northamanglican.com/christmas A Christmas Celebratory 12 Is Anglicanism Catholic or Protestant? 19 How the Reformation Preserved the Sacramental Worldview – Charles Erlandson – Eric M. Parker 108 Outline of an Anglican Parish in the Post-Human West – Richard Tarsitano North American Anglican | Advent 20231
’Tis Eleven Years Since… The last time The North American Anglican published a print edition of the journal was in Advent of 2012. At the youthful age of 30, I had recently taken the reins of the journal. While I took pride in the quality of our output then, I found the endeavor incredibly challenging. Surveying the landscape of orthodox theological and religious instruction and debate, I opted then to move The North American Anglican from a print journal to a web-based publication. Publishing articles online offers several advantages: easy content sharing, timely updates, and the ability to publish at a higher volume with limited overhead, allowing for the exploration of new, talented, and enthusiastic writers. I have no regrets about steering our journal in this direction, and I have no intention of discontinuing our web-based publication, which continues to be a blessing to our readers. In truth, our return to the world of print is only possible because our online publication has grown into a well-oiled machine, fostering new friendships while maintaining the loyalty of old friends to our project. When CJay Engel approached me about turning The North American Anglican into a print publication, starting with “A Christmas Celebratory” featuring favorites from the past decade, I couldn’t help but smile. It seems only fitting that our journal marks its return to print with a volume celebrating the Holy Days of December. I extend my gratitude to Mr. Engel for bringing this publication to fruition. My dream for years has been to restore this journal to the business of producing high-quality, tangible artifacts that our patrons can read, collect, or gift to their priests or bishops! I also want to express my appreciation to my fellow editors, the “Venerables” Andrew Brashier and Isaac Rehberg, who, beyond being my podcast co-hosts, have been exceptionally generous with their time. It has been a blessing to witness both men rise and find their unique mission fields within North American Anglicanism. Special thanks go to Daniel Ratelle for his editorial leadership of Poets’ Corner and James Clark for heading our Book Review column, along with countless other contributions. Many thanks to all who have come and gone over the years, and especially to our writers who continue to be so generous with their time and talent! As we enter this Advent season, I extend warm wishes to all our readers. May you have a Merry Christmas and may God’s blessings abound in the New Year! Jesse Nigro Editor-in-Chief
ANGLICAN IDENTITY AND THEOLOGY Is Anglicanism Catholic or Protestant? Editor’s Letter – Charles Erlandson | September 8, 2023. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 – Jesse Nigro | December, 2023. . 2 A Question of Authority Publisher’s Message – Isaac J. Rehberg | October 17, 2022. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 – CJay Engel | December, 2023 . . 4 How the Reformation Preserved the Sacramental Worldview Good King Wenceslas – John Mason Neale. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 – Eric M. Parker | March 17, 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Aquinas in Anglican Thought – James Clark | July 25, 2021. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The Quest for a North American Anglican Theological Center – Seth Snyder | April 19, 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 LITURGY, WORSHIP, AND SACRAMENTS “Vain Repetitions”? Light from the New Testament Background – Justin Clemente | February 10, 2023. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Principles and Distinctives of Anglican Ceremonial – Brandon LeTourneau | June 22, 2019. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Imago et Cogitatio: How Images Direct Us to the Contemplation of Divine Things – Cory Byrum | April 10, 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Baptismal Regeneration in the Anglican Formularies – Peter D. Robinson | August 26, 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 The Beauty of Holiness: A Hymnody That Forms Christians – Nathan Hitchen | July 8, 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 The Wreath Makers’ Ballad: Some Advent Folk Piety – Brandon LeTourneau | November 28, 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 I Travelled These Roads With My Father Once – Lue-Yee Tsang | November 1, 2016. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 ANGLICANISM FOR THE FUTURE The Axis of Orthodox Realignment: Prospects for the Future of Anglicanism – Jared Lovell | November 7, 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Why Anglicans Matter to the Rest of Us – Douglas Wilson | July 13, 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Outline of an Anglican Parish in the Post-Human West – Richard Tarsitano| November 5, 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 George Wheler’s ‘Protestant Monastery’ and Olde England – Jesse Nigro | December 24, 2019. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 The Daily Grind – Andrew Brashier | August 30, 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 The Twelve Days of Christmas – English Carol | 1625 121 Design and Layout by Daniel van Straaten www.danielvanstraaten.com
