What is the Orthodox view of Anglican churches?

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I’d like to know what most of you, as Orthodox Christians, think of Anglicanism? What are your views of their priestly orders, sacraments, and church in general?

I know that there was some correspondence and mutual respect between the Orthodox Eastern Churches and the much of Anglicanism until the 1970’s when the Anglican Communion foolishly started to “ordain” women.

In many parts of the Anglican Communion there are not such liberal practices and things are fairly traditional.

What are your views of Anglicanism?

Thanks
 
gurneyhalleck1 said:
I’d like to know what most of you, as Orthodox Christians, think of Anglicanism? What are your views of their priestly orders, sacraments, and church in general?

I know that there was some correspondence and mutual respect between the Orthodox Eastern Churches and the much of Anglicanism until the 1970’s when the Anglican Communion foolishly started to “ordain” women.

In many parts of the Anglican Communion there are not such liberal practices and things are fairly traditional.

What are your views of Anglicanism?

Thanks
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It’s my personal opinion that Anglican churches are not churches at all in the proper sense of the term and that their clergy are no more in the line of Apostolic Succession than your typical Baptist preacher. Please remember though, these are my personal opinions, not Church teaching.

The Church as a rule is hesitant to make judgments on issues such as these because first, we can’t say exactly how God operates outside the Church and two, it makes absolutely no difference unless an Anglican is seeking to be received into the Church.

Although as far as I know there isn’t an “official” teaching on the subject but the behavior of our hierarchs is very telling. When a Catholic clergyman is received into the Church oftentimes the bishops does it with only a profession of faith and vesting. I’ve never heard of an Anglican clergyman being received by vesting. As far as I know they are always received by rite of chrismation. That tells you at least what many Orthodox bishops think about Anglican orders.

IC NC

NI KA
 
VARC said:
In the early 20th century, many orthodox had a favorable view of Canterbury. It seemed unification was a real possibility. All that ended when the ECUSA decided to ordain women. Here is a link with some info…anglicanhistory.org/orthodoxy/index.html
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VARC, thanks for the great link. I read much of it. I realize, as per my posting this thread, that 20th Century Anglicanism was not able to be joined to Orthodoxy due to the ordination of women. But my original question does not refer to THOSE types of provinces of Anglicanism. My question is, would the holy orders and dioceses be considered valid sacramentally and theologically by many Orthodox Catholics that are:

1.) dioceses that DO NOT ordain women
2.) dioceses that DO NOT ordain homosexuals
3.) are liturgically and theologically conservative

What are all of your thoughts? My Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin here in central California broke off from the Episcopal Church in the USA because of such issues. They are fairly conservative and orthodox (small o). Would you consider their sacraments legit and valid, their orders recognized, etc.?
 
I wouldn’t hold your breath on the Orthodox accepting the orders of Anglicanism. There is politics involved in these things as well. Continuuing anglican are a small minority and as such are not worthy of the attention of the ancient patriarchates. It would be different if the 77 million members of the Anglican communion still held to apostolic practices (not quite as easy to ignore). But being just a few hundread thousand, it doesn’t matter if continuuing anglicans have orthodox beliefs and worship. I think the Orthodox will rather seek to absorb the continuum into a western rite.
 
I was raised a Southern Baptist, but got saved and became an Episcopalian in college.

Shortly afterwards, I discovered that the Episcopal Church was not the church I thought I was joining.

So I became Orthodox in 1972. I saw what was coming.

There was a time that Orthodox looked with sympathy at Anglo-Catholics, but that time is long past.
 
gurneyhalleck1 said:
I’d like to know what most of you, as Orthodox Christians, think of Anglicanism? What are your views of their priestly orders, sacraments, and church in general?

I know that there was some correspondence and mutual respect between the Orthodox Eastern Churches and the much of Anglicanism until the 1970’s when the Anglican Communion foolishly started to “ordain” women.

In many parts of the Anglican Communion there are not such liberal practices and things are fairly traditional.

What are your views of Anglicanism?

Thanks
Click to expand...
The question is:
** What are your [personal] views of Anglicanism? **

I personally think it is a mess. I don’t mean to be uncharitable here, although it may sound that way.

There are Continuing Anglicans [firmly rooted in traditional western theology, being separated from the communion I will not address that here], but the communion itself has no strong cohesion. It stands by principles which make freedom of conscience in matters of theology paramount. That means most Anglicans within the communion are comfortable in a system which it cannot claim to teach universal Truths with any degree of certainty. This is contrary to Orthodox principles, wherin theology is received and is not negotiable.

The customs and traditions [smells, bells & vestments etc] are externals, and not important without the proper theology.

It’s strongest, most conservative elements worldwide are Evangelical Protestant. There are tens of millions of them outside of North America. When the dust settles, and the various segments have parted company that will be the most promising element, but they will have much more in common with Lutherans and Methodists (or perhaps even Presbyterians, depending upon how they view the episcopate) than Holy Orthodoxy or Latin Catholicism.

I should note that Holy Orthodoxy has attracted significant numbers of Anglicans over the years on an individual basis. [Bishop Kalistos Ware being a notable example.] My parish has a significant number (by proportion) of former Episcopalians (it’s a small parish, so the actual numbers are not great). But these people are leaving Anglicanism behind for the most part, abandoning it even in it’s lightest detail. The big T’s as well as the small t’s are altogether different.

Most people seem to find that they cannot take much with them, excepting perhaps a love for scripture (as well as liturgy) and an already well formed sacramental concept of theology.

There was a point in time, long ago, when the Church of England could have become Orthodox, and Cantuar could have conceivably become a Patriarch. But forces within England of the day would not have permitted it. Parliament and the monarchy were intent on controlling the church and the Geneva group of reformers was hard at work.

Things could have been grandly different, but that is water under the bridge, not to be recovered.
 
I’m not Orthodox (though I am an orthodox Anglican), and my understandiing of the OP question could be off. And one must also remember that there are Orthodox, and then there are Orthodox; many jurisdictions. But I think that the most likely reply would be that the Orthodox generally, in the best circumstances (say considering Anglo-Catholics in the Continuum, and no nonsense about invalid matter in orders) would have the same opinion of Anglican orders as is commonly held amongst them about Roman orders. That being the Cyprianic position (as opposed to the Augustinian), that outside of the true Church (Orthodoxy), all orders are empty, even if valid otherwise; that is, they are incapable of conveying grace. In the interaction between the Anglican Communion, and four different Patriarchs, from different Orthodox jurisdictions, back in the 20s-30s, that was the general gist of the replies.

I may be incorrect on this.

GKC
 
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