Our Beliefs & Tradition

What is Anglicanism?

Our Beliefs

The Nicene Creed

The sufficient statement of the Christian faith is the Nicene Creed, which was written at two universal Church councils: the first council of Nicea in AD 325, and the first council of Constantinople in AD 381.

We believe in one God,
    the Father, the Almighty,
    maker of heaven and earth,
    of all that is, visible and invisible.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
    the only Son of God,
    eternally begotten of the Father,
    God from God, Light from Light,
    true God from true God,
    begotten, not made,
    of one Being with the Father;
    through him all things were made.
    For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
    was incarnate from the Holy Spirit
and the Virgin Mary,
    and was made man.
    For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate;
    he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;

he ascended into heaven
    and is seated at the right hand
of the Father.
    He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
    and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
    who proceeds from
the Father and the Son,
    who with the Father and the Son
is worshiped and glorified, 
who has spoken through
the prophets.
    We believe in one holy catholic
and apostolic Church.
    We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
    We look for the resurrection
of the dead,
    and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

Our Tradition

Anglicanism

As Anglicans,

“We have no doctrine of our own. We only possess the Catholic doctrine of the Catholic Church enshrined in the Catholic Creeds, and these creeds we hold without addition or diminution. We stand firm on that rock.” (1)

“To be an Anglican, then, is not to embrace a distinct version of Christianity, but a distinct way of being a ‘Mere Christian,’ at the same time evangelical, apostolic, catholic, reformed, and Spirit-filled.” (2)

As a Christian tradition committed to the catholic (that is, universal) nature of the Christian faith, Anglicanism creates a unique space in which we can embrace a holistic approach to our faith.

(1) Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher
(2) Anglican Church in North America, Theological Statement

For more information about the Anglican way, read this helpful description from our province, The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).