We live in an age characterized by a constant and eager repudiation of our own history. Everywhere we look we are astonished at the enthusiasm with which all our institutions, ideologies, and habitual instincts tend toward the Jacobin spirit of unqualified cultural destruction. What strikes me especially is the extent to which this once radical impulse now permeates the mainstream of American social life, affecting the attitudes of not only those on the fringe, but also the mass citizenry at large. And while my experiential reference point is the United States, clearly this Bourgeoise Jacobinism has captured the entire Western world. Indeed, this impulse for persistent innovation, newness, and change underlies the logic of everything from consumer technology to suburban developments to ecclesiological phenomena. Those elements of Western life which are customary, traditional, and longstanding—in the sense of reaching back more than several centuries—stand neglected and abandoned in the shadow of our cult of novelty. It is in this context that I, like so many others, have realized that the end game of modern man’s rejection of tradition is not spiritual or psychological emancipation, but a new sort of despair. We therefore embark on a journey of our own sort of deconstruction; peeling off layer by layer, in small steps, the residues of modernity that penetrate nearly every aspect of our age. There is a spirit of “Return” in the air; if affects some of us politically, others religiously, and still others with regard to our chosen vocations or tone of family life. Here lies my own interest in seeing this project come to fruition. The North American Anglican, though small and certainly lacking any institutional influence at the moment, has offered itself as an important resource for many pondering the depths of our own religious history. For those seeking the rediscovery of a culture that precedes the insanities of the nineteenth and twentieth century in the Anglo-Saxon world, one cannot ignore the foundational role of the Church of England, its political experiences, or its liturgical power in the shaping of the Western soul. As Roger Scruton was fond of pointing out, for over a thousand years, it was the English Church, more than anything, that held the culture of the Anglo world in Trust, leasing the spirit of the English past to its people through the production of their cultural artifacts. And in the American context too, the Anglican Church played a crucial role in the making of our own Protestant culture. The North American Anglican, for me personally, represents a catalyst through which one can intellectually sustain this rediscovery of our own culturally historical past. Whether the topic is historical theology, political theology, liturgy, or culture, TNAA serves as an outlet for transmitting meaningful, traditionally-minded substance in a world sorely lacking it. It is with this at the forefront of my heart that I am pleased to see to it that this volume is published. I was delighted to dedicate whatever resources necessary to make this happen and am grateful to Jesse Nigro and others associated with TNAA for allowing me to serve the publication in this way. What better opportunity to prepare for a renewed print journal in 2024 than the Christmas season? No other occasion encapsulates the wintery beauties of the Anglo expression of Christianity than Advent. CJay Engel 4 Advent 2023 | North American Anglican
by John Mason Neale Good King Wenceslas look’d out, On the Feast of Stephen; When the snow lay round about, Deep, and crisp, and even: Brightly shone the moon that night, Though the frost was cruel, When a poor man came in sight, Gath’ring winter fuel. North American Anglican | Advent 20235
“Hither page and stand by me, If thou know’st it, telling, Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?” “Sire, he lives a good league hence. Underneath the mountain; Right against the forest fence, By Saint Agnes’ fountain.” 6 Advent 2023 | North American Anglican
“Bring me flesh,and bring me wine, Bring me pine-logs hither: Thouand I will see him dine, When we bear them thither.” Page and monarch forth they went, Forth they went together; Through the rudewind’s wild lament, And the bitter weather. North American Anglican | Advent 20237
“Sire, the night is darker now, And the wind blows stronger; Fails my heart, I know now how, I can go no longer.” “Mark my footsteps, good my page; Tread thou in them boldly; Thou shalt find the winter’s rage Freeze thy blood less coldly.” 8 Advent 2023 | North American Anglican
In his master’s steps he trod, Where the snow lay dinted; Heat was in the very sod Which the Saint had printed. Therefore, Christian men, be sure, Wealth or rank possessing, Ye who now will bless the poor, Shall yourselves find blessing. North American Anglican | Advent 20239
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