The Ancient Apostolic Church of Alexandria embraces the 4th Way, a new and yet, a venerable way of being a Christian in today’s world, of being a person of faith in today’s work, of being free. The 4th Way is a new vision of the Liberal Catholic Church tradition founded by Bishop James Ingall Wedgwood and further built upon by Bishop Charles Leadbeater. The Liberal Catholic Church was founded in 1916, and our new vision is a deconstruction of the Liberal Catholic Church tradition in the 21st century holding three qualities in tension: tradition, innovation, and culture.
The 4th Way is a spirituality of Transfiguration. We do not ignore Jesus on the cross, nor do we ignore the risen Christ; however, our spirituality is a spirituality of the present and one of personal transformation. We seek the transfigured light of Mount Tabor, right here and right now.
The 4th Way is a convergence of sacramental Christianity, holding in trust seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, confession, marriage, holy orders, and anointing of the sick. It is a convergence of Theosophical values and ideas that may seem foreign to Christianity but have roots within the tradition, such as reincarnation which also exists within strands of Orthodox Judaism. Of Universal Salvation that was taught in the theological schools of ancient Alexandria. The 4th Way is a convergence of animistic ideas that promote the sacredness of creation and the blessings bestowed upon us by creation itself; rejecting the notion that creation is inherently evil but instead good, and that humanity while condemned to eventually die, is not stained by an original sin but by sacredness inherent in creation, resulting in Christian animism. The 4th Way is the intersection of sacramental Christianity, Theosophy, Hermeticism, and a Creation affirming spirituality.
The three qualities we hold in tension guide us in our continued reconstruction of the Liberal Catholic Church tradition in that we value and honor the rich theological heritage of sacramental Christianity seen in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, and within Anglicanism, and with the Liberal Catholic Church tradition evolved in the past hundred plus years. We are not stuck in tradition, holding onto it like a golden calf; instead, we endeavor to seek liturgical and theological innovation that honors the past, respects the present, while looking reverently to the future.