Anglican Parties, Oxford Movement, and Four Streams - Session Notes

Background and context

Speaker introduction: former archbishop of the Diocese of New Westminster and Metropolitan for the Collegiate Province British Columbia, Yukon; interim bishop in the Diocese of Olympia (Western Washington). Born in the US; served in Canada for seven years. Educational background includes a Master's in English, an MDiv, and an MBA. Emphasizes a background in congregational development and is known for that work in the US and Canada.
Purpose of the session: join the class late, try to pick up the pieces, and largely follow Rob’s outline for the next sessions. Aims to be clear about Anglican identity and avoid adding confusion during a time of transition.
Course logistics clarified by the lecturer:
- Assignments will remain the same as Rob outlined.
- Readings: book list is posted; additional readings posted for the next two sessions; may adjust as we approach the retreat; readings are not onerous; intent is to foster discussion.
- Readings for the next sessions will be posted expeditiously; some voices may be added (especially contemporary theology/spirituality voices).
- The lecturer is a practitioner, not a pure academic; encourages students to resource factual questions elsewhere and focus on applied ministry implications and Anglican identity today.
Core question: How does Anglican identity hold together tensions that can pull in different directions, and what does it mean to be Anglican today?
Paul Avis quote introduced (in lesson two, Populi): Anglicanism seeks to bind together tensions that other traditions let drift apart, holding together five key pairings as a living organism:
- Catholic and reformed
- episcopal and synodical
- universal and local
- biblical and reasonable
- traditional and open to fresh insight
- These tensions govern theology, ecclesiology, worship, ministry, evangelization, and community life; the point is to hold truths together in order to hold people together.
Topic of the session: formation of parties within Anglicanism (non-jurors, high church, low church, Anglo-Catholic, evangelical, charismatic), including how these strands interrelate and balance in practice.
Energy and reflection prompts: students are asked to discuss what is appealing and what is frustrating about these tensions, using Avis’s framework.
Indirect acknowledgments:
- The teacher emphasizes the need to address indigenous territory respectfully and reconciling with the land’s original stewards (Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh; Coast Salish peoples).
- Acknowledgment of the ongoing work of reconciliation and the role of faith communities in that work.
Check-in: students invited to share how they feel this morning in the chat (examples include discombobulated, tired, graced, unmoored, hopeful, grateful, cautiously optimistic).

Paul Avis and the Anglican “via media” tensions

Avis’s thesis on Anglicanism: it binds together tensions that other traditions would let drift apart; Anglican life is holistic: theology, ecclesiology, worship, ministry, and community.
The five tensions (as listed by Avis):
- Catholic and reform
- episcopal and synodical
- universal and local
- biblical and reasonable
- traditional and open to fresh insight
These tensions are not purely theoretical; they shape worship, governance, evangelization, and daily ministry.
Prompt for class discussion: in small groups, discuss what you find appealing and what you find frustrating about these tensions.

Key terms and concepts (definitions in context)

