Lex orandi, lex credendi
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Lex orandi, lex credendi refers to the relationship between worship and belief, and is an ancient Christian principle which provided a measure for developing the ancient Christian creeds, the canon of scripture and other doctrinal matters.
Lex orandi, lex credendi in Anglicanism
Lex orandi—lex credendi is a fundamental character of Anglicanism. Its importance is due primarily to the fact that there is no distinctive Anglican theology as propounded in other traditions which take their name from their founding theologian (e.g., Calvinism, Lutheranism, Mennonite, or Zwinglianism). Furthermore, there is no established authority (such as the Roman Catholic magesterium) or extra-creedal summary of doctrine (such as the Westminster Confession of the Presbyterian Church).Instead, Anglicans have typically appealed to the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) as a guide to Anglican theology and practice. In this sense Thomas Cranmer, principal author of the prototypical 1549 BCP, could be said to be the first Anglican theologian. His theology is expressed is the selection, arrangement, and composition of prayers and exhortations, the selection and arrangement of daily scripture readings (the lectionary), and in the stipulation of the rubrics for permissible liturgical action and any variations in the prayers and exhortations.
Given its locus in the worship of the Church, Anglican theology tends to be pragmatic and strongly liturgical and ecclesiological, placing a high value on the traditions of the faith. It acknowledges the primacy of the worshipping community in articulating, amending, and passing down the Church’s theology; and thus, by necessity, is inclined toward a comprehensive consensus concerning the principles of the tradition and the relationship between the Church and society. In this sense, Anglicans have traditionally viewed their theology as strongly incarnational.
At the same time, the approach has its weaknesses. First, it is “text-centric,” creating a tendency to focus on the technical, historical, and hermeneutical aspects of the Prayer Books rather than the relationship between faith and life. Second, the emphasis on comprehensiveness often results instead in compromise or tolerance of every viewpoint. The effect that is created is that Anglicanism may appear to stand for nothing or for everything, and that an untenable and unsatisfactory middle-ground is staked while theological disputes are waged interminably. This tends to undermine Anglicanism’s evangelical potential. Finally, while lex orandi—lex credendi helped solidify a universal Anglican ethos when the 1662 English BCP and its successors predominated, and while prelates of the United Kingdom enforced its conformity in territories of the British Empire, this is no longer the case. Liturgical reform and the post-colonial reorganisation of national churches has led to a splintering of common worship since the middle of the twentieth century.
References
- William R. Crockett, Eucharist: Symbol of Transformation. New York: Pueblo, 1989.
- W. Taylor Stevenson, “Lex Orandi—Lex Credendi.” In The Study of Anglicanism, ed. by Stephen Sykes and John Booty. London: SPCK, 1988, pp. 174-88.
- William J. Wolf, “Anglicanism and Its Spirit.” In The Spirit of Anglicanism: Hooker, Maurice, Temple, ed. by William J. Wolf. Wilton, CT: Morehouse-Barlow, 1979.
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