The Nicene Creed
Following the legalization of Christianity under the Roman Emperor Constantine, the Bishops of the day were finally able to begin addressing some of the doctrinal controversies that had arisen. One of the most challenging in the early fourth century was that of Arianism, which denied the oneness of Jesus with God the Father. Arians claimed Jesus was created and not eternal. Emperor Constantine called a council of bishops which was later called the First Council of Nicaea, after the city of Nicaea in which it met. While a number of issues were also discussed and settled at the Council, the creation of the first part of what would become the Nicene Creed stands out as one of the most important in the history of Christianity.
The Creed stands today as a full profession of faith universally used among orthodox Christians. Along with the Apostle's Creed and the Creed of St Athanasius (neither of which receive as broad recognition, particularly among Eastern Christians), the Nicene Creed stands as one of the foundational statements on Anglican belief.
While there are some controversies surrounding the Creed (particularly the words, "Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son," which is known as the filioque and rejected by the Eastern Orthodox churches), it stands broadly as the only universal statement of Christian faith. The translation provided below is the rendering from the 1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer.
I BELIEVE in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible:
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, Begotten of the Father before all worlds; God, of God; Light, of Light; Very God, of very God; Begotten, not made; Being of one substance with the Father; Through whom all things were made: Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And was made man, And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead: Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord, The Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father [and the Son], Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spake by the Prophets. And I believe One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. And I look for the Resurrection of the dead, And the Life of the world to come. Amen.
The 39 Articles of Religion
Available Online
During the 16th and 17th centuries, there was turmoil both civil and religious in Britain. As monarchs shifted, the popularity and acceptability of reformation theologies increased or decreased. Henry VIII, who took the English Church out of communion with Rome, in fact staunchly opposed the Reformation, while subsequent monarchs demanded the adoption of continental reformation theologies from Martin Luther, John Calvin and others. The Articles of Religion, along with the Book of Common Prayer itself, were ultimately developed not as a formal confessional statement in the style of the confessing Protestants on the continent, but rather as a broad dogmatic statement of Anglican belief.
For centuries, priests were required to subscribe to the Articles in order to maintain doctrinal unity, though the practice was discontinued amidst a divisive debate in the 20th century. To a greater or lesser degree, the Articles are still viewed as professing Anglican orthodoxy, particularly among more traditional Anglicans. The Articles are also published in the Canadian Book of Common Prayer, 1962.
The Book of Common Prayer
Available Online [PDF]
A common saying among Anglicans is lex orandi, lex credendi which, loosely translated from Latin, means the law of prayer is the law of belief. It is an ancient Christian principle dating back to the Church Fathers, which continues to hold true today. What we pray reflects what we believe, and conversely what we believe is reflected in our prayers. For Anglicans the Book of Common Prayer is not simply an order of service, but rather a theological statement of Anglican beliefs.
Much like the Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer was assembled and rewritten multiple times over the course of the 16th and 17th centuries. The first Book of Common Prayer was published in 1549, written under the supervision of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. A number of revisions took place over the next hundred years until the publication of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer during the Elizabethan Settlement. That version of the Book survives to this day. In Canada, a Canadian edition of the Book of Common Prayer was authorized, including some revisions for local needs. The current authorized Book of Common Prayer for the Anglican Church of Canada was published in 1962.
The Book of Common Prayer includes services, sacraments, litanies, the catechism as well as the creeds, the 39 Articles, occasional services, sacramental rites and occasional prayers. Particularly for someone who prefers not to focus on online resources, it is the best available resource for discovering the nature of Anglican doctrines and theology.
The Solemn Declaration of 1893
Available Online
When Anglicanism came to Canada, it remained simply the Church of England. After Confederation, the Church took the name The Church of England in the Dominion of Canada, and maintained that name until 1955 when it took on its current name, the Anglican Church of Canada. Early on, there was a need to formally define the nature of the relationship between the Church of England and the Church of England in the Dominion of Canada, and that was formally done through the Solemn Declaration in 1893 at Canada's first General Synod. The Declaration has been included at the start of every Canadian edition of the Book of Common Prayer.
The Declaration establishes the guiding principles by which the Church of England and the Anglican Church of Canada remain in full communion with one another, and ultimately other Anglican national churches through the Anglican Communion. The Declaration is somewhat controversial today in that some modernisers view it as being irrelevant, despite the fact that the Declaration of Principles of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada declares that its jurisdiction is limited to, "the definition of the doctrines of the Church in harmony with the Solemn Declaration."
Anglican Revised Common Lectionary
Available Online
The Anglican Church of Canada uses an adapted version of the Revised Common Lectionary used by a number of churches. It creates a three-year cycle of scripture reading. It is available in the Preface to the Book of Common Prayer. The online version provides information on daily collects (provided as page numbers in the BCP), Introits (a Psalm available in the Psalter of the BCP), a Gradual (another Psalm, also available in the Psalter) and Scripture readings. The lectionary also notes any particular Holy-days and observances from the Calendar.
Anglicans Online
http://anglicansonline.org/
Providing links to a number of worldwide Anglican resources, Anglicans Online is one of the oldest continuously run websites for Anglicans on the Internet. It publishes a weekly newsletter and has information on Anglicanism itself, resources for Anglican groups and associations and has links to Anglican parishes from around the world.
N.T. Wright
http://ntwrightpage.com/
One of the most prolific modern theologians of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Wright tends to be viewed as being towards the evangelical side of the Church, however his support of the New Perspective on St Paul and other non-traditional evangelical views has led to some criticism of him from more traditionalist evangelical Anglicans. His views ultimately tend to be well thought-out, scholarly and moderate. While not at all associated with Anglo-Catholicism, Bishop Wright has a number of works worth reading.
C.S. Lewis
https://www.cslewis.com/
A contemporary of the Roman Catholic J.R.R. Tolkien and fellow member of the Inklings group, Lewis is perhaps best known to non-Christians as the author of the Chronicles of Narnia. In addition to writing his children's fiction classic, however, Lewis was a prolific Christian apologist (from the Latin apologia, a legal argument presented to a court and during the time of the early church, arguments presented to Roman government officials in defence of Christianity during times of persecution). From the classic Mere Christianity which provides a systematic introduction to Christianity to Surprised by Joy which chronicles Lewis's own boyhood journey of faith, Lewis's collected works represent a library of Christian non-fiction.
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