What Ia an Anglican? A Short Answer

A few months ago, an Anglican friend and I were discussing the wide variety of people who call themselves Anglican. While there has been diversity in Anglicanism since the sixteenth century, the extremes seem to have grown further apart in recent decades. Some of those at the extremes might be well-meaning individuals, but I sometimes wonder why they bother to be Anglican. They often seem disconnected from Anglican history, beliefs, or practices.

During this discussion, my friend asked me, "If someone only wanted to hear five items, could you identify the basics of Anglicanism in five points?" After a brief reflection, I replied that for me they were as follows: 1) loyalty to the Holy Scriptures as revealing all things necessary for salvation, 2) really believing in a literal way the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, 3) accepting the importance of the historic orders of ordained ministry: bishop, priest/presbyter, and deacon, 4) believing in the central importance of the two dominical Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist as real means of Christ's grace [so far, this reflects the Lambeth Quadrilateral], and 5) perhaps most distinctively Anglican, regular use of a liturgy rooted in the ancient Church and in the English Prayer Book tradition. 

I have thought of that discussion many times over the last few months. My answer was not particularly creative or original, and there are words in it that could be developed considerably. My answer did not stress key issues such as personal faith in Christ and Christian morality. In addition, some other things appeal to my personal theology, sense of English church heritage, or ecclesiastical esthetics. Yet, for a short answer, these five points do cover much of what it means to be an Anglican Christian. They allow for variety, but they preserve essential core beliefs, values, and practices. They are generally Christian, while they also contain some key aspects of an Anglican perspective.