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A history of the Reformed Episcopal Church

On November 10, 1873 the Assistant Bishop of Kentucky of the Protestant Episcopal Church wrote his letter of resignation to the Rt. Rev. Benjamin Bosworth Smith, D.D., Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Kentucky.

"Under a solemn sense of duty and in the fear of God, I have to tell you that I am about to retire from the work in which I have been engaged in the last seven years in the Diocese of Kentucky, and thus to sever the relations which have existed so happily and harmoniously between us during the time... I, therefore, leave the communion in which I have labored in the sacred ministry for over twenty-eight years, and transfer my work and office to another sphere of labor. I have an earnest hope and confidence that a basis for the union of all evangelical Christendom can be found in the doctrine of Justification by faith. To this blessed work I devote the remaining years of my life, content, if I can only see the dawn of that blessed day of the Lord. I am, dear Bishop, faithfully yours in Christ.

-- George David Cummins

Less than five days later, Bishop Cummins circulated a notice to "others of like mind and persuasion."

"Dear Brother, The Lord has put into the hearts of some of His servants who are, or have been, in the Protestant Episcopal Church, the purpose of restoring the old paths of their fathers. On Tuesday, the second day of December, 1873, a meeting will be held in Association Hall, corner of Twenty-third Street and Fourth Avenue, in the City of New York, at ten o'clock a.m. to organize an Episcopal Church on the basis of the Prayer Book of 1785: a basis broad enough to embrace all who hold 'the faith once delivered to the saints', as that faith is maintained by the Reformed Churches of Christendom. This meeting you are cordially and affectionately invited to attend. The purpose of this meeting is to organize, and not to discuss the expediency of organizing. May the Lord guide you and us by His Holy Spirit...' "

George David Cummins.

When the appointed day arrived, the Reformed Episcopal Church came into being. Bishop Cummins then addressed the group.

"One in heart, in spirit, and in faith with our fathers, who at the very beginning of the existence of this nation sought to mold and fashion the ecclesiastical polity which they had inherited from the Reformed Church of England by a judicious and thorough revision of the Book of Common Prayer, we return to their position and claim to be the old and true Protestant Episcopalians of the days immediately following the American Revolution, and through these, our ancestors, we claim an unbroken historical connection through the Church of England, with the Church of Christ, from the earliest Christian era.' (1)

The choice of the name Reformed Episcopal Church clearly demonstrates that the founders of the REC did not consider themselves revolutionaries bent on overthrowing the work of the past. Instead, they saw themselves as reformers, intent on removing the corruption of the present while holding fast to the purity of the Church in prior ages. Professor D.O. Kellogg explained in 1893.

"Anglicanism, the parent of the Protestant Episcopal Church, not only stamped hereditary marks on her offspring but has been imitated in all her mutations. A glance at the history of the Church of England is pertinent therefore to that of the Reformed Episcopal Church, which is only reformed incidentally, for in gist and core it is a restoration, and shall have been called the Restored Episcopal Church. If its true relation to the organization from which it was cloven is to indicated in its name. It took and strives to maintain the original position of the Church of England, when it became Protestant, and of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Bishop White's time. We have called it the reformed, but it is the Restored Episcopal Church. (2)

Like the English Reformers of the Sixteenth century, Bishop Cummins "sought to prove that a national Church could indeed reform itself around the Protestant principles of sola scriptura and sola fide without sloughing off fifteen centuries of the Church's history. (3)

Like Richard Hooker, early Reformed Episcopalians would have been quick to urge:

"Let us be loath to change, without urgent necessity, the ancient ordinances, rites, and long approved customs of our venerable predecessors. .. antiquity, custom and consent in the Church of God, making with that which the law doth establish are themselves sufficient reasons to uphold the same, unless some notable public inconvenience enforce the contrary... We neither follow Rome in her errors nor reject what is sound simply because it is hers. Not everything that idolaters have done is to be abhorred, but what they have done idolatrously. For of that which is good even in evil things, God is the author.' (4)

This cautious spirit and apprehension to change is revealed in Bishop Cummins response to his critics:

"We only want to take out all that can be interpreted as teaching false doctrine; the rest should remain as it is. The fewer changes we make the better; ours is an Episcopal Church, and we do not wish to do away with our offices and liturgy". (5)

This was the gentle spirit that marked the founding of the Reformed Episcopal Church.

