Simply Anglican: An Ancient Faith for Today's World

by Winfield Bevins

The earliest form of the Apostles’ Creed appeared around the second century, and it seems to have assumed its final form in the eighth century.

At the request of Emperor Constantine, Christian bishops from across the East and the West met at the town of Nicaea, near Constantinople. In AD 325 they wrote an expanded creed called the Creed of Nicaea, which was finalized in its current form at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. Along with the Apostles’ Creed, Christians widely accept the Nicene Creed as a statement of true Christian orthodoxy.

The Anglican church employs the Apostles’ Creed as the statement of faith during baptism and Morning and Evening Prayer, while the Nicene Creed is recited in the service of Holy Communion.

Athanasian Creed was an attempt to protect the church from heresies that denied the humanity and divinity of Jesus and from false teachings ...

Although it was most likely composed at some point during the fifth century, the Athanasian Creed is traditionally ascribed to Athanasius (293–373), a defender of orthodox teaching about Jesus Christ against the heresy of Arianism, which maintained that Jesus was a created being, not God. The Athanasian Creed offers a detailed statement of the doctrine of the Trinity: “That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the persons...

Our creeds are not static statements about the Christian faith; rather they offer the church a dynamic means of unity in the essentials of our common faith.

With the creeds as a foundation, we can be open to the diversity that permeates the various church traditions.

The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion represent another pillar of Anglican beliefs.

The church never intended for the Articles to be a comprehensive statement of the Christian faith, but originally thought of them as a way to clarify the position of the Church of England against the Roman Catholic Church and also certain continental Reformers.

The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion are among the finest statements of the faith produced during the time of the Reformation and remain relevant for today’s world.

1.Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. 2.Of Christ the Son of God. 3.Of his going down into Hell. 4.Of his Resurrection. 5.Of the Holy Ghost. 6.Of the Sufficiency of the Scriptures. 7.Of the Old Testament. 8.Of the Three Creeds. 9.Of Original or Birth-sin. 10.Of Free-Will. 11.Of Justification. 12.Of Good Works. 13.Of Works before Justification. 14.Of Works of Supererogation. 15.Of Christ alone without Sin. 16.Of Sin after Baptism. 17.Of Predestination and Election. 18.Of obtaining Salvation by Christ. 19.Of the Church. 20.Of the Authority of the Church. 21.Of the Authority of General Councils. 22.Of Purgatory. 23.Of Ministering in the Congregation. 24.Of speaking in the Congregation. 25.Of the Sacraments. 26.Of the Unworthiness of Ministers. 27.Of Baptism. 28.Of the Lord's Supper. 29.Of the Wicked which eat not the Body of Christ. 30.Of both kinds. 31.Of Christ's one Oblation. 32.Of the Marriage of Priests. 33.Of Excommunicate Persons. 34.Of the Traditions of the Church. 35.Of the Homilies. 36.Of Consecrating of Ministers. 37.Of Civil Magistrates. 38.Of Christian men’s Goods. 39.Of a Christian man’s Oath.

According to theologian Gerald Bray, the Thirty-Nine Articles can be divided into three distinct categories: Catholic doctrines, Protestant doctrines, and Anglican doctrines. The Catholic doctrines are found in Articles 1–8 and deal with the Holy Trinity (1–5), the Holy Scriptures (6–7), and the ancient creeds (8). The Protestant doctrines are found in Articles 9–34, which deal with salvation (9–10), justification by faith (11–14), the Christian life (15–18), the church (19–22), the ministry (23–24), the sacraments (25–31), and church discipline (32–34). Finally, the Anglican doctrines are found in articles 35–37 and deal with the Homilies (or key sermons), the threefold order of ministry (bishops, priests, and deacons), and the relationship of church and state. The last two articles (38–39) are not specifically Anglican but deal with matters of civil government.

key to understanding the overall tenor of the Thirty-Nine Articles is the doctrine of God’s saving grace. Article XI says, “We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works or deservings: Wherefore, that we are justified by Faith only is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort.”

Bishop J. C. Ryle reminded Anglicans, “Doctrines such as those set forth in the Articles are the only doctrines which are life, and health, and strength, and peace. Let us never be ashamed of laying hold of them, maintaining them, and making them our own. Those doctrines are the religion of the Bible and of the Church of England!”

Anglicans emphasize making disciples and teaching others the basics of the Christian faith through catechesis.

catechisms are basic summaries of the biblical and creedal teaching of the church and are used to ensure that all members of the church understand the essentials of the faith for themselves.

Catechisms are

an invitation to learn the doctrines of God’s goo...

Catechesis goes back to the 3rd century with the Didascalia Apostolorum (Teaching of the Apostles), which called for a three-year period of catechesis. Augustine of Hippo (353–430) also used catechesis to instruct new believers.

So, why use catechisms today? Aren’t they outdated or irrelevant in the postmodern world? While rooted in times and cultures past, catechisms are important because they provide an outline of the essentials of the faith that is universal for all Christians, regardless of denomination or affiliation. Many Christians today are rediscovering the need for and the benefits of using a good catechism. Both new and established churches can benefit from using catechisms. Individuals, families, and small groups can all employ catechisms based upon their varying structures.

new catechism of the Anglican Church in North America, To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism,

Basic Christianity by John Stott

Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way by Gary A. Parrett and J. I. Packer

Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism, edited by J. I. Packer and Joel Scandrett.

Until the Book of Common Prayer was published, the prayers and worship of the Church of England were in Latin, which the common person could not understand. This prayer book changed all of that by giving English-speaking people written prayers in their own language for the first time in history!

