During
the Reformation in the 16th
Century, Henry VIII declared
the Church of England independent
of the Roman Catholic Church
with himself as its head.
It was the result of many
factors, some political
and some theological, but
it has given rise to a distinct
form of Christianity, known
as Anglicanism.
The Episcopal
Church is a member of the
worldwide Anglican Communion,
the churches around the
world that trace their roots
to the Church of England,
and maintain a “communion”
with it, hence the name
“Anglican.” Other members
of the Communion include
the Anglican Church of Canada
and the Anglican Church
of Nigeria. In fact, most
Anglicans now live in Africa.
The member
churches of the Anglican
Communion are joined together
by choice in love, and have
no direct authority over
one another. The Archbishop
of Canterbury, the head
of the Church of England,
is acknowledged as the spiritual
head of the Anglican Communion,
but while respected, the
Archbishop does not have
direct authority over any
Anglican Church outside
of England.
While
there are other churches
that call themselves “Anglican,”
only one Church in any country
can be considered “in full
communion” with the Church
of England, and the Episcopal
Church is the American member
of the Communion.
The Episcopal
Church, having its roots
in the Church of England,
is also an Anglican Church.
Like all Anglican churches,
the Episcopal Church is
distinguished by the following
characteristics:
Protestant,
Yet Catholic
Anglicanism stands squarely
in the Reformed tradition,
yet considers itself just
as directly descended from
the Early Church as the
Roman Catholic or Eastern
Orthodox churches. Episcopalians
celebrate the “Mass” in
ways similar to the Roman
Catholic tradition, yet
does not recognize a single
authority, such as the Pope
of Rome.
Worship
in one’s first language
Episcopalians believe that
Christians should be able
to worship God and read
the Bible in their first
language, which for most
Episcopalians, is English,
rather than Latin or Greek,
the two earlier, “official”
languages of Christianity.
Yet the Book of Common Prayer
has been translated into
many languages, so that
those Episcopalians who
do not speak English can
still worship God in their
native tongue.
The
Book of Common Prayer
Unique to Anglicanism, though,
is the Book of Common Prayer,
the collection of worship
services that all worshipers
in an Anglican church follow.
It’s called “common prayer”
because we all pray it together,
around the world. The first
Book of Common Prayer was
compiled in English by Thomas
Cranmer in the 16th Century,
and since then has undergone
many revisions for different
times and places. But its
original purpose has remained
the same: To provide in
one place the core of the
instructions and rites for
Anglican Christians to worship
together. The present prayer
book in the Episcopal Church
was published in 1979. Many
other worship resources
and prayers exist to enrich
our worship, but the Book
of Common Prayer is the
authority that governs our
worship. The prayer book
explains Christianity, describes
the main beliefs of the
Church, outlines the requirements
for the sacraments, and
in general serves as the
main guidelines of the Episcopal
life.
Scripture,
Tradition, and Reason
The Anglican approach to
reading and interpreting
the Bible was first articulated
by Richard Hooker, also
in the 16th Century. While
Christians universally acknowledge
the Bible (or the Holy Scriptures)
as the Word of God and completely
sufficient to our reconciliation
to God, what the Bible says
must always speak to us
in our own time and place.
The Church, as a worshiping
body of faithful people,
has for two thousand years
amassed experience of God
and of loving Jesus, and
what they have said to us
through the centuries about
the Bible is critical to
our understanding it in
our own context. The traditions
of the Church in interpreting
Scripture connect all generations
of believers together and
give us a starting point
for our own understanding.
Episcopalians
believe that every Christian
must build an understanding
and relationship with God’s
Word in the Bible, and to
do that, God has given us
intelligence and our own
experience, which we refer
to as “Reason.” Based on
the text of the Bible itself,
and what Christians have
taught us about it through
the ages, we then must sort
out our own understanding
of it as it relates to our
own lives.(from
"About the Episcopal
Church" http://www.episcopalchurch.org/)