The Declaration of Principles

At the initial meeting, Bishop Cummins presented for adoption the Declaration of Principles. To follow the discussion below, a slow reading of the Principles at this point may be helpful (BCP p623).

Over the years, there have been some questions about the Declaration of Principles. For example, some have suggested the Declaration of Principles is an additional authority to the Holy Scriptures and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. This is not true. The first principle clearly recognizes Scripture as the primary source of authority. However, the Bible is not the only source of authority for the Church. Holy Scripture was not given in a vacuum, apart from the Church. Rather, the Church wrote, collated, and interpreted the Scriptures. Hence, the ancient creeds as interpreted by their English commentary, the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, are also authoritative.

The Declaration of Principles also addresses the matter of Church government. The statement on the episcopacy is from Richard Hooker, the late 16th Century Anglican theologian, who wrote the classical defense of Anglicanism, The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. Hooker endorsed episcopal polity as found in Scripture and authenticated by its universal, uncontested acceptance for the first 1500 years of church history. Nevertheless, Hooker resisted the temptation to be so exclusive as to "unchurch" those who did not have bishops. (E.g., the European Reformed Christians) Hooker refused to deny the validity of their Baptism or Communion.

However, many 19th century Anglicans departed from their English Reformation heritage by not acknowledging the Baptism or Communion of non-episcopal denominations. Therefore, our second principle embraces the episcopacy for the well-being, but not the being of the church.

Finally, the denials of the 4th Principle clearly oppose the idea that that the sacraments in and of themselves convey salvation apart from faith. However, a negative does not establish a positive. The use of particular terms such as priest, altar, and real presence are not actually forbidden. Only their incorrect use is denied. Yet, these denials should in no way be understood as rejecting the clear language of documents subscribed to in the Declaration of Principles (The Scriptures, Book of Common Prayer, Thirty-Nine Articles, etc.). Here, the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion will help us to better understand the 4th Principle.

  1. The Thirty-Nine Articles allow the use of the word priest as the anglicized version of the word presbyter by their consistent use of it to describe a minister of the Word and Sacrament (XXXII, XXXVI). We do not believe a priest is someone who can uniquely provide atonement (XXXI). Instead, he is a minister of God's sacramental mercies.
  2. Table and altar are used interchangeably in Holy Scripture (Malachi 1:10, 12), suggesting the table of Holy Communion is an altar of praise and thanksgiving from which the spiritual body and blood of Christ are ministered.
  3. The Articles the real presence of Christ when they say, The Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper, only after an heavenly and spiritual manner (XXVIII).
  4. The Holy Scriptures (Titus 3:5) and the Catechism of the BCP speak of baptism as an outward sign of an inward grace such that regeneration should be understood as normally occurring at Holy Baptism, but not inseparably with Baptism.

Thus, the Declaration of Principles are an expression of our return to the old paths of the Protestant Episcopal Church, the English Reformers, and the ancient church. The Principles have kept the Reformed Episcopal Church in conservative, orthodox doctrine for 131 years.

What We Believe

The Reformed Episcopal Church believes the Scriptures are most faithfully interpreted in the Apostle's Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins: the Resurrection of the body: and the life everlasting. Amen

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God; Begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of very God; Begotten, not made; Being of one substance with the Father; By whom all things were made: Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And was made man: And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried: And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures: And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father: And he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; Who spake by the Prophets: And I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church: I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins: And I look for the Resurrection of the dead: And the Life of the world to come. Amen

The Athanasian Creed

Whosoever desires to be saved must above all things hold the catholic faith. Unless a man keep it in its entirety inviolate, he will assuredly perish eternally.

"The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man-and the dogma is the drama."

Dorthy Sayers

Now this is the catholic faith, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, without either confusing the persons or dividing the substance. For the Father's person is one, the Son's another, the Holy Spirit's another; but the Godhead of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is one, their glory is equal, their majesty coeternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, such also the Holy Spirit. The Father is increate, the Son increate, the Holy Spirit increate. The Father is infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite. The Father is eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal. Yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal; just as there are not three increates or three infinites, but one increate and one infinite. In the same way the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty; yet there are not three almighties, but one almighty.

Thus the Father is God, the Son God, the Holy Spirit God; and yet there are not three Gods, but there is one God. Thus the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, the Holy Spirit Lord; and yet there are not three Lords, but there is one Lord. Because just as we are obliged by Christian truth to acknowledge each person separately both God and Lord, so we are forbidden by the catholic religion to speak of three Gods or Lords.

