As Anglicans, what do we believe?

Anglicans are: Biblically orthodox. “Orthodox” means — in this case means — “right thinking” about God’s Word. It means, thinking about Scripture the way the Church first thought of it prior to the unhappy divisions in the 11th and 16th centuries! We believe that the Bible is God’s Word, full stop, no apologies, no “revision” for modern sensibilities.  As Anglicans, our Way of worship bespeaks our dependence upon, love for, and celebration of God’s inerrant Word: the Bible. Our Book of Common Prayer would be largely empty without the direct or paraphrased versions of the Bible. We love God’s Word so much, that we use it to worship Him every day at Good Shepherd Anglican Church. 

Creedal
Why do we Anglicans bother with creeds?  The answer fits our condition. Without a godly summary of our Faith, a godly summary which the Ancient Church proclaimed as TRUE beyond question, we would be left to our own contemporary devices as to how to pass on to the next generation the great, wise, and holy insights of the Fathers of the Church in the first 10 centuries.  The creeds we use most, the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed, are beautiful, Biblically sound, triumphantly true declarations of who God is, and who we are, in His image.  

Spirit-Filled, Soul Winning
Anglicans believe in the Holy Spirit. Further, we believe that, at Holy Baptism, every new-born believer is filled with The Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches this. The Church’s experience confirms it. The only way we can authentically follow Jesus Christ is by the same Holy Spirit which conceived and lives in the Lord Jesus.  One very specific manifestation of being “Spirit Filled” is the pursuit of what the Holy Spirit is always in pursuit of: winning souls to Jesus Christ.

As to the Traditional Moral Life: Catholic Christians follow the moral and ethical teachings of God’s Word and the godly direction of the Church for our family, parish and community lives. This means, for an example, that we teach the Commandments of God, from both Old and New Testaments. We do not, for instance, take the Command to join ourselves into one flesh in marriage as man and wife, one male and one female, and twist it to mean that any two people, regardless of sex, can be “married” in God’s Eyes. So, Faithful Anglicans do not accept or practice so-called “same-sex” marriage as God-blessed. This, of course, can give rise to controversy and resistance from a culture which is obsessed with individual rights over accountability to God. So be it. Anglicans must be faithful to the Lord, even if it gives heartburn to the cultural leaders in the USA in the 21st century!