What We Believe

The Anglican tradition is dedicated to confessing, proclaiming, and living in accord with the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Though God created the world good (Gen 1:31), humanity was tempted and deceived by the devil and sinned against the Lord (Rev 12:9), resulting in wayward hearts (Gen 6:5) that followed death rather than the Lord as a shepherd (Ps 49:7-14). With man unable to overcome sin, death, and the devil, the Father sent forth his Son to save those who place their faith in him (1 John 3:8).

The Old and New Testaments of Holy Scripture stand before and behind the events of the Incarnation and Pentecost, each of which reveal God as he is and man as he ought to be. In the Incarnation we see the Son of God, who was begotten of the Father before all ages (Heb 1:2), take to himself our human nature by the Virgin Mary (Matt 1:18). As the second and greater Adam (1 Cor 15:45) he lived a sinless life (Heb 4:15), suffered upon the cross for our sins (Rom 5:8), descended into Hades to liberate the captives (1 Pet 4:6), rose again from the dead for our justification (Rom 4:25), ascended into heaven to intercede for us (Heb 7:25), and will return again to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim 4:1).

Fifty days after his resurrection, on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to fill the Church (John 14:26). The Spirit is the gift of the Father through the Son (John 15:26), dwelling in us through baptism (John 3:5) and equipping us for ministry through his virtues (Isa 11:1-2), fruit (Gal 5:22-23), and gifts (1 Cor. 12). By the Spirit we are able to live the way Jesus lived and, with him, serve as lights to the world to the glory of God the Father (Matt 5:14-16). Those who walk by the Spirit rather than the flesh will receive life and peace (Rom 8:1-6), but those who followed their own corrupt desires will be condemned with the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41). This faith we confess and proclaim that all might come to a saving knowledge of Christ and receive life everlasting.

The faith we embrace is a way of living exemplified by Christ, his Apostles, and the saints. We engage in this way of life through contemplating the truth revealed to us in the Scriptures, engaging in rhythms of daily prayer, regularly gathering together to worship the Lord, and engaging our neighbors in love. We ground everything we do, whether the words we pray or the hymns we sing, in Holy Scripture, because all of the Scriptures point us to Christ. As Anglicans, what we believe is set forth not only in statements (along with the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds we affirm the 39 Articles of Religion, the Fundamental Declarations of the Province, and the Jerusalem Declaration), but primarily in how we pray. The Book of Common Prayer (download here, purchase here) arranges the Scriptures in order that the people of God might participate in and receive the grace of God through his Word and Sacraments. Through the liturgies of Morning and Evening Prayer, Holy Communion, Baptism, Reconciliation of Penitents, Visitation of the Sick, Holy Matrimony, Ordination, and Burial, we sing, pray, and confess what we believe.

The best way to understand what we believe is by joining us on a Sunday for worship. In our rhythms of singing, reading the Scriptures, and praying together, we express what our mouths confess. We also recognize that many people have specific questions that they want to explore before they join us for a gathering. We encourage you to reach out to the clergy at one of our local churches, each of whom will be glad to hear your story and answer any questions about the Anglican tradition.

Anglicanism is Evangelical, Catholic, and Charismatic

Evangelical

Anglicans believe that all Christians are called to share the Good News of Jesus with the world. We take seriously Jesus’ commission to his disciples in Matthew 28 to baptize the nations and teach them to obey everything that he commanded. The Anglican tradition spread across the world through the efforts of missionaries and evangelists. Anglicanism is the third largest Christian communion in the world, with its largest churches being found in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Uganda, Sudan, and Australia.

Catholic

Anglicans believe that to be Catholic is to receive the whole faith that was given to the saints. Just as we cannot add to or subtract from the doctrine of the Trinity, we also do not have the right to privately define the Church. Anglicans maintain the ecclesiology (what is the Church), polity (how is the Church ordered), and liturgy (how do we worship) of the historic Western Church. Thus, we affirm the historic doctrines of apostolic succession, and three offices of ministry, and the Sacraments while maintaining that Scripture is the only infallible rule of faith.

Charismatic

Anglicans believe that the Holy Spirit continues to work in the lives of believers today, just as he did on the day of Pentecost. Through Baptism the Spirit unites us to the person and work of Jesus, in Holy Communion the Spirit gives us the very Body and Blood of Jesus, and in Confirmation the Spirit gives us the virtues of Jesus. We believe that the Spirit continues to provide his gifts for the building up of the Church and that all Christians are called to walk in step with the Spirit, receiving grace to bear his fruit in our lives.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The word Anglican originates from the Medieval Latin phrase, ecclesia anglicana, which means the English Church. An Anglican is an individual who adheres to and follows the core beliefs and traditions of the Church of England.

    The Anglican tradition, though centered in the English reception of the faith, has spread throughout the world and allows for national churches to adapt its customs (Article 34). After Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism is the third largest Christian tradition. The largest Anglican churches are found in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Uganda, Sudan, and Australia.*

  • Anglicanism is Protestant in doctrine and Catholic in practice. While we maintain the ecclesiology, polity, and liturgical practices of the historic Western Church, we also affirm the need for reform in the Church.

    During the Reformation the English Church, unlike the Continental Reformers, emphasized reform primarily on doctrine and ceremony, not polity. Thus, with Roman Catholicism and Eastern orthodoxy we affirm apostolic succession and three offices of ministry, but with the larger Protestant tradition we deny universal papal authority and believe that Scripture is the only infallible rule of faith.

  • No, Anglicans do not claim to be the one, true Church. Instead, we claim to visible participants in the life of the one invisible Church. We define the visible church as “a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ’s ordinance” (Article 19).

    Anglicans have and continue to engage in ecumenical dialogue with different Christian traditions, seeking with them to find deeper unity in our faith and practice. Many of our local churches partner with other traditions in ministry, rental agreements, and support of overseas missionaries.

  • The Anglican tradition is both ancient and modern. According to legend, Joseph of Arimathea was the first to preach Christ in the British isles. Both Tertullian and Origen mention Christians in England while writing in the 3rd century.* The Church in England always participated in the life of the larger Church Catholic. Patrick, Augustine of Canterbury, Bede the Venerable, Anselm, and Julian of Norwich are among notable ancient English Christians.

    Modern Anglicanism began during the Reformation, when the Church of England rejected the Bishop of Rome’s authority over all of Christendom (much as the Eastern Church did during the Great Schism of 1054) and sought to return to the doctrine and practice of the early Church.

    *See A History of the Church in England, pg. 3, by J.R.H. Moormon.