English and Scottish Reformation, and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer
Posted by Priest on April 26, 2009 under Sermons | 
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A couple of weeks ago, I had dinner with a friend at Olympia Restaurant down on Denman Street. Even though we work in different professions, we both share a passion for history in general and for the history of the British Isles in particular. My friend, however, really enjoys English history, especially the Tudors, while my passion lies with the Kingdom of the Scots, especially the Scottish Reformation. In fact, some of you might not know that I am a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, one of the four ancient Scottish universities. You heard right: four ancient universities, twice as many as in England! You know where this is going, right? Yes, my friend and I enjoy friendly banter about England and Scotland. And it is really fun to engage in this kind of banter with somebody as educated, as knowledgeable, and as genuinely wonderful as my friend – even if he is an English savage! Just kiddin’.
Yet, one does wonder why some countries seem to be so ignorant of their awe-inspiring Northern neighbours? Maybe they feel threatened or they can’t deal with the beauty and greatness North of the border? Of course, I am just talking about German-Dutch relationships here….
But, I am getting sidetracked. Let me get back to the conversation with my friend. As I said, he is interested in the Tudors and I love chatting about the Scottish Reformation. And, if you know your British history, you’ll realize that there are some overlaps. Just remember, the last Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, was succeeded in 1603 by James VI, the first protestant king on the Scottish throne. Yep, the Scots just took over the English throne – quite a reason to be smug if you are Scottish (or if you graduated from a Scottish university).
Now, I have to admit, Elizabeth I is a favourite of mine. In fact, she is one of my heroines – even though she is English. I believe we have to thank her for a lot of what we now value about Anglicanism. Unlike the common perception, it wasn’t her father and his marriage policies that shaped the Church of England at the time of the Reformation. Henry VIII was a terrible despot, who did not use the prophetic insights of the Reformation to rebuild a decrepit ecclesiastical institution or to reform a ruined church. But Henry VIII severed the Church of England’s ties with the Bishop of Rome to satisfy his political and, one must add, his sexual and dynastic ambitions.
No, we have instead to thank Elizabeth I for moulding the Church of England into an independent, self-governing, and functioning member of Christ’s one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. And we have to thank Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the father of the first Book of Common Prayer. He was the ecclesiastical leader of the English Reformation and to this day, his liturgical skills allow many Christians to deepen their connection with the Divine Mystery. Just think of his translation of the Collect for Purity, which we pray almost every time we gather for Communion. It is almost second nature to Anglicans. And I quote:
Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name: through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Yes, Thomas Cranmer is a hero of mine, too.
And this is where the evening with my friend a few weeks ago got interesting. While we could agreed that Henry VIII was a disaster, we were just not of one mind about either Elizabeth I or Thomas Cranmer. Furthermore, my friend had a rather high opinion of Thomas Moore, Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII, who remained violently loyal to the Church of Rome and who was responsible for the burning of many Protestants, and whom I cannot stand. My friend and I had a big discussion about it all. It was a discussion that was passionate, and intentional, but it was also light-hearted at times and fun. Neither of us got up from the table. Neither of us stopped breaking bread with the other. And both of us left the restaurant alive.
Which is more than can be said about either Thomas Cranmer or Thomas Moore. Henry VIII had Thomas Moore beheaded when the latter refused to sign the Act of Supremacy, which cemented the Church of England’s break with the Church of Rome. Thomas Cranmer was burnt at the stake by Henry’s daughter Mary, whose staunch support for the Roman papacy consumed a number of those she considered heretics. She wasn’t called “Bloody Mary” for nothing!
It is disturbing in our day and age that the powerful during the age of the Reformation had no scruples in killing fellow Christians. What madness! What utter madness! How could people be so narrow-minded, so afraid of others? How could one kill over such minor disagreements? The church really has blood on its fingers and both Anglicans and Romans must be careful about how to commemorate these saints, who were also sinners who sometimes confused the earthly power of rather human institutions with the eternal glory of the reign of God!
But, let’s be honest. This is something we still do at times. To this day, in the church’s internal discussions, we confuse essentials with non-essentials and we far too often break communion rather than break bread. Fear of the other and fear of diverse opinions still reign!
Yet, the message of the Resurrection leaves no place for fear. When we stop being in communion with each other, when we walk out of synods or parishes, when we stop talking to each other, because we disagree with theological, pastoral, or liturgical opinions held by fellow Christians, we not only give into our own fear, we also betray the message of the Resurrection. There should always be space for honest dispute and discussion, even for genuine disagreement, while we continue to break bread and share the cup, which in the end is not ours to break or ours to share, but the Lord’s. The insights of the Anglican Reformation reveal that common prayer together, in community with each other, unites us as children of our loving God, all of us, “both great and small”1 – even in our sinfulness and even in our differences.
This does not mean that there aren’t theological boundaries and that we should accept every theological position as valid. The Church must continue to proclaim Christ crucified and risen, embrace God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ, and celebrate the uniqueness of this revelation. In the words of our Book of Alternative Services: We will be “loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them”2 – not just for our sake, but also for the sake of humanity and for the healing of the nations.
But in Baptism, we also vow to work for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being.3 This has profound implications for our external interactions with members of other faiths or no faith at all. Our baptismal vows compel us to be intentional about celebrating the mutual bond of our humanity, which unites us with all members of the human race. Each and every one of us is created in the beautiful and awe-inspiring image of God – even the English.
Respecting the dignity of every human being must therefore include being surprised by and looking for the presence of God’s Spirit everywhere, including in the most unlikely of places, including in people outside our own tradition. God is there and wills to be found. God’s delight in each and every one of us, whoever we are, spurns us on to work for peace and justice together with others, whoever they are.
The beauty of the dinner with my friend was that in the end we both left not in the least doubting each other’s integrity and faithfulness, but having learned more about one another as we shared our opinions, as we broke bread together, and as we thus affirmed God’s presence among us and God’s love for us. And this was a most beautiful thing in God’s eyes.
[1] 2 Kings 23.2 (which is taken from today’s reading)
[2] BAS, p. 647
[3] BAS, p. 159
[The Reverend Markus Duenzkofer delivered this sermon on April 26, 2009.]