Anglican beliefs can be read in historical statements of faith and in the words people say together in worship. The Church of England’s Thirty-Nine Articles explain what Scripture is sufficient for and why baptism and the Lord’s Supper have a particular place. The Episcopal Church’s baptismal covenant and the Church of England’s communion liturgy show how these beliefs take form in services. Each text has its own purpose, and each names something people are asked to believe, do or receive. Church of England, Articles of Religion
What the Thirty-Nine Articles say about Scripture
Article VI says that Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation. Its practical implication is about what a church can require of a believer. The article says a teaching that cannot be read in Scripture or established from it cannot be required as an article of faith necessary to salvation. Article VIII then receives the Nicene, Athanasian and Apostles’ creeds on the grounds that their teaching can be supported by Scripture. In the same document, a claim about biblical authority supplies the reason for accepting inherited statements of faith. Articles VI and VIII
Article XXV identifies baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the two sacraments ordained by Christ in the Gospel. It treats rites such as confirmation, marriage and ordination separately. Article XXVII describes baptism as a sign of new birth through which people are brought into the church, and it expressly retains the baptism of young children. These distinctions explain why a church can give a rite an important place in its worship while speaking of the two Gospel sacraments in a particular way. Articles XXV and XXVII
Belief and responsibility in an Episcopal baptism
In the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer, the baptismal covenant begins with questions about belief in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The answers give the Apostles’ Creed in the form of a dialogue. The congregation then answers questions about continuing in worship, turning back to God after wrongdoing, serving others and seeking justice and peace. The promises are made with an appeal to God’s help. In this service a confession of faith leads into commitments that concern the life of the whole congregation as well as the person being baptized. The Episcopal Church, Book of Common Prayer, pp. 303–305
The Lord’s Supper in the Articles and in common prayer
Article XXVIII calls the Lord’s Supper a sacrament of redemption through Christ’s death. It describes the faithful receiving of the bread and cup as a sharing in Christ’s body and blood, and says that Christ is received in a spiritual manner through faith. Its account joins the action of receiving bread and wine to what the church says God gives through the sacrament. Article XXVIII, Of the Lord’s Supper
In the Church of England’s Common Worship, one form of Holy Communion moves from the readings and the Gospel to the prayers, the peace and the table. In Eucharistic Prayer A, the priest gives thanks, asks for the work of the Holy Spirit and recounts Jesus’ actions with bread and wine. The prayer remembers Christ’s death and proclaims his resurrection. At the breaking of the bread, one response connects sharing a single bread with belonging to one body. The order of the service brings hearing, praying and receiving together. Church of England, Holy Communion Order One with Prayer A
Shared commitments across different churches
When Anglican bishops considered a basis for Christian reunion at the Lambeth Conference of 1888, they named Scripture, the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and the historic ministry of bishops. Their resolution allowed the administration of that episcopal ministry to be adapted to local needs. The statement helps place the two service books in context. Anglican churches can recognize shared commitments while using texts authorized for their own settings. The history and structures of the wider tradition are covered in the overview of Anglicanism. Lambeth Conference of 1888, Resolution 11
Conclusion
The Thirty-Nine Articles give reasons for receiving the creeds and distinguish baptism and the Lord’s Supper from other rites. The baptismal covenant puts the creed on the lips of the congregation and asks how people will live by it. In Holy Communion, a prayer about Christ’s death and resurrection leads to the breaking and sharing of bread. Reading these texts together shows how Anglican statements of faith inform acts that a congregation carries out together.
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