Common Principles

Nov 15, 2022
Share

The vision for The Anglican Center is to bring the theological and pastoral spirit of traditional Anglicanism into a modern, pan-jurisdictional context.The Anglican Center seeks to do so through cultural engagement, theological study, liturgical materials, prayer, spiritual direction, and retreats.

In addition to the teaching of the Book of Common Prayer and The Ordinal, the following principles place this project within the “Catholic Anglican Tradition.”1

This project is open to collaboration independent of one's affiliation—that is, regardless of parish, diocese, province, country, denomination or communion—whether Global Anglican Communion, Continuing Anglican, or outwith these groups. Principles common to Catholic Anglicanism (4-7) are not required, but should be respected as a normative baseline within an Anglican context. We request that, if dissenting, contributions do not aim to contradict—or operate subversively against—any of the below affirmations.

"One canon reduced to writing by God himself, two testaments, three creeds, four general councils, five centuries, and the series of Fathers in that period – the centuries that is, before Constantine, and two after, determine the boundary of our faith." —Lancelot Andrewes

“We faithfully adhere to the Rule of Faith laid down by St. Vincent of Lerins in these terms: "We hold that which has been believed everywhere, always, and of all people: for that is truly and properly Catholic.” For this reason we persevere in professing the faith of the primitive Church, as formulated in the ecumenical symbols and specified precisely by the unanimously accepted decisions of the Ecumenical Councils held in the undivided Church of the first thousand years.” —Declaration of Scranton

Common Principles

  1. We accept the Apostles’ Creed as the Baptismal Symbol; and the Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.2 (Article VIII)

  2. We accept the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as “containing all things necessary to salvation,” and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith and morals. (Article VI)

  3. We affirm our Lord’s teaching that Holy Matrimony is in its nature the exclusive, permanent and lifelong union of one man and one woman. We affirm that God created only two complementary sexes of human beings - male and female. We also affirm that a person's God-given sex is immutable and therefore, cannot be changed.

  4. We accept 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. We affirm the traditional, historic view of the Christian ministerial priesthood as male.3 (Article XXXIV)

  5. We recognize the Sacraments of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. That is, the two dominical Sacraments of Baptism and the Supper of the Lord–ministered with unfailing use of Christ’s words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him; and those five—"commonly called Sacraments"—received through the tradition of the Undivided Church: Confirmation, Matrimony, Ordination, Reconciliation of a Penitent, and Unction of the Sick.4

  6. We believe that, in the Sacrament and mystery of the Holy Eucharist, Jesus Christ is truly, really present in the Body and Blood in the outward and visible sign of Bread and Wine. (cf. 1 Cor. 10:16-17, 11:23-29, John 6:32-71)

  7. We affirm that Seven Councils are ecumenical and catholic on the basis of the received Tradition of the ancient Undivided Church of East and West, yet "things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be declared that they be taken out of Holy Scripture." (Article XXI)

1

Simplified and revised from Forward in Faith North America

2

“We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.” (Jerusalem Declaration)

3

“We reject the contemporary innovations promulgated by the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht. We also regard these innovations as being in defiance of the Holy Scriptures and in contradiction to the Tradition of the first centuries, namely: the ordination of women to the Holy Priesthood, the consecration of women to the Episcopate and the blessing of same-sex unions.” (Declaration of Scranton)

4

An Eastern Orthodox understanding of the sacraments may be phrased differently, as there is no formal number, yet affirm the same.

“For the laying on of hands, by which the ministers of the Church are initiated into their office, though I have no objection to its being called a sacrament, I do not number among ordinary sacraments.” -John Calvin