Anglicanism as Catholic, Apostolic, Orthodox, and Evangelical

Since Elizabethan times, many Anglicans have maintained that we are catholic, apostolic, orthodox, and evangelical. This claim is reaffirmed in the 1977 Affirmation of St. Louis which states that we "are determined to continue in the Catholic Faith, Apostolic Order, Orthodox Worship and Evangelical Witness of the traditional Anglican Church." This statement brings up four key elements, and there have been diverse opinions about these elements. In this brief statement, I would offer some personal comments on these Anglican characteristics.

1. Traditional Anglicans maintain the Catholic Faith in Christ as taught in the New Testament, expressed in the early Church, summarized in three ancient Creeds (Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian), and given basic definition in the doctrinal decisions of the Ecumenical Councils of the ancient church.

2. Traditional Anglicans continue Apostolic Order in the three-fold male ministry of bishops, priests/presbyters, and deacons. Christ appointed apostles who began to organize the work and ministerial offices of the Church after Pentecost. We see evidence of these three orders of ministry in the New Testament and in the writings of the earliest post-biblical Christian writers of the second century. From the apostolic age onward, these orders have continued through the ebb and flow of history, and even in the chaotic times of the English Reformation and colonial expansion, Anglicans took care to preserve the central structures and forms of traditional ordinations.

3. Traditional Anglicans continue Orthodox Worship through the heritage of the First Book of Common Prayer in 1549 and its successors in 1662, 1928, and 1962. Although mainly translated, edited, and in some cases re-written by Thomas Cranmer, the Prayer Book is not Cranmer's private document. It reflects common Christian liturgical traditions with roots going back to ancient catholic and orthodox liturgies. These ancient roots developed in Western Christianity and received unique expression in the British Church.

4. Traditional Anglicans continue Evangelical Witness in the best sense of the word "evangelical." This does not mean that Anglicans give in to emotionalism or revivalism. It means that the core or heart of everything we do and say is rooted in the Gospel message of redemption or salvation through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that we are all sinners who have been offered eternal life through His grace, and we seek to be witnesses to our faith in word and deed.

This consideration of the catholic, apostolic, orthodox, and evangelical character of traditional Anglicanism is rather brief. One can expand upon each point or add different emphases. However, this summary does cover some key issues, and my hope is that it may lead us to further reflection.