What is Anglicanism?
What is Anglicanism?
“Anglicanism is the life of the Catholic Church that was planted in England in the first few centuries after Christ; reshaped decisively by the English Reformation that reformed the received Catholic Traditions, and also renewed by the Evangelical and Catholic Revivals and other historical movements of the Spirit; and that has now been inculturated into independent, global churches.”
– Rev. Dr. Charles Erlandson
Biblical.
Anglicans firmly believe that “Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation” (Article VI). For us, the Holy Scriptures are a means of encountering the real presence of the Risen Christ. The Rev. John Keble once wrote: “He who knows beforehand that the Personal Word is everywhere in the written Word, could we but discern Him, will feel it an awful thing to open the Bible” For this reason, Anglican worship is thoroughly saturated with the Bible.
Sacramental.
Christian Worship is a matter of Divine prerogative; it is designed by God. In the Holy Scriptures we encounter rites and acts commanded or commended which promise to provide grace to the Christian Soul. These we call “sacraments,” and Biblical Worship is incomplete without them. Scripture provides two sacraments in particular ordained by Christ which are necessary for all Christians: Holy Baptism and the Holy Communion. These are paramount to our worship.
Faithful.
Historic Anglicanism remains faithful to the apostolic witness as grounded in Holy Scripture and shaped by the worship and teaching of the early Church. It has been lived out through regular prayer, a rich sacramental life, and a robust Christian witness across generations. It is marked by steady continuity in faith and morals, and has remained a way of believing and practicing the Christian Faith as something received, guarded, and lived, and not reinvented.
What is Anglican Doctrine?
“We have no doctrine of our own—we only possess the Catholic doctrine of the Catholic Church enshrined in the Catholic creeds, and those creeds we hold without addition or diminution. We stand firm on that rock.”
– Most. Rev. Geoffrey Fisher
Holy Scripture.
Anglican Faith and Worship is chiefly drawn from the Holy Scriptures which contain “all things necessary to salvation” (Article VI). Anglican Worship contains many readings and quotations taken directly from the Bible. The Anglican Church in North America utilizes the English Standard Version of the Bible which had the Rev. Dr. J.I. Packer (an Anglican Priest) as its general editor.
Prayer Book.
Anglicans worship according to the Book of Common Prayer. The Rev. John Wesley (an Anglican Priest) once wrote: “I believe there is no liturgy in the world, either in ancient or modern language, which breathes more of a solid, scriptural, rational piety, than the Common Prayer of the Church of England.” The Anglican Church in North America utilizes the 2019 Book of Common Prayer.
Catechism.
Anglicans teach the Faith with a Catechism. A catechism is ancient method of relaying Christian Doctrine through questions and answers. Catechisms are a common feature of Classical Christianity and still necessary today! The Anglican Church in North America utilizes To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism.