age” Presiding Bishop John Allin introduces John Macquarrie to the House of Bishops’ gathering. In this first of five presentations over five days, Macquarrie subsequently outlines his entire lecture and previews each of the five areas of christology that he will examine. Christ is at … Read more

On Catholic Anglicanism

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(Note: This is a description of Catholic Anglicanism written by Father Thomas Fraser, rector of St Paul’s, Riverside, Illinois.) When we speak of “Catholic Anglicanism” we mean: 1. an Anglicanism which is defined by, and in all things understood in, the perspective of the fullness of its almost 2,000 year history, not understood as being … Read more

Angels and the Catholic Imagination, part 1: Angels are all about God

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Angels and the Catholic Imagination, a homily series HOMILY II | HOMILY III Homily 1 of 3: “Angels are all about God” Given at St Paul’s, Riverside, Illinois on Michaelmas 2013 It is fitting that on this feast of St Michael and All Angels, I have an announcement. This is the first of three homilies on … Read more