The Father is from none, not made nor created nor begotten. The Son is from the Father alone, not made nor created but begotten.

The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son, not made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. And in this trinity there is nothing before or after, nothing greater or less, but all three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal. Thus in all things both Trinity in unity and unity in Trinity must be worshiped. So he who desires to be saved should think thus of the Trinity.

It is necessary, however, to eternal salvation that he should also faithfully believe in the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now the right faith is that we should believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is equally both God and man.

He is God from the Father's substance, begotten before time; and he is man from his mother's substance, born in time. Perfect God, perfect man composed of a rational soul and human flesh, equal to the Father in respect of his divinity, less than the Father in respect of his humanity.

Who, although he is God and man, is nevertheless not two but one Christ. He is one, however, not by the transformation of his divinity into flesh, but by the taking up of his humanity into God; one certainly not by confusion of substance, but by oneness of person. For just as rational soul and flesh are a single man, so God and man are a single Christ.

Who suffered for our salvation, descended to hell, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, sat down at the Father's right hand, whence he will come to judge the living and dead: at whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies, and will render an account of their deeds; and those who have behaved well will go to eternal life, those who have behaved badly to eternal fire.

This is the catholic faith. Unless a man believe it faithfully and steadfastly, he will not be saved. Amen

Worship at All Saints

Title Page 1552 Book of Common Prayer

Our worship is shaped and directed by the theology of the creeds and the Thirty-Nine Articles. We assemble each Sunday to enter the presence of our great King, to pay homage to Him in a manner worthy of royalty, and to commune with Him in the sacrament. At All Saints we try to demonstrate the dignity and reverence such an occasion demands, while conveying the warm intimacy expressed by the Psalmist when he wrote, "O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is (Ps.63:1)

At All Saints, we've found the traditional Book of Common Prayer (BCP) helps us maintain a balance between doctrinal purity and warm-hearted devotion. To better understand liturgical or "Prayer Book" worship, a brief history of the Book of Common Prayer is in order.

Our Prayer Book grew to its present form in stages. In 1549 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer almost single-handedly produced the first BCP. This book was revised in 1552, 1662, 1789, 1928 and 1979. Cranmer established three fundamental guidelines for the 1549 Prayer Book and all the revisions to follow:

  • The BCP must be Scripturally sound
  • The BCP must be faithful to the beliefs of the early church
  • The BCP must be understandable to the people

When the USA gained independence from England, the American Church was cut off from the mother Church. Therefore, the Episcopal Church in the US prepared its first BCP in 1789.

What's Unique About The BCP?

It's Common. The Prayer Book is to be shared by all people. It's not a service manual for priests, but a devotional guide for all Christians.

It's a book of Prayers. The primary focus of the Prayer Book is prayer. It's not a manual of rules or laws. It's designed to help Christians follow the first believers in Acts who were "steadfast in prayer."

At All Saints we believe theology or doctrine should shape the way we pray. In other words, what we believe about God, His Word and the world He created, ought to affect what we pray. The Prayer Book guides us in the process of praying sound theology.

Using The Book of Common Prayer

As a hart longs for the flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? (Psalms 42:1,2).

The Book of Common Prayer was meant to be used. It develops in us a scriptural view of the world. It orders our days with: Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Family Prayer. It also gives shape to the six most important events in our lives: birth, baptism, communion, confirmation, marriage, and burial.

Like most things, ease and comfort come with frequent use. The more we use the Book of Common Prayer the more comfortable we become with the beautiful prose ressing ourselves in beautiful prose that is both theologically sound and a habit well worth developing.

The BCP, Holy Communion & The Gospel

Some have said that Prayer Book worship is unexciting and dead. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Order Of Holy Communion presents the drama of the Gospel three different times.

  • First Cycle
    • The confession of sin in the Collect for Purity & The Law
    • The proffer of grace in the reading of the epistle and gospel lessons
    • The affirmation of faith in the affiration of the Creed, and the response to the sermon by giving
  • Second Cycle:
    • The confession of sin in the actual Prayer of Confession
    • The proffer of grace in the absolution; mark how some people make the sign of the cross to acknowledge God's forgiveness
    • The affirmation of faith by the singing of the Sursum Corda and Trisagion
  • Third Cycle:
    • The confession of sin in the Prayer of Humble Access
    • The proffer of grace in the Prayer of Consecration
    • The affirmation of faith in the partaking of Holy Communion

We believe the pageantry of God-centered, Prayer Book worship will awaken in you an unknown capacity for joy, so that you'll say with King David,

"O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory." Psalm 63:1

Actions of Worship

"Worship" is a verb. It's something we do, and God is the audience. As physical beings, we express spiritual truth physically. That is, we use "physical things," including our bodies, to express the attitude of our hearts. During worship the members of the congregation use their bodies to reenact/rehearse God's wondrous acts in history.

