Is Anglicanism Protestant?

Over the years, I have often reflected on the variety of expressions within the Anglican tradition. As a conservative Anglican, I have encountered people with opposing views. Some Anglicans identify as Anglo-Catholics. For the most part, Anglo-Catholics do not place a high value on the English Reformation, and they do not accept the label "Protestant."  Some other Anglicans go to a differing extreme. They may like the label Protestant, but some seem to think that Anglicanism is basically Calvinistic. While Calvin's views on soteriology and on the sacraments have been influential among some Anglicans at certain times, such views have never been the exclusive or official Anglican position. 

The examination of English church history indicates that neither extreme Anglo-Catholicism nor extreme Anglo-Calvinism is completely accurate.  As a matter of historical record, Anglicanism has been Protestant in certain ways. Besides the often-debated Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (which are a moderate Protestant synthesis), some principles of the Protestant Reformation permeate the traditional Books of Common Prayer and the thinking of most Anglicans of the past. These principles include an emphasis on supreme Scriptural authority, unmerited divine grace, and justifying faith. 

Thus, in some respects, there are clear Protestant influences on Anglican history. The Prayer Books, the Thirty-nine Articles, and other tendencies over the centuries support observers from a variety of Christian traditions who view Anglicanism as a moderate stream of Protestantism. Nevertheless, Anglicanism is unique. It has retained respect for the ancient church fathers, affirmed the ecumenical creeds, worshipped using traditional liturgies, and continued the three-fold ministry of bishops, presbyters, and deacons. So, although there are undeniable Reformation influences, Anglicanism at its best has also continued the heritage of Western Catholicism.