Lived Theology
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name (Jesus Christ) under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved” Acts 4:12.
given among men by which we must be saved” Acts 4:12.
Sacraments are mysteries of God:water baptism and holy communion as the Gospel Sacraments for all. The world is sacramental, as the whole earth is full of his glory (Isa. 6:4). We live in this world, in which matter matters.
Historic episcopacy:bishops, priests, and deacons provide servant leadership and pastoral care to equip other members of Christ’s body to be his servants.
Human Sexuality:We affirm the historic understanding of male and female, marriage, the reservation of expressions of sexuality for marriage between a man and a woman, and the reality of biological boundaries upon function, role, and purpose. We affirm the equality of dignity and value of men and women in the sight of God, and the need for families, churches, and communities to protect children.
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Christ-centered proclamation of all Scripture, the New concealed in the Old and the Old revealed in the New. Jesus taught the apostles how to read the Scriptures the Emmaus way (Luke 24:27).
To grow in Christ, we encourage regular, prayerful reading of holy Scripture. As a community, we meet daily for Morning Prayer and Eucharist. The liturgy of Morning and Evening Prayer is based around the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer. Devoted attendance in worship and partaking of the blessed sacrament (the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion) are foundational for growth in Christ (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:25). We are to grow up into Christ, attaining his fullness, awaiting the restoration of all things (Ephesians 4:7-16). In worship, we participate in ultimate reality, Truth as it is in Jesus. The content of our liturgy comprises what we believe. The crucified, bodily risen Lord is new creation reality - the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The liturgy is comprised of two movements, Word and Table. The liturgy of the Word includes reading and proclamation of the Scriptures, affirming our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed, offering our prayers together, confessing our sins, and receiving forgiveness through absolution, a priestly declaration of God’s promise to heal, restore and unite to himself. The liturgy of the table leads us to partake of Christ’s risen presence in the sacrament of his body and blood, nurturing us with his risen life. We are sent back into the world to do the work he has given us to do. Worship leads us back into our mission. We believe that all Scripture is inspired by God and authoritative for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). How we interpret the bible:Prima Scriptura, scripture as first and primary, interpreted through the lens of the historic Church, including creeds, councils, and the writings of the Fathers of the Church and the Anglican Formularies (the 39 Articles, the 1662 Book of Common Prayer with its attached 1609 Ordinal, and the Two Books of Homilies that explain the other formularies). In these, we reject the individual, private interpretation of Scripture (Jude 1:3; 2 Peter 1:20). “The Church is the pillar and support of the truth” I Timothy 3:15.
This is not to assume that consulting the vast repository of the Church is uniform in understanding a passage of scripture. We consider what is essential and less essential. The Nicene Creed provides a starting point, providing a common way to speak about God as Trinity and Christ’s work of salvation. “One canon (the Bible) reduced to writing by God himself, two testaments, three creeds, four general councils, five centuries, and the series of Fathers in that period – the centuries that is, before Constantine, and two after, determine the boundary of our faith.” - Bp. Lancelot Andrewes, 1613 A.D. |