Read
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
Reflect
As someone who was raised in the Anglican Church, I’ve been steeped my entire life in the classical “three-legged stool.” Go ahead and open a Google search window and type the words “Anglican” and “three.” I’ll bet any amount of money that the next two words that pop up are “legged” and “stool.” It’s one of the cornerstones of our theology. And I do believe it to be true.
The short answer is that the three legs are scripture, tradition and reason — the three sources of authority within the Church. It was first theorized by the Rev. Richard Hooker, an Anglican priest who lived in the latter half of the 16th century. His theory was that a stool with three legs will collapse if any of its three legs is missing. Likewise, he believed, if any of the three-legged Anglican stool was removed, the church’s doctrine — and thereby its authority — would also collapse.
That’s a nice theory, and I think it also applies to each believer’s life. The Bible doesn’t answer every question, but the Lord has provided us with holy tradition and sanctified reason to help us fill in the gaps. We know what the Church has taught for centuries, and we also have our minds to help us discern the truth when the scripture isn’t definitive on an issue. I don’t agree, however, that the balance between the three is like a three-legged stool. That would mean that the traditions of the Church and our individual reason bear an equal weight with the teachings of the Bible.
Instead, I see the balance more as a “Big Wheel.” You remember that children’s toy with a giant wheel in the center pulling the two smaller wheels behind? If either of those two small wheels broke away, you could still ride the Big Wheel, but you wouldn’t get far. However, if you removed the giant center wheel, your Big Wheel was useless. Our classical Anglican Big Wheel doctrine is no different. If we lose sight of our traditions or reason, we might eke ahead for a bit, but we won’t get far. But if the scripture is removed we’re dead in the water.
For evidence, look at churches around the world. Wherever the Gospel is preached, you generally see a church that is experiencing at least some growth, and often the growth is substantial. But churches that have abandoned the Bible and traded it for social relevance are seeing a nosedive in their membership and attendance numbers. After all, without the Bible, isn’t a church more or less a civic organization that wants you to show up once a week and passes the plate for your money whenever you show up? That’s not a very appealing selling point.
I encourage you to consider the Big Wheel as a model not only for your church, but also for your life. The traditions of the Church are very important, as is the reason with which God gifted you. But the His Word is paramount and must be the center of our daily lives. Live in balance, but ensure that that Word is pulling you daily toward your destination.
Reflection copyright © 2021 Doug DeBolt.
