An Outline of an Anglican Life (Tarsitano, 1994)/Introduction
This is the enhanced reading edition of the Introduction to Louis R. Tarsitano's An Outline of an Anglican Life: Lessons in the Faith and Practice of the Anglican Church (Classical Anglican Press, 1994), proofread against the printed text and presented with descriptive section headings, internal links, and editorial notes. Tarsitano's own words are retained throughout; editorial additions are clearly distinguished.
The Purpose of This Course
What follows is a "survey course" on the general Faith and Practice of the Anglican Church that began as a series of questions and answers for use in preparing and conducting Confirmation and Inquirers' Classes in Anglican churches—a purpose I have by no means abandoned.
No written outline can replace the personal contributions of the pastors and teachers charged with educating the people of God. They must teach the classes, and they must select what portions of these lessons are appropriate to the ages and educational levels of their students. All I have attempted to do is to make their important job easier: to give them a place to begin. Anyone who has tried to teach others for any amount of time will know exactly what I mean.
I have used my notes and earlier versions of this course for a number of years, and so I have included here articles based on questions my students have actually asked, as well as those things I am convinced a Christian ought to know (whether he asks or not). I have found that providing a written, as well as an oral, lesson stimulates questions and conversation in the long run, since it gives students a chance to review what was taught in their spare time, and to write down their specific questions. I have also discovered that sending a lesson home with children, to be reviewed with their parents, does them, their families, and their parents' knowledge of the Faith no harm.
The Via Media
My historical and theological method in these pages has been based on this belief: that the Anglican Church is a living example of the Scriptural Church. Anglicanism is not a pastiche of private or borrowed customs. Our Faith is not a compromise among religious traditions. Our Faith is the effort of the members of this branch of Jesus Christ's Church, by the power of the Holy Ghost, to walk the path mapped-out in the Holy Scriptures that leads through and around the obstacles of life to mankind s full communion[ed 1] with God in his Christ. This is the original and only true meaning of the Anglican via media. The "middle way" is not "the middle of the road"; it is the one sure highway our King has provided for our salvation, for the pilgrimage that all must make who would come to him (see Appendix II).
The Anglican Church does not "own" the Middle Way to Christ; but we maintain it for his honor and for the sake of salvation. We are a mission, not only to the world, but to the rest of the Church: not that all men should imitate us and be ours, but that all mankind should imitate Christ and be his. We can take no pride in this, since all we offer, all we stand for, is the catholic Faith of the Bible, the Apostles, and the Undivided Church, and the evangelical zeal of the Great Commission to teach all nations. These are God's gifts, and not our own.
I certainly have no right to speak for the rest of Anglicanism, nor do I intend or claim to. What follows is simply one Anglican priest's understanding of the outline of our Anglican heritage. I have included a number of Biblical warrants and backgrounds for our teaching and practice, in the hope that "our own" will understand the Scriptural basis of what we do and believe, and that the "stranger" who may read these pages, however devoted to his own branch of Christ's Church, will recognize us as his brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Then, there will be no strangers.
A Note on Educational Method
I have usually covered this material in ten or twelve sessions, scheduled once a week, due to time considerations and conflicts in schedules. I heartily recommend that no fewer than ten weeks be given to this study. It is more or less indispensable that every student have a Bible and a copy of our Church's Prayer Book, the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). I have always explained to my students, whether young people or adults, that this course is meant to supplement the Church's requirement that they know before Confirmation the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, and be instructed in the contents of the Offices of Instruction or the Church Catechism (see BCP 283-295 and 577-583).[ed 2]
Appendix V is a sample final examination, which I distribute on the first day of class, including the references to the places in the Prayer Book where the answers may be found. I always require that children pass this exam, either in writing or orally, before Confirmation. I find that it is enough with adults to provide them with a copy, discussing the matter privately, if necessary, in a final interview to determine if they are ready to be confirmed.
The individual lessons are more or less self-contained, so that they can be used for a one time class, or as a handy reference, on their topics.
Editorial Notes
Source: Louis R. Tarsitano, An Outline of an Anglican Life (Classical Anglican Press, 1994). Reproduced on AnglicanWiki by permission of Classical Anglican Press.