Differences between Anglicans and Methodists?

[Rainbow Mage]

I admit I don't know a lot about the Methodist movement, although I was raised Anglican. I have never been to a Methodist church, so I don't know how alike they are. Do they take the sacrament every liturgy? Do they even have liturgical style services? Do they recite the creeds? Do they hold to tradition or sola scriptura? Do they have Priests, Bishops, and Deacons, or pastors?

 

[Rainbow Mage]

*bump

 

[Kathryn]

Well, it depends somewhat on the particular style of Methodist church you attend, but generally speaking they lean toward "high church" in the sense that they are liturgical, they do embrace and recite the creeds, they have communion at least once a month, and they have infant baptism and confirmation. They rarely have baptismal pools, and usually baptise similarly to most RCC churches.

The order of worship is nearly identical to the RCC Mass - but they don't always follow strictly the liturgical order of scripture readings, except during the Christmas and Easter seasons and events like baptisms, weddings, etc. When we take communion, it follows the order of the Mass word for word.

We also observe the different colors of vestments throughout the year - green for ordinary, and white or red or purple for various other holy days.

We don't use incense though. We have pastors, not priests. We also have bishops and deacons and elders.

We do not use wine for communion. There is some discussion about this though and it wouldn't surprise me if this changed. We can either kneel at the altar rail or receive the bread and "wine" by intinction via a pastor or lay person.

Some of this may vary from church to church though but generally this is true.

Hope this helps. Good thread!

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Thanks Kathryn. Nothing differs much from Anglicans, except not using alcohol in the sacrament, and not taking it every Sunday, oh and not having Priests. So I'd find it extremely similar to Anglican? Another question. I had been told the Methodist position on homosexuality had recently changed to accept gay people? What was the decision on that?

 

[Kathryn]

I think the Methodist Church is probably one of the "American" churches that are most like the Anglican Church (though of course the Episcopalians would be the most similar) - in both style, content and beliefs. Oh, by the way, I didn't answer the question about sola scriptura or tradition and scripture. Sola scriptura is not taught in the Methodist church. We also embrace traditions. But we don't have anything like a Pope or a large catechism or anything like "ex cathedra" beliefs.

As for gay people - most Methodists in general are more independent or liberal than, say, the Baptists or Presbyterians, but less liberal than, say, the Episcopalians. Individually, I believe that many Methodists are very comfortable with people who are gay, and a big, big chunk of Methodists are Democrats or Independents.

However, I believe that church doctrine still prohibits actively gay men and women from serving as pastors or bishops - though I don't think it would prohibit gays from being elders or deacons. Not sure on that one to be honest. Maybe someone else knows and will get us the answer!

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I mean the church doesn't condemn gay or lesbian laypersons? Yes I was Episcopalian, the US rite of the Anglican Communion, hence I said Anglican.

 

[Kathryn]

I don't think that most Methodist church congregations would be cold toward a gay layperson. Of course, there are always going to be some people who can't accept it.

As for practicing the gay lifestyle - I believe that the church does not condone sex outside of marriage - and gay sex would be sex outside of marriage. The Methodist Church does not perform same sex marriages.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I don't think that most Methodist church congregations would be cold toward a gay layperson. Of course, there are always going to be some people who can't accept it.

::Nods:: The Episcopal Church is the same way. There are some who don't accept it.

As for practicing the gay lifestyle - I believe that the church does not condone sex outside of marriage - and gay sex would be sex outside of marriage. The Methodist Church does not perform same sex marriages.

That would be a big difference between Methodists and Episcopal.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Is there a movement within the higher ranks of the church's leadership seeking to change this? The no sex outside marriage part I mean, if gay people were in a commited relationship? Which was the Anglican ruling.

 

[Kathryn]

There is some discussion on this, and some individual churches are more accepting than others. There are some openly gay pastors, from what I hear. As in other churches, there's probably a showdown coming on this very issue.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Well, I'll be honest. I hope Christianity in general shifts more toward accepting gay people, because I can't say in good conscience, just this Pagan's humble opinion, that Christ would agree with shutting the doors of the Church in gay people's faces.

 

[Kathryn]

I can understand your point.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Oh I just thought of another good question. Does Methodism have a cannon of saints like Anglicans, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox do? Or did they drop the concept of a list of saints?

 

[Kathryn]

They haven't exactly dropped the whole concept of saints, but they don't call them that per se. They mention them, they acknowledge them, but they don't have some list of people that they have determined are SAINTS. They are just good examples of Christian virtues and character.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Meaning if a Methodist was to mention St. Peter for example, they wouldn't say St. Peter? They'd just say Peter? How do Methodists view the Apocrypha? Becuase Anglicans have since the KJV retracted their criticisms of the Apocrypha, and now consider them Dueterocanonical like Catholics.

 

[Kathryn]

Methodists consider the Apocrypha to be separate from the rest of the canon, but they're not paranoid about it like so many other protestant denominations. And they usually call Peter just Peter, but may on occasion call him St Peter. For instance, my church is called St Lukes United Methodist Church.

 

[Smoke]

We do not use wine for communion. There is some discussion about this though and it wouldn't surprise me if this changed. We can either kneel at the altar rail or receive the bread and "wine" by intinction via a pastor or lay person.

I honestly think that if you're going to use grape juice for Communion you might as well go all the way, and use Kool Aid or Hawaiian Punch. However, the Methodist Church we attended in Ohio achieved a kind of middle-class, mid-century apotheosis by also using what appeared to be Wonder Bread cut into cubes.

 

[Muffled]

Well, I'll be honest. I hope Christianity in general shifts more toward accepting gay people, because I can't say in good conscience, just this Pagan's humble opinion, that Christ would agree with shutting the doors of the Church in gay people's faces.

Churches that take that position become apostate because sin is anti-thetical to Christianity. There is no question that homosexuality is a sin.

It isn't a question of shutting the door in someones face. A person chooses. If the church shut the door on sinners there would be no congregants. The question is not whether the person sins but whether they confess their sin and have asked Jesus to save them from it. The idea of accepting sin is contrary to the concept of being saved from sin by Jesus. Of course if a person were to practice lewd or violent behavior in church it certainly would be reasonable for the elders to take the person to a private room and pray for the person but such behavior does not belong in God's sanctuary.

 

[logician]

I admit I don't know a lot about the Methodist movement, although I was raised Anglican. I have never been to a Methodist church, so I don't know how alike they are. Do they take the sacrament every liturgy? Do they even have liturgical style services? Do they recite the creeds? Do they hold to tradition or sola scriptura? Do they have Priests, Bishops, and Deacons, or pastors?

The first thing is that there are no "Methodists", the Methodist church united with the Evangelical United Brethern church back in 1968 to become the "United Methodist" church. They do not take sacrament every liturgy. They also have deacons, bishops and pastors. They do recite the creeds.:sleep:

 

[angellous_evangellous]

The first thing is that there are no "Methodists", the Methodist church united with the Evangelical United Brethern church back in 1968 to become the "United Methodist" church. They do not take sacrament every liturgy. They also have deacons, bishops and pastors. They do recite the creeds.:sleep:

*gives logician a cookie*