Reason #14: I'm Evangelical

As well as being liberal and catholic, the Archbishop needs to be an evangelical who tests everything according to the Bible.

Since Thomas Cranmer and his Book of Common Prayer, the Church of England has been an Evangelical church, a Reformed church, a Biblical church. Which means the Church of England declares that we need believe nothing unless it can be proved from the Bible.

This means that although as good Catholic Christians we accept the traditions of the Church as a blessing, we need to pay heed to the word of St. Augustine -- passed down in church tradition (by Aquinas) -- that "Only those books of Scripture which are called canonical have I learned to hold in such honor as to believe their authors have not erred in any way in writing them. But other authors I so read as not to deem everything in their works to be true, merely on account of their having so thought and written, whatever may have been their holiness and learning."

And of course in Scripture itself we find that Jesus criticized the Established religious leaders of his day for depending too much on tradition, and not knowing the Word of God or the power of God.

But Evangelical means not only that we love the Bible and test everything by it, but also that we are gospel people -- for the word 'evangelical' comes from the Greek word 'euanggelion', which means 'good news', 'gospel'. And the whole message of the Bible is good news, that in spite of our failure to live up to God's standards, God has paid the price for us to be reconciled to Him and experience the blessing of enjoying His promises being fulfilled.

Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.