FAQs about the People
of Church of the Holy Spirit Anglican (Tulsa)
Page 1
Q: What is the Anglican Communion?
The Anglican Communion is a worldwide network of 39 autonomous geographic areas called "provinces." English
colonists and missionaries spread Anglican Christianity to every corner of the
world between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries. The Communion is the third largest body of Christians, having
more than eighty-million members. Only the Roman Catholic Church and the
Eastern Orthodox churches are larger.
Q: How is the Anglican Communion organized?
The Anglican Communion is organized around conciliatory bodies; that is, it is based on councils
at every level: communion, provinces, dioceses, and parishes.
Q: Who leads an Anglican Province?
The
leader of each province is called an Archbishop or Primate. For example, the Most Rev. Robert Duncan is Primate of
the Anglican Church in North America comprising parishes and dioceses in the United
States and Canada. Church of the Holy Spirit Anglican, Tulsa (CHS), is in the Diocese of Fort
Worth.
Q: Are the Anglican Primates bishops of dioceses as well?
Almost all the Provincial Archbishops serve also as diocesan bishops. For example,
Archbishop Duncan serves also as Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Q: Who is the Archbishop of Canterbury?
The present Archbishop of Canterbury is the Most Rev. Rowan Williams. He is one of the two
Primates of England and is selected by the English monarch after extensive review
by church leaders and
the British Government.
Q: Is the Archbishop of Canterbury like the Pope in the Roman Catholic
Church?
No. The Archbishop of Canterbury is more like a "first among equals" or senior
Primate. However, because of his position as the head of the Church of England, our Mother
Church, he is extremely
influential and is a focus of unity.
Q: What are the Anglican "Instruments of Unity?"
The Archbishop of Canterbury, along with the Anglican Consultative Council, the Primates
Meeting, and the Lambeth Conference, are the four "Instruments of Unity" within the
Anglican Communion. In
concert, the Four Instruments speak with authority. It is important to note that all four Instruments of
Unity warned The Episcopal Church (TEC) not to take positions on human sexuality, marriage, and the sanctity of Holy
Scripture that depart from Anglican belief and tradition.
Q: When Church of the Holy Spirit separated from the Episcopal Church (TEC), did we
automatically become Anglicans?
If you were an Episcopalian, until now, you have also been an Anglican.
TEC has been a part of the Anglican Communion since its very beginning, but it has now been reduced to playing what
orthodox theologians describe as “a diminished role” in the Anglican Communion.
Q: How did Church of the Holy Spirit Anglican end up in the Diocese of Forth
Worth?
Having decided to separate from TEC and the Diocese of Oklahoma yet wishing to remain
truly Anglican, in 2005 the parish accepted Archbishop of the Southern Cone, Gregory Venables’,
agreement to provide episcopal (or bishop’s) oversight to the parish; that is, while the Archbishop never visited
this parish, he agreed to serve as our bishop. Our parish was fortunate to be made a Pro-cathedral when the Episcopal Church (the same
church that honors heterodox bishops like Pike and Spong) attacked and deposed
octogenarian Bishop,
William Jackson Cox. At that time, Archbishop Venables (along with the vast majority of world Primates)
publicly rejected the Episcopal Church’s calumny against one of the most beloved
bishops in the Communion. Before Bishop Cox was deposed in the Episcopal Church, Archbishop Venables received
him as his Assistant Bishop in residence at Church of the Holy Spirit. Consequently,
CHS has been able to remain in full standing in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
During the GAFCON
gathering at Jerlem in 2008, CHS Rector, Fr. Briane Turley opened discussions with Bishop Jack Iker of the
Diocese of Forth Worth regarding the parish’s interest in uniting with him and his parishes. Several
months later, the CHSA Vestry voted with unanimity to affiliate with the Diocese of Fort Worth and was
formally received by Bishop Iker and the diocese in November 2009. Affiliation grants this parish
full representative relationship with the Diocese of Forth Worth but requires no transfer
of our property title.
Q: What does it mean to be an Anglican in the Diocese of Fort Worth?
The core beliefs of the Episcopal Diocese of Forth Worth and of Church of the Holy
Spirit Anglican are identical. We believe in the authority of Holy Scripture; believe that
Jesus is
“the” (not “a”) way, the truth and the life; believe in the Apostolic Succession, the Great Tradition and desire to
remain catholic in the fullest sense; believe in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman in a
lifelong relationship, commitment to Great Commission ministry, etc. That we Oklahomans are under the
Episcopal authority of a bishop IN TEXAS(!) is really no problem. We are now privileged
to serve with Bishop Jack Iker, who for many years has maintained an abiding respect for the three streams
of Classical Christianity and while upholding the core elements of Anglican
theology.
Q.: Is it true that CHS Anglican is the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC)
partner with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa?
Yes.
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