The Thirty-Nine Articles and Anglican Identity

 A significant question about Anglican Christianity, past and present, concerns its definition. What makes a church or a person Anglican? Is it merely English heritage or being Anglophile? Is it mainly having a traditional Book of Common Prayer or a modern derivative? Is it having bishops?  Is it being recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury? Is being Anglican a matter of sharing opinions held by some historic Anglican party such as Low, High, or Broad Church? More than one of these characteristics probably applies to anyone who identifies as Anglican. 

However, there remains one important characteristic of Anglican identity that I have not listed. That characteristic is the position of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion as a formulary or standard. Ironically, this theological statement that was intended to promote relative harmony in the sixteenth-century Church of England (1562,1571) has occasioned much debate and dissension over the years. In recent times,  Anglicans of varied persuasions have distanced themselves from the Articles. Even Anglicans who praise the Articles in theory often seem to ignore them.

Despite such recent trends, the historical fact is that most Anglicans for well over 400 years have affirmed some adherence to the Thirty-Nine Articles. Since at least 1662, they have been printed with the English Book of Common Prayer and Ordinal (and since 1801 with the American Book of Common Prayer). Furthermore, when non-Anglicans from diverse backgrounds write about Anglican beliefs, they always seem to mention the Articles along with the Prayer Book. So whether particular Anglican individuals or groups appreciate the Thirty-Nine Articles or not, as a historical reality, the Articles are associated with Anglican heritage and identity.

The Articles help one understand what Anglicanism intended to be. Along with the Prayer Book liturgies, the Articles express some basic Anglican principles and tendencies. They emphasize the authority of Scripture, affirm core teachings of the ancient catholic faith, and contain some Reformation insights on faith and life. Despite historical developments since their approval, they are still a valuable statement of principles. They contain basic Christian affirmations along with some distinctive English emphases. Through the Articles and the Prayer Book, one can see the basic characteristics of Anglican historical identity, an identity that has sought to be catholic, evangelical, and reformed.