Anglican / Episcopalian
The Anglican Communion is a worldwide fellowship of churches in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, sharing a common heritage rooted in the Church of England's Reformation settlement of the sixteenth century. Anglican identity is defined by the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral (1888): the Holy Scriptures as the rule of faith, the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds, the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, and the historic episcopate. The Thirty-Nine Articles (1571) and the Book of Common Prayer provide doctrinal and liturgical standards, though Anglican theology is deliberately broad, functioning as a 'via media' between Roman Catholicism and continental Protestantism. Anglican churches span a wide spectrum from Anglo-Catholic (emphasizing apostolic succession, sacramentalism, and continuity with Catholic tradition) to evangelical (emphasizing Scripture, preaching, and justification by faith), with a 'broad church' middle that incorporates liberal theological methods.
Theology
Christology
Soteriology
Salvation
Nuanced
Justification by faith affirmed; sacraments also convey saving grace
Atonement & Ransom
Nuanced
Christ's death atones for sin; multiple models permitted
Predestination
Nuanced
Predestination to life affirmed; double predestination deliberately avoided
Original Sin
Affirms
Original sin inherited from Adam; concupiscence affirmed
Eschatology
Soul & Afterlife
Affirms
Souls survive death; bodily resurrection and eternal life affirmed
Hell
Affirms
Eternal judgment affirmed; universalism rejected in the Articles
Heaven
Affirms
Eternal life with God; bodily resurrection the Christian hope
Second Coming
Affirms
Personal return of Christ to judge the living and the dead
Millennium
Nuanced
No official position; amillennial readings traditional; views vary
Ecclesiology
Scripture
Scripture Interpretation
John 1:1 — "The Word Was God"
Affirms
The Word is fully divine; Johannine Christology affirms Christ's deity
Isaiah 7:14 — "Virgin or Young Woman"
Affirms
Isaiah 7:14 prophesies virgin birth; fulfilled in Christ's incarnation
Matthew 16:18 — "Upon This Rock"
Nuanced
Peter's confession is rock; church has apostolic succession through bishops
Romans 9:18-21 — "God's Sovereign Choice"
Nuanced
God's sovereignty affirmed; election debates unresolved within Anglicanism
James 2:24 — "Justified by Works"
Nuanced
Justification by faith affirmed; sacraments and works also convey grace
Matthew 28:19 — "Baptize in the Name"
Affirms
Baptism in Trinitarian name; sacrament of regeneration; infant and adult
Hebrews 1:8 — "Your Throne, O God"
Affirms
Hebrews 1:8 affirms Christ's divinity and eternal throne as God
Revelation 20:1-6 — "The Thousand Years"
Varies
No unified position; amillennial, premillennial, and postmillennial views represented
Genesis 1:1-2 — "In the Beginning"
Affirms
God created all things; ex nihilo creation; universe has beginning
Mark 16:9-20 — "The Longer Ending"
Nuanced
Not in earliest MSS; some Bibles exclude or bracket; content theologically sound
John 7:53–8:11 — "The Woman Caught in Adultery"
Nuanced
Not in earliest MSS; added later; yet teaches authentic Gospel values
1 John 5:7-8 — "The Comma Johanneum"
Nuanced
Later Latin interpolation; Trinity independently and firmly established
Deuterocanonical Books — "Tobit, Wisdom, Sirach, Maccabees"
Nuanced
Anglican practice includes Apocrypha in lectionary; but Scripture primary
Shepherd of Hermas — "Early Christian Text"
Denies
Early Christian text; not Scripture; not binding on faith or doctrine
Ethics & Practice
Sabbath
Affirms
Sunday as Lord's Day observed; weekly worship expected
Blood Transfusions
Affirms
No restriction; blood transfusions are morally permissible
Military Service
Affirms
Military service legitimate under just-war tradition
Holidays
Affirms
Full liturgical calendar observed; major feasts and seasons kept