An "Altar"
Embryo Parson Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 10:25PM Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), in one of their hip church plants.
One priest comments, "So who knew IKEA sold altars?"
I mean, what in the actual heck is this? It looks like an ironing board. Why don't they have a real altar instead of this ugly abomination of a "communion table"? Where are his vestments? Celebrating Holy Communion in jeans, clerical shirt and stole? C'mon. Why isn't he facing ad orientum? Is he reading a laptop? If not, what is that thing? What are those fired clay things on the "altar"?
Folks, this isn't Anglicanism. It is an imposter. My Anglican jurisdiction, The Orthodox Anglican Church - North America, recently received two parishes from the ACNA and several clergy who craved traditional Anglicanism and therefore simply got tired of this and other pseudo-Anglican nonsense. I suspect we will receive more of their parishes and clergy in the futre.
By the way, ACNA's usage of the terms "abbeys" and leading "abbots" with respect to some of their church plants is consummate silliness. Abbeys are communities formed by monks, who are celibates, and abbots are celibate monastic leaders of abbeys. ACNA's "Mission Abbey" is no abbey, and Chris Sorenson is no abbot. Styling this community as an "abbey" is nothing more than "cool" factor, but a complete distortion of Church history.
(The reference to "Foley" in the top pic is to Archbishop Foley Beach, the Primate of the Neo-Anglican ACNA and the Ordinary of the ACNA's Anglican Diocese of the South.)
Reader Comments (3)
Perhaps it's best to be somewhat conciliatory when it comes to the ACNA. Their excesses are an irritant, and can be tacky to be sure, but their heart for evangelism is in the right place. Please keep them in your prayers. Archbishop Foley Beach is a good man. I pray for him and three other ACNA bishops regularly in my Icon Corner, along with the Patriarchate of Antioch, my own jurisdiction.
The North American Anglican continues to be an excellent website with a new article once again calling for a moratorium on all ordinations of women to Holy Orders.
The ACNA remains the largest "conservative" Anglican jurisdiction in the U.S. and that means dealing with them is unavoidable, even for Continuing Anglicans.
There have been recent good developments where Orthodox author Rod Dreher has achieved an amount of influence among them, most recently as a Guest Speaker at a Diocese of the Living Word conference.
I am Antiochian Orthodox, but my spouse is a regular attender at an ACNA parish up the street that is having an ongoing Benedict Option class that will culminate in a retreat at the Benedictine Fellowship of Saint Laurence. The Monastery is Antiochian Orthodox.
Our numbers and influence as liturgical sacramental Christians in this culture are in decline. We need to find ways to hang together or we will most assuredly hang separately.
As one Orthodox Monk said: "Our divisions don't reach into heaven."
That doesn't mean papering over our real differences or failing to call each other to account when necessary, but let's be diplomatic and not burn any bridges.
For what it might be worth.
Blessings in Christ the Absolute God,
Reader Columba
Looking at the pictures again, we can focus on some positive things, too.
The mosaic-style backdrop behind the altar is actually quite pretty and colorful. That one heartens back to the most ancient Christian art forms. The processional cross is also quite handsome.
And it brought also joy to my heart to see the hymn on the screen. I’ve always liked that one.
They’re getting better. At least the overhead’s backdrop behind the gold lettering features some actual Christian icon-style artwork, unlike in the past where you get these stark white backgrounds behind ugly black lettering.
I think the overhead projector art is representing the face of Our Lord, which is always a good thing!
Yes, the altar is a bit much. Rotfl at least there are an abundance of candles!
Lord, Have Mercy.
The Sinner, Reader Columba
No. Just no. The only substantive way we Continuing Anglicans deal with them is to receive their disaffected parishes and clergy, and support those few true Anglicans who continue to suffer the folly.
Like Continuing Anglicanism, Orthodoxy has no truck with this sort of thing, Reader. I'm surprised you seem not to realize this.