What is Anglicanism?

Anglicanism is a protestant denomination that is both reformed and catholic. “Catholic” simply means “universal” and it refers to the universal church of Jesus Christ. “Reformed” comes from a period of history when the church wanted to reform the church’s practices by removing practices that were contradictory to the Bible. Anglicans love traditions of the church, but only if those traditions don’t conflict with the Bible!

Doctrine

The two most important sources of doctrine in Anglicanism are the Bible and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. Anglicans are committed to sound exegesis of the biblical text as God’s word. We study the Scripture using historical, literary, and theological methods while maintaining that the text is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion are a summary of Anglican beliefs. They were initially written by the reformer Thomas Cranmer and edited by Queen Elizabeth I. They include important foundational beliefs like the Trinity, a commitment to the historic Christian creeds, sacramental theology, our view on baptism, our view on the Eucharist, and the church’s relationship with secular government.

Worship

Anglicans use The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) for the structure of our worship. The BCP contains morning prayer, evening prayer, midday prayer, compline prayer (prayer before sleeping), and prayers for families. Within its pages, you can also find the Sunday morning worship structure (Eucharistic Service), the liturgical year, and a full psalter.

Tradition is an important part of Anglican worship. Our method is often called the “three-legged stool.” The three legs are Scripture, tradition, and reason. When participating in worship, you may experience people making the sign of the cross, bowing to the procession, vestments, incense, or colorful decorations on the altar. These are all traditions that don’t conflict with Scripture, but they can be edifying. Some congregations have these ceremonies and some don’t. Many of the optional ceremonies take on the form of the culture of that church! Anglicans have unity in doctrine with diversity of ceremonial expression.

Fellowship

The Diocese of All Nations is part of the ACNA and GAFCON.

ACNA means “Anglican Church of North America.” The ACNA is an organization created so that conservative Anglicans within the United States could have a place to worship without adopting unbiblical beliefs and practices of the Episcopal Church. Many Anglicans were asked to leave the Episcopal church or chose to leave because of their conservative views on the Bible, the creeds, and human sexuality.

GAFCON is a global Anglican fellowship created to safeguard Christian orthodoxy and mission. An important document that GAFCON adheres to is the Jerusalem Declaration, a clear statement on the church’s commitment to the Bible’s authority and an orthodox view of human sexuality.

For a wealth of information on Anglicanism, check out the website “Anglican Compass” here.