Anglicanism and 24-7 Prayer

I’m currently reading Red Moon Rising by Pete Greig, founder of the 24-7 Prayer Movement that is ostensibly affecting a number of people in Evangelical/Charismatic circles.

I find that the notion of 24-7 prayer attracts me for many of the same reasons that I came to Nashotah House.  The constancy of prayer, the zeal for both deep piety and deep evangelism, the closeness of the community, the use of symbols and sacred space, the recognition of the deep connection between mission and spirituality, the rediscovery of tradition.  Although I’m sure the aesthetic environment of a the Nashotah Chapel and a “boiler room” are quite different, one Spirit is active in each, calling out to the Father through the one Lord Jesus Christ.

Moreover, I intuit that Anglicanism and 24-7 prayer have complimentary strengths and weaknesses.   The 24-7 Movement has a tremendous amount of zeal and energy; an open reliance upon God and willingness to experiment, but very little in terms of historical and theological depth and coherence of organization.  Anglicanism, on the other hand, is rich in its artistic, historical and theological heritage, but this can become a burden rather than an asset.  Many of us sometimes have trouble seeing beyond the horizon of our own Tradition to glimpse what the Spirit is doing outside of Apostolic Succession, and can get so bogged down in defending our tradition that we miss new opportunities that God is opening up for us.

I wish I knew how to connect the dots.