“I became Anglican. Here’s why…I started reading the BCP (a 1927 version), and it had me hooked, Bible readings, prayers, a liturgical calendar, I felt spiritually nourished by it. Second, I had to admit that being Anglican was also the best platform – certainly in Australia – to be Reformed and Evangelical. Third, as my interests became concurrently Reformed (in the sense recovering the apostolic gospel) and broadly Catholic (in the sense of recovering patristic sources for our theology) Anglicanism was the place to be since Anglicanism allows one to be both Protestant and Catholic.” -Michael F. Bird

Anglicanism employs a rich prayer book tradition that is unique among other Christian traditions. While other Reformation traditions developed confessional statements of faith, the Anglican tradition developed a prayer book, which is fundamentally pastoral and spiritual rather than theoretical. The Book of Common Prayer is one of Anglicanism’s greatest contributions to the world.

It holds a place in history as one of the most beautiful prayer books ever composed.

the Book of Common Prayer contains orders of services, ancient creeds, communal prayers, and a lectionary (a suggested reading plan for use throughout the year). It is a comprehensive service book, designed to provide (alongside the Bible itself), all the written text you need for public and private worship.

The Prayer Book has transformed both the Christian and cultural landscape ever since its inception in the 1500s.

Cranmer originally designed the book as a way to unite the people in worship through a liturgy where both the minister and the people prayed together.

Prayer stands as a force that unites all of us as the church. By praying with the common prayer tradition, we find that we never really pray alone. Whether we are alone in a room or gathered with others in a small group, our prayers are united with believers both past and present.

These words, these prayers drawn from the Scriptures themselves and prayed thousands of times, have shaped and molded my heart, my will, and my mind.

the purpose of the Book of Common Prayer is to put the prayers and liturgies into the hands of common people. It was originally designed to involve people in common worship and prayer, not to exclude them.

The Book of Common Prayer can be divided into several sections. •There is the daily office that has services for morning and evening prayer. The daily office can be used by individuals, families, or in worship with others. •There are collects, which are prayers that are to be prayed throughout the seasons of the Christian Year. •There are liturgies for Holy Baptism and Holy Communion as well as other services such as confirmation, Holy marriage, and burial for the dead. •There is an ordinal with services for ordination of a bishop, priest, and deacon. •There is a Psalter, which can be read daily throughout the year. •There is a section that has the catechism, creeds, and Thirty-Nine Articles, which offer a concise summary of the essentials of the Christian faith. •Finally, there is a lectionary, which is a systematic way of reading through the Scriptures throughout the year, either in private or public worship.

When we open the Prayer Book, we find that it is full of wonderful, awe-inspiring prayers that have been recorded and passed on to inspire future generations. These prayers are scriptural and rich in theology, and although many of them are very old, their words are timeless and full of life and vitality.

“The Book of Common Prayer affirms in me what I most believe about what Sunday worship and daily prayer ought to be: sacred words for sacred moments for a sacred people gathered for a sacred purpose.”

The Liturgy declares the Gospel of God. —Michael Ramsey

good Christian liturgy is friendship in action, love taking thought, the covenant relationship between God and his people not simply discovered and celebrated like the sudden meeting of friends, exciting and worthwhile though that is, but thought through and relished, planned and prepared—an ultimately better way for the relationship to grow and at the same time a way of demonstrating what the relationship is all about.

When attending worship at an Anglican church, one of the first things you will recognize is the beauty of the liturgy. Anglicans share a common faith and liturgical form that unites us not only in our prayer, but also in our worship. In liturgical worship, Anglicans use communal words and symbols such as the Lord’s Prayer, confession of sin, Scripture readings, and the Lord’s Supper. These historic forms of liturgical worship and prayer help define the identity of Anglicans worldwide.

John Wesley once said, “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.”2 The enduring legacy of historic Anglican liturgical worship is that it is scripturally based, doctrinally sound, and thoroughly gospel-centered.

“Something kept me coming back. The preaching was expository and gospel-centered, but that was not the only reason I continued to attend. I was drawn to the singular effort of the whole service to direct our hearts to Jesus Christ. From the procession to the prayers, the songs to the sermon, the responsive liturgy to the Lord’s Supper, not one part of the service was done unintentionally or irreverently. Everything pointed to Christ.” -Jonathan Groves

The liturgy of the Anglican tradition functions to unite the body of believers in the essential work of the people: the worship of the One True God. The liturgy culminates in Holy Communion. In many ways, the liturgy provides essential vitamins that are missing in many contemporary evangelical worship services.

There are several important aspects to understand about the value of Anglican liturgy.

First, Anglican liturgy is God-centered versus man-centered. So much of contemporary Christian worship is “me-centered” and focuses on how “I” feel, feeding the ego.

Liturgy frees us from worshiping ourselves and keeps the focus on the Triune God. With reading of Scripture, reciting Creeds, and confession, Anglican worship remin...

Anglican liturgy is scriptural. It is estimated that nearly 80–90 percent of the historic liturgy is based on Scripture. Saturated with Scriptures from the Old and New Testament, the Word of God is the very foundatio...

It is common to have three to four passages of Scripture read aloud during an Anglican worship service, not including the scriptural ...

Anglican liturgy is communal and is meant to involve everyone in the worship service—it is participatory. Liturgy keeps us from being spectators and consumers by helpin...

Liturgy, after all, is the “work of the people.” The antiphonal (call and response) design of the worship services included in the Book of Common Prayer ensures that each person h...