Kneeling

The Scriptures indicate that kneeling is a part of worship (1Kings 19:18, Psalm 95:6, Ephesians 3:14-16). It's the posture of thankfulness, humility and submission. (1Kings 8:54, Daniel 6:10, Matthew 17:14-15). Kneeling is a sign of repentance (Ezra 9:5).

Bowing

Bowing is described in the Scripture as a posture of worship as well. Psalm 95:6 says, "O come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker." (See also, Isaiah 45:23, Micah 6:6, Romans 14:11, Ephesians 3:14). People may bow at different times during the service, especially when the cross passes by in the procession. They are not "bowing to the cross" but bowing to God who wrought a great and marvelous work for us on such an instrument.

Those leading worship usually pause

in front of the altar to bow. This is a physical reminder of the sacredness of the bread and wine.

Making the Sign of the Cross

Making the sign of the Cross is a physical act whereby we express our faith in the Holy Trinity. It's also an act of consecration whereby individuals physically remind themselves that their bodies and souls belong to the Triune God.

Many of us have grown up making the sign of the cross. It is second nature to us. We move our right hand to our forehead as we say, "In the name of the Father." Then we move our right hand to our chest as we say, "and of the Son" and as we move our right hand from our left shoulder to our right shoulder we say, "and of the Holy Ghost."

The sign of the cross can be made with three fingers extended, in honor of the Blessed Trinity (Three Persons, One God). The other two fingers are bent to the palm of the hand to signify that Christ had two natures - a human nature and a divine nature.

The sign can be made with one finger, in honor of the Oneness of God. Or, it can be made with five fingers extended, in honor of the five wounds of Christ.

Tertullian, who died about 230 A.D. said, "In all our actions, when we come in or go out, when we dress, when we wash, at our meals, before resting to sleep, we make on our forehead the sign of the cross. These practices are not committed by a formal law of scripture, but tradition teaches them, custom confirms them, and faith observes them."

Martin Luther instructed his followers to make the sign of the cross at both the beginning and the end of the day as a beginning to daily prayers. In the Catechism's section on morning and evening prayers, Luther writes, "When you get out of bed, bless yourself with the holy cross and say. . . ." The same instruction is given for bedtime.

Again, making the sign of the cross is a means of physically expressing the spiritual. In all things remember that all may, some will, none must.

The REC & The Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA)

The doctrine and organization of the Reformed Episcopal Church are similar to that of ECUSA. However there are several important exceptions:

  • Holy Scripture is the highest authority in the REC
  • The REC vigorously holds to the plain understanding of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion
  • Worship is liturgical. At Sunday morning worship, the use of the Prayer Book, recently revised to conform with the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (BCP), is required. The 1928 BCP is also authorized for use.
  • The triennial General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church is not like the General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA since her bishops do not constitute a separate house but, rather, vote with the Clergy.

The Reformed Episcopal Church has added over fifty new parishes and missions in the last decade. Foreign missions are maintained in India, Liberia, France, Uganda, Brazil, and Germany. In India there is a primary school, hospital, and orphanage. In Liberia there are twenty parishes with a membership of over 3000. There are three Theological Institutions within the United States (Philadelphia, PA; Summerville, S.C.; Houston, TX). The Reformed Episcopal Church is in fellowship through concordat with the Free Church of England (Otherwise known as the Reformed Episcopal Church in England) and the Anglican Province of America. There are 13,422 members in 137 local parishes and missions.

1 Annie Price, A History of the Formation and Growth of the Reformed Episcopal Church.
2 Professor D.O. Kellogg The Reformed Episcopalian, March 1990, pp 6-11.
3 The Rev. Dr. Allen Guelzo, The First Thirty Years (Reformed Episcopal Publication Society), p 3.
4 Richard Hooker, Ecclesiastical Polity, Book II, p 32 ff.
5 Annie Price, A History of the Formation and Growth of the Reformed Episcopal Church p 127.