Non-jurors: clergy who refused to swear allegiance to the William and Mary regime after the Glorious Revolution; active in England from 1688 onward; some bishops remained loyal to James II and were consecrated as non-juror bishops; culminated in absorption by the Scottish Episcopal Church by the 1790s; last non-juror bishop died in 1805.
Glorious Revolution: the 1688 overthrow of James II (Catholic) and the enthronement of William III and Mary II as joint monarchs; established a constitutional monarchy with parliament supremacy over taxation and law, and required bishops and clergy to swear loyalty to the crown.
Erastianism: the doctrine that the state has supremacy over church matters; used in the discussion to explain historical tensions between church and state and the implications for Anglican governance.
High Church: originally described as a strong establishment of church and state connection; later associated with ritual, liturgy, and a traditional, order-driven approach; Caroline Divines and figures like Jeremy Taylor contributed to its development; emphasis on liturgy, sacraments, and church order; via media as a pragmatic posture between Puritanism and Rome.
Low Church: originally the Latitudinarians; emphasized moderation, tolerance, and reason over rigid dogma; sought greater latitude for beliefs; influenced by Cambridge Platonists; promoted suspicion of excessive ritual; a movement that some see as contributing to broader cultural and political reforms.
Latitudinarians: group within the 17th century that advocated religious tolerance and breadth of belief; important for the development of a broad Anglicanism; associated with Cambridge Platonists and a more flexible, reason-guided approach to doctrine.
Cambridge Platonists: group of 17th-century thinkers who influenced Latitudinarians and argued for a rational, humane approach to religion that sought to harmonize faith with reason and humanism.
-Via media: the “middle way” within Anglicanism between extremes of Catholicism and Puritanism; a defining concept of Anglican identity during and after the Oxford Movement.
Oxford Movement (Tractarianism): 19th-century movement within the Church of England (and its transatlantic effects) led by John Keble, Edward Pusey, and John Henry Newman; sought to reclaim the catholic heritage of Anglicanism and emphasize apostolic succession, church order, and liturgical renewal; produced a set of Tracts (tracts) arguing for Anglican continuity with the early church; Track 90 (Newman) controversy about reconciling 39 Articles with the Council of Trent; many tract writers advocated a more Catholic understanding within Anglicanism; some converts eventually joined the Roman Catholic Church (Newman in 1845).
Tracts for the Times: a collection of 90 pamphlets by Oxford Movement leaders exploring Anglican identity and practice; track numbering indicates major themes (e.g., Track 1 reclaiming apostolic roots; Track 3 warnings against changes to the Book of Common Prayer; Track 18 fasting; Tracks 38-41 about via media). Track 2 (Newman) was read and discussed in class.
Apostolic succession: the unbroken transmission of spiritual authority from the apostles to current bishops; used by Anglo-Catholic and Oxford Movement writers to argue for church continuity and legitimacy.
Protestant Principle (Charles Price): the idea in reform tradition that everything can be questioned; emphasis on reason and critique as essential to faith; connected to the broader reformation impulse and to the via media as a stabilization between extremes.
Protestant Principle (Tillich reference): a broader framing that God and everything related to the church is subject to ongoing questioning and reform; used to describe the ongoing reformation impulse within Anglican thought.
Four streams of Anglican spirituality (as summarized by the lecturer):
1) Biblical/evangelical (Bible-centered preaching, emphasis on personal faith, suspicion of ritual)
2) Sacramental/Anglo-Catholic (ritual, beauty, sacraments, church order)
3) Broad Church/tolerance/social justice (inclusion, ethics, social engagement)
4) Charismatic/Holy Spirit (gifts of the Spirit, spontaneity, discernment)
Horseshoe model of spirituality (Sarah Coakley): the sacramental and charismatic streams are the ends of a horseshoe, not a straight line; both value ecstatic experience and encounter with the Holy Spirit, though in different forms.
“Broad church” today: in the US and Canada, often used to describe a middle-ground church that is not strictly high church or evangelical; can imply theological liberalism or openness to multiple expressions of worship; debate about the exact meaning and use across regions.

Non-jurors: historical context and implications

Timeframe: roughly 1688 through the 1770s; anchored in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the oath of allegiance issue.
Core issue: bishops and clergy who refused to swear allegiance to William and Mary; some clergy (about $2\%$ ) refused to take the oath and were removed; 9 bishops refused to swear, becoming non-juror bishops; the movement created a schism in the church, with congregations diverging in loyalty to the crown.
Consequences:
- Some non-juror groups re-adopted older (1549) Book of Common Prayer leanings; some formed or aligned with a more Catholic liturgical expressiveness.
- The non-juror movement eventually waned; the final non-juror congregations were absorbed by the Scottish Episcopal Church in the 1790s; the last non-juror bishop died in $1805$ .
Conceptual takeaway: this tumultuous period illustrates how church-state power and loyalty tests can produce lasting shifts in church structure, governance, and liturgical practice; it also raises questions about the relationship between political authority and ecclesiastical authority.
Related discussion in class: Ansley Tucker’s quote—the claim that there is no apolitical religion; the reminder that religion and politics are intertwined and that prophetic voices often critique state power when it affects church rights.
Example of historical dialogue: the printer and editor-like exchange about the term “Latitude” (Latitudinarians) and the Rosicrucians as a rhetorical device in the Patrick–Simons correspondence to illustrate fear of unbound reason and secret knowledge.
The broader takeaway: the non-juror era foreshadows ongoing tensions between church independence, state authority, and the shape of Anglican liturgy and polity.

High Church and its historical roots

Origin: high church described in the late 17th century as a movement resisting Puritan influence; originally connected to a divinely grounded link between church and state, rather than to the later Oxford Movement.
Coronation oath and state connection: the 1660 coronation oath of Charles II is cited as a moment where church and state fused; Laud’s era is cited as a high church precursor, though Laud’s high church identity was defined by church establishment rather than by ritual alone.
Jeremy Taylor and the Caroline Divines: key figures who promoted a via media approach and grounded Anglicanism in early church tradition; Taylor emphasized practical religion, liturgy, sacraments, church order, and a strong emphasis on the Nicene Creed.
Crucial ideas: the high church tradition emphasizes liturgy, order, and a robust sacramental life; it seeks continuity with the early church and emphasizes the dignity and authority of the church within society.
Relationship to Cambridge/Oxford tensions: the Oxford Movement emerges in a context where high church sensibilities exist alongside Puritan and Latitudinarian pressures.

