Anglicans believe that the Christian life involves regular praise and prayer, both private and public, and that Christians must practice what they preach and pray - both on Sundays (the day when Anglicans normally gather for worship) and every day, as they seek to live out their worship. Anglicans accept the major Creeds as expressing their Christian faith: The Apostles Creed is the statement of faith used in Baptism and Morning and Evening Prayer, while the Nicene Creed is prayed in the service of Holy Communion. Anglicans summarize their basic beliefs in The Catechism, which is an old word meaning “what is to be taught” .
In one sense, Anglicans have no distinct beliefs of their own. Anglicans simply believe what Christians have espoused since the times of the historic creeds and councils. These essentials are what C. S. Lewis had in mind when he wrote Mere Christianity in order “to explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times” . However, in another important sense, Anglicans do have a unique set of beliefs that embraces the best of the ancient Christian faith and the Protestant Reformation.
Anglicans believe in the Trinity, that there is One God who exists eternally in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Furthermore, they believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation, and that salvation is in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone. Anglicans hold that the Old and New Testaments together are the Word of God and contain all things necessary for salvation, and that the Bible holds authority in questions of God and humanity over all other traditions, arguments, decisions, and values. Anglicans believe that a church is a community that gathers around the proclamation of the Word of God and the celebration of the sacraments of Christ. They teach that the sacraments are external signs of interior grace, signs commanded by Christ for the building up of his church.
Anglicans embrace a full life of seasons and hours, fasts and feasts, and believe that God has called them to live their lives together in Christ. They engage in liturgical disciplines of prayer, worship, and repentance. Anglicans have a mission to the world, which is one of both proclaiming the Gospel and living it out. This means that they believe in starting new churches.
It is important to note that Anglicanism’s greatest strength - its willingness to tolerate a wide variety in Anglican faith and lifestyle - is also the thing that provokes the most debate among its practitioners. Anglicans, however, do agree that their beliefs and practices, their authority, derive from an integration of Scripture (the Holy Bible), Reason (the intellect and the experience of God), and Tradition (the practices and beliefs of the historical church) .
