The Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the worldwide fellowship of churches
owing their origins to the Church of England. This is a fellowship
within one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, of those diocese,
provinces or regional churches in communion with the See of
Canterbury.
* The Anglican Communion is wide-ranging, doctrinally as well as
geographically, but yet there are certain beliefs which unite
Anglicans. The Lambeth Quadrilateral, set out at the Lambeth
Conference in 1888, defines these as:
* The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as "containing
all things necessary to salvation," and as being the rule and
ultimate standard of faith.
* 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 Holy
Communion - ministered with unfailing use of Christ's words of
institution and of the elements ordained by him.
* The Historic Episcopate, 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.
Churches within this Communion are influenced by the Church of
England in many ways, such as in matters of faith (39 Articles of
Religion), church government (Episcopal), worship and liturgy (Book
of Common Prayer), church laws (Canons of the Church of England)
and church ordinances (Sacraments and Sacramental
Ministries).
The 39 Articles of Religion
As part of the universal Church of Christ, inheriting the faith of
the early Church, the Anglican Church does not subscribe to
doctrines different from that of the universal Church. However, the
Anglican Church possesses certain distinctives in the way it
received the Christian faith and tradition, and these are captured
in the 39 Articles of Religion.
Canon A5, Canons of Church of England: "The doctrine of the Church
of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such
teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are
agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular such doctrines are
to be found in the 39 Articles of Religion, the Book of Common
Prayer, and the Ordinal."
These Articles of Religion together with the Creeds, Catechism,
Litany, Church Calendar, Lectionary, and Psalter, were translated
and compiled by Thomas Granmer in 1549, into the Book of Common
Prayer which was authorised in 1662.
(Source:
http://www.livingstreams.org.sg/sac/info/beliefs/anglican.html)