Low Church and Latitudinarians: moderation and reason

Latitudinarians: emerged in the 17th century; advocated religious moderation and tolerance; emphasized reason and morality over rigid dogma; argued for broader latitude in belief and worship.
Cambridge Platonists: their influence on latitudinarians; a more liberal, reason-infused approach to theology; sought to reconcile Christian ethics with humanism and scientific progress.
Core stance: religious tolerance, less emphasis on ritual formality, greater flexibility in doctrinal boundaries; a move toward a more “broad church” expression.
Intellectual exchanges: the lecturer cites a historical exchange between two figures—one from Cambridge (latitude men) and one from Oxford (Simon Patrick)—which uses mock-epistolary conversation to illustrate fears about latitude, ritual, and doctrinal boundaries; the Latitudinarians are depicted as practical, moderate, and inclined toward communal harmony rather than polemical purity.
The political dimension: Latitudinarians are linked to earlier moves toward constitutional monarchy and a more inclusive approach to governance; their openness to broader political theories (e.g., social contract ideas) is contrasted with High Church suspicions of state control over church affairs.
The debate about “reason” in this period is framed as a post-Enlightenment issue: is reason purely rational, or does it include experience and emotion? The lecturer notes a blended view in which reason includes intellect, heart, and experience, connecting to the via media.
Practical takeaway: Latitudinarians contribute to the broad Anglican identity by allowing a spectrum of beliefs within a single tradition, though this can be seen by some as undermining doctrinal boundaries.

The Oxford Movement and Newman’s tract (Tracts for the Times)

Core figures: John Keble (sermon in 1833), Edward Pusey, John Henry Newman; Keeble as a central voice in defense of church independence from state control and for tracing Anglican roots to apostolic succession.
Context: the movement’s concern about state interference in ecclesiastical matters (e.g., Irish dioceses appointment, Irish church governance); the track record reflects a deep anxiety that Parliament could redefine church structures and doctrines.
Tracts for the Times: a set of 90 tracts published between $1833$ and $1841$ ; used to articulate the movement’s view of Anglican identity and to defend Anglican continuity with early church traditions.
Track 2 (Newman) and discussion excerpts:
- The tract defends the right and obligation of clergy to engage in politics when the nation interferes with ecclesiastical rights; asserts that clergymen must warn, protest, excommunicate when necessary, and resist government overreach into religious life.
- The tract argues for the necessity of believing in the one Catholic and apostolic church, defined as the visible church with bishops, priests, and deacons; emphasizes apostolic succession and the unity of the church across time and space.
- The tract argues against the idea that the church can be reduced to a mere civil institution; insists on the church’s spiritual authority and its role in safeguarding the sacraments and apostolic ministry.
- The tract invokes the article of the Creed about the one holy Catholic Church and the necessity of believing in the unity and continuity of the church.
- Newman’s broader aim is to show that Anglicanism can be read as consistent with Roman Catholic traditions when properly understood; Track 90 controversially argues for reconciling the 39 Articles with the Council of Trent, which sparked significant backlash and contributed to Newman’s eventual conversion to Roman Catholicism in $1845$ .
Newman’s personal arc:
- Newman joined the Roman Catholic Church in $1845$ after the tract controversy and controversy around Track 90.
Broader implications of the tract and the movement:
- The Oxford Movement sought to ground Anglicanism in a robust sacramental and ecclesial structure, resisting the idea that the church could be governed like a secular institution.
- The movement set the stage for Anglo-Catholic identity in both the UK and the US (Episcopal Church); it also raised tensions about church-state relations, authority, and ecumenical boundaries.
Notable side discussions from the class:
- The exchange about the rhetoric in Newman’s tract (e.g., “Thou shalt condemn”) and the emotive, prophetic tone of the tract.
- The role of political and social concerns (Irish governance, Irish church) as a catalyst for the movement’s emphasis on church independence and authority.
- The broader question of how to read Anglican identity: as a via media between Catholicism and Protestantism, while also engaging in social and political life.

