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.(see Creeds)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 the 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.The
modern language liturgies, such as Common Worship, 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.
>See Services
Another distinguishing feature of the corporate nature of Anglicanism is that it
is an interdependent Church, where parishes, dioceses and provinces help each other
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.
>Hit this link What’s a Christian?
