Richard Hooker: Unity in Diversity
John 17:18-23

The Lutherans have Martin Luther, the Presbyterians have John Calvin and John Knox, the Methodists have John Wesley, but who do Anglicans have?

Interestingly, there is no one figure in Anglicanism that can be claimed as the founding or central theologian. Even Abp. Thomas Cranmer, whose beautiful prose and poetry mark the “Book of Common Prayer,” saw our tradition as a living stream shaped by many witnesses that preceded him and that would succeed him, but not himself alone as the central figure. One such witness is the English reformer, Richard Hooker (March 25, 1554-Nov. 2, 1600), whose life we commemorate on Nov. 3. Hooker, an Anglican priest, was a mild-mannered, soft-spoken and studious priest, whose brilliant mind, words and writing, shaped Anglicanism into what it is today.

Have you ever wondered—how is it possible for Anglicanism to be so diverse, yet maintain our unity? Think about the differences between the low church and high church: the burning of incense and use of bells, traditional choral music versus contemporary bands, evangelical or charismatic styles, traditional liturgical vestments or denim pants, and even different beliefs about the Eucharist. Think about the cultural and linguistic breadth of our Anglican Communion, where our brothers and sisters worship every week through Word and Sacrament in a variety of ways and tongues like Cantonese and Swahili.

How is all this possible? It is thanks to the work of Richard Hooker. During the heyday of the English Reformation, Hooker found himself debating with Roman Catholics on one side and the radical Puritans on the other. Both wanted to homogenize their faith. It would have made for a distasteful Christian experience where we became soulless, unhappy robots.

Hooker, however, in his seminal work, “The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity,” drew from some of the best medieval theological minds, such as Thomas Aquinas and argued for a form of Christianity that allowed a wide breadth of wholesome religious practices. Creation is diverse yet sings to one God in “one” voice, Hooker argued. So, why can’t we Christians worship the one God in diverse ways? And so, if it wasn’t expressly forbidden by the Bible, let’s not forbid it in our churches! This allowed for Christians to use incense, candles, vestments, musical instruments, new hymns and songs — or not!

If we gather to worship God through Word and Sacrament, as the Church had always done in a variety of ways in a variety of ages, so be it. At the end of the day, what glorifies God the most is not how we worship, but that we worship Him as One Body. Hooker desired, as our Lord prayed in his final hours before his crucifixion, “Father I pray that they (us Christians) may be one, as we (the Father and Christ) are one, … so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:23, NRSV) How beautiful it must look to the Triune God, our Creator and to His creation, when his children created in His image worship Him as one!

A Prayer
O God of truth and peace, you raised up your servant Richard Hooker in a day of bitter controversy to defend with sound reasoning and great charity the catholic and reformed religion: Grant that we may maintain that middle way, not as a compromise for the sake of peace, but as a comprehension for the sake of truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
“Lesser Feasts and Fasts,” page 441
The Rev. John D. Sundara
Vicar for Worship and Evangelism
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