Four streams of Anglican spirituality (practical implications)

The lecturer’s synthesis after discussing the Oxford Movement and related currents identifies four intersecting streams that shape Anglican identity and parish life: 1) Biblical/evangelical stream
- Emphasis: strong focus on Scripture, biblical preaching, and personal faith; potential skepticism toward ritual as the primary medium of faith.
- Example: a parish that emphasizes a 20-minute sermon, Bibles in pews, and a straightforward, ear-centered approach to faith expression.
  2) Sacramental/Anglo-Catholic stream
- Emphasis: liturgy, beauty, sacraments, church order, and a rich sacramental life; strong emphasis on the senses, icons, art, and contemplative worship; often associated with high ritual and traditional forms.
- Example: a parish where the presider faces the people, uses contemporary liturgy, celebrates the Easter Vigil, uses a formal liturgical calendar, and may include baptismal renewal or adult baptismal initiation.
  3) Broad Church/tolerance and social justice stream
- Emphasis: inclusivity, social engagement, ethics, activism, and public witness; the church as a space for justice and social transformation.
- Example: congregations known for neighborhood advocacy and social service, with a primary energy toward justice and inclusion, sometimes with less emphasis on ritual particularity.
  4) Charismatic/Holy Spirit stream
- Emphasis: personal experience of the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, discernment, and a more spontaneous dynamic in worship (e.g., spontaneous singing, life in the Spirit, discernment groups).
- Example: charismatic congregations within Anglican settings that encourage spontaneous prayer, prophetic discernment, and Spirit-led worship while maintaining ordered liturgy.
Are these streams mutually exclusive? The lecturer emphasizes they are not strictly exclusive, but can feel like distinct charisms that pull in different directions; a parish or individual may lean into one more than others depending on season and context; a balanced parish might seek to incorporate elements from multiple streams without diluting each stream’s distinct DNA.
The horseshoe concept (Sarah Coakley) suggests the sacramental and charismatic ends of spirituality form a “horseshoe” rather than a straight line, with both ends sharing an affinity for the Spirit’s active presence in worship and life; contemporary voices encourage recognizing the validity of multiple expressions within Anglican identity.

Reflections from the breakout discussions and applications to ministry

Students discuss what is appealing or frustrating about Anglican tensions:
- Appeal: tension can foster growth and transformation in individuals, clergy, and parishes; it invites flexibility and creative ministry in the face of modern challenges.
- Frustration: polarization can lead to polarization of church life into distinct communions; concern about sustainability if tensions harden into intractable divides; worry about blandness when overemphasizing accommodation and inclusivity.
- Some participants emphasize the need for balance and the danger of “ Bland Church” that lacks a clear identity or missional focus.
Observations about diversity within Anglican heritage:
- People coming from different backgrounds bring valuable experiences but also highlight the need to maintain a coherent Anglican mark that can accommodate difference.
- There is a risk that “broad church” can slide into a lack of clear identity or a lack of strong practice in liturgy, mission, or authority.
The discussion also covered the practical implications for a diocese:
- Local identity (e.g., in Seattle/West Coast or diocese of New Westminster) often reflects a via media mix but tends toward particular leanings (high, low, broad) in different parishes.
- The Oxford Movement legacy in dioceses like the speaker’s highlights how some parishes act as centers for Anglo-Catholic identity and liturgical renewal while others emphasize evangelism or social action.
The session ends with a personal reflection exercise:
- Participants were asked to consider which streams best describe their own spiritual makeup today, sometimes with rough percentage ideas or qualitative labels; the speaker notes a broader view: different seasons may call for different emphases, and a healthy church can embody multiple streams in different ways.

Connections to ethics, philosophy, and practical implications

Ethical and political implications:
- The Oxford Movement intersects with political questions about church-state relations, governance, and civil authority; the tract discussions show a concern for the church’s independence from civil power while also insisting the church should engage the world morally and socially.
- Erastian debates highlight ongoing questions about whether church governance should be state-mediated or ecclesiastically autonomous.
Philosophical implications:
- The Latitudinarians and Cambridge Platonists push Anglicanism toward a rational-liberal ethos that can accommodate science, humanism, and social ethics, while still affirming Catholic/ancient-tradition roots.
- The Protestant Principle emphasizes ongoing critique and reform as a core religious value, resisting static or self-satisfied doctrinal positions.
Practical implications for ministry:
- Parishes may intentionally cultivate one stream as their “charism,” while remaining open to practices from other streams to support mission and pastoral care.
- In leadership, recognizing the different pathways people come to faith through can guide catechesis, worship design, and outreach.
- The four streams framework provides a language to discuss church vitality, discernment, and the kind of spiritual formation a parish aims to offer.

