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What
it means to be an Anglican
The
Scriptures and the Gospels, the Apostolic Church and the early Church Fathers,
are the foundation of Anglican faith and worship in the 38 self-governing
churches that make up the Anglican Communion. The basic tenets of being an
Anglican are:
- We view the Old and New Testaments 'as containing all things
necessary for salvation' and as being the rule and ultimate standard of
faith.
- We understand the Apostles' creed as the baptismal symbol, and the
Nicene creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith
- The two sacraments ordained by Christ himself - Baptism and the
Supper of the Lord - are administered with unfailing use of Christ's words
of institution, and the elements are ordained by him.
- The historic episcopate is locally adapted in the methods of its
administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God
into the unity of his Church.
Anglicans
trace their Christian roots back to the early Church, and their specifically
Anglican identity to the post-Reformation expansion of the Church of England and
other Episcopal or Anglican Churches. Historically, there were two main stages
in the development and spread of the Communion. Beginning with the seventeenth
century, Anglicanism was established alongside colonisation in the United
States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. The second stage began
in the eighteenth century when missionaries worked to establish Anglican
churches in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
As
a worldwide family of churches, the Anglican Communion has more than 70 million
adherents in 38 Provinces spreading across 161 countries. Located on every
continent, Anglicans speak many languages and come from different races and
cultures. Although the churches are autonomous, they are also uniquely unified
through their history, their theology, their worship and their relationship to
the ancient See of Canterbury.
Anglicans
uphold the Catholic and Apostolic faith. Following the teachings of Jesus
Christ, the Churches are committed to the proclamation of the good news of the
Gospel to the whole creation. In practice this is based on the revelation
contained in Holy Scripture and the Catholic creeds, and is interpreted in light
of Christian tradition, scholarship, reason and experience.
By
baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a person is made one
with Christ and received into the fellowship of the Church. This sacrament of
initiation is open to children as well as to adults.
Central
to worship for Anglicans is the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, also called
the Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper or the Mass. In this offering of prayer
and praise, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are recalled
through the proclamation of the word and the celebration of the sacrament. Other
important rites, commonly called sacraments, include confirmation, holy orders,
reconciliation, marriage and anointing of the sick.
Worship
is at the very heart of Anglicanism. Its styles vary from simple to elaborate,
or even a combination. Until the late twentieth century the great uniting text
was The Book of Common Prayer, in its various revisions throughout the
Communion, and the modern language liturgies, such as the Book of Alternative Services (BAS), which now exist
alongside it still bear a family likeness. Both The Book of Common Prayer, and
more recent Anglican liturgies give expression to the comprehensiveness found
within the Church whose principles reflect that of the via media in
relation to its own and other Christian Churches.
Another
distinguishing feature of the corporate nature of Anglicanism is that it is an
interdependent Church, where parishes, dioceses and provinces help each other to
achieve by mutual support in terms of financial assistance and the sharing of
other resources.
To be an Anglican is to be on a journey of faith to God supported by a fellowship of co-believers who are dedicated to finding Him by prayer and service.
Text
adapted from The Church
of England
Image from the Anglican Church of the
Redeemer