Three Streams, One River

When people ask me about my denominational background I often say “I’m a Denominational Mutt”.   I was born and baptized into the Methodist church and attended briefly an Episcopal church as a boy. Then my parents raised me in a charismatic evangelical tradition for 10 years. As a college and seminary student, I was trained in ministries and schools that take scriptural exegesis and study very seriously.  I’ve been an Anglican priest since 2011 after starting ministry in the Baptist tradition.  All of these experiences had their benefits and pitfalls.

At Mariners we are an Independent church, but we worship in the Anglican tradition.  What does “Anglican tradition” mean exactly? At its best, the Anglican tradition includes some ideas from all these denominations I mentioned and experienced.  It’s one reason Mariners Church is perfectly situated to be ‘a house of prayer for all people’.

The Anglican tradition has a very broad expression of worship within the Book of Common Prayer.  Sometimes this is characterized as “Three Streams, One River”.  I find this metaphor, illustrated below, helpful to show this balance of worship the Anglican tradition attempts to embrace.

These three streams are The Sacramental, The Spiritual, and The Scriptural.  I say “attempts”  to embrace a balance, because it’s pretty rare to achieve it. I want to look briefly at the importance of each of these streams, while looking at the downside of putting too much emphasis on any one of them.

The Sacramental

This stream is near and dear to anyone who was raised Episcopalian, Catholic, Lutheran or any number of liturgical denominations.  It is what presents itself most prominently at Mariners’ Church, and it is a stream we love and cherish.  The beauty of the liturgy, the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist go deep into the Anglican tradition’s roots.  If there are words that might sum up this stream it would be words like: mystery, the sacred, and tradition.  If overemphasized or misunderstood it is called dry, rigid, or wrote.

The Spiritual

I spent a number of years in the Charismatic tradition growing up,  This stream is near to the heart of denominations who emphasis the Holy Spirit and the “spiritual gifts”.  They don’t shy away from these gifts including the gifts of the Spirit that seem more miraculous like tongues, prophecy, and healing. This stream has seen remarkable growth, especially worldwide, in the last 50 years. In the US, someone who may have spent time in the Assembly of God churches or an independent charismatic church would be familiar with this stream. It emphasizes an experience with the Holy Spirit, intimacy with God, and knowing your gifts. If overemphasized or misunderstood it may been seen as too emotional, too experiential, or hyped.

The Scriptural

If there has been one stream that has dominated the last 50 years of church in the US it has to be this one. The Evangelical church swims comfortably in this stream with its emphasis on Bible reading, memorization, and obedience. Baptist, conservative Presbyterians, and independent Bible churches are the denominations in the US that emphasis this stream. If overemphasized or misunderstood it can be labeled as legalistic, fundamentalist, or absent of the Spirit.

Every one of these streams are important, but some churches may be tempted to focus exclusively on their stream of expertise.  One of the beautiful aspects of the Anglican church tradition is the continual effort to find a balance between these three streams. Although I have yet to pastor church who does it perfectly, the continual effort is nonetheless, important.

Over the next three weeks I will expound on each of these streams one at a time, showing their biblical anchors as well as their cultural pitfalls. My hope is to encourage all of us to press into God and ask him to teach us individually and corporately where we need to grow.

If you have an experience, good or bad, in one of these three streams I would love to hear about it. Feel free to reply to this email and I’ll be sure to respond!

Blessings and peace,

Rev. Todd