Readings, sources, and next steps

Core readings discussed in class include:
- Paul Avis, The Vocation of Anglicanism (conceptual framework about the five tensions and the via media)
- John Henry Newman, Tracts for the Times (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 18, 38–41, and 90; focus on apostolic roots, church authority, and the tract against state interference; Track 90 (1841) on reconciling the 39 Articles with Trent, which contributed to Newman’s eventual conversion to Roman Catholicism in $1845$ )
- Other context: the discussion of Jeremy Taylor (high church) and the Caroline Divines; the Latitudinarians and Cambridge Platonists; the broader history of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.
The next class will focus on Episcopal Church readings and the history of the Anglican Church in the United States, followed by Canadian Anglican history in the subsequent session.
Practical reminders:
- Readings posted for the next sessions and the possibility of adding contemporary voices to the spirituality portion.
- Students should be prepared to discuss the readings and bring questions; the lecturer is not an academic specialist in every factual detail, so students should resource themselves for factual questions when needed.
Final takeaways for exam preparation:
- Be able to describe the five tension pairs that Avis identifies and why they matter for Anglican identity.
- Explain the historical evolution and key features of non-jurors, high church, low church, Latitudinarians, and the Oxford Movement, including major figures and tracks.
- Understand the four streams of Anglican spirituality and how they complement or compete with one another in real parish life.
- Be able to discuss the role of church-state relations (Erastianism, state involvement in church governance) and its relevance to current Anglican contexts.
- Recognize the broader philosophical and ethical implications of these movements (Protestant Principle, via media, spirituality as a multi-stream horseshoe).

Summary takeaways for exam preparation

Anglican identity is defined by tension: to be Catholic and reform, to be episcopal and synodical, universal and local, biblical and reasonable, traditional and open to fresh insight. Anglican life seeks to hold these in balanced tension to preserve unity amid diversity.
The historical parties—non-jurors, High Church, Low Church/Latitudinarians, and the Oxford Movement—arose from debates about church authority, liturgy, ritual, and the relationship between church and state; each contributed to a distinct Anglican sensibility and practice.
Newman and Track 2 (Newman) illustrate the tension between Anglican identity and Roman Catholic continuity, and Track 90 shows the controversy around reconciling Anglican formularies with Catholic tradition, culminating in Newman’s conversion.
The four streams of spirituality offer a practical framework to understand how Anglican parishes might express identity and mission through scripture, sacrament, justice and inclusion, or the gifts of the Spirit; most healthy parishes draw on all four as appropriate to their calling.
The seminar connects history to modern ministry: recognizing the persistent pull of tensions, the need for discernment, and the importance of intentional formation that honors Anglican heritage while engaging contemporary culture.

Key dates and numbers (LaTeX-formatted)

Glorious Revolution: $1688$
James II’s reign and related actions: $1685$ (James II takes the throne) and subsequent events leading to the revolution
Non-jurors’ timeline: roughly $1688$ – $1770s$ ; last non-juror bishop died in $1805$
Readings and tractarian era: Tracks for the Times between $1833$ and $1841$ ; Track 90 (Newman) published in 1841; Newman’s conversion to Catholicism in $1845$
Breaks down the modern era into four streams of spirituality as a contemporary synthesis
Time estimates: class session length evolved from roughly three one-hour courses to a three-hour session; the next class is in two weeks

Notable quotes from the session (for memorization during study)

“There’s no such thing as apolitical religion. You can try to expunge the politics from your religion, but you will not succeed.” — Ansley Tucker (summing up the entanglement of church and state in Anglican history)
“Anglicanism holds together what we as Anglicans believe God in the Christian revelation intends to belong together.” — Paul Avis, on the via media and tensions
“The Protestant principle: everything can be questioned.” — Charles Price (as discussed by the lecturer, linked to the Reform tradition and the via media)
Newman’s central assertion in Track 2: ministers may be political when the nation interferes with church rights; the necessity of believing in the one holy Catholic and apostolic church; the church is the visible organism with bishops, priests, and deacons; and the church ought to resist state overreach while engaging the world ethically and pastorally

Endnotes

The session emphasizes a pragmatic approach to Anglican identity, acknowledging historical tensions while focusing on how these tensions can inform present-day ministry and church life.
The lecturer commits to providing more readings and future discussions surrounding the Episcopal Church and Canadian Anglican history, encouraging students to engage with both tradition and contemporary voices.
The overarching goal is to prepare students to navigate Anglican identity in diverse local contexts while preserving a robust sense of mission and unity within the Anglican tradition.