Anglican Formularies

The English reformers were willing to die for certain doctrinal beliefs—“I think it my duty to exhort you…defend the faith of Christ even until blood and unto death” (Bishop Edwin Sandys, The Sermons of Edwin Sandys).

They were a diverse bunch, to be sure, but they were united in their commitment to the supremacy of Holy Scripture over other authorities, to the central doctrine of justification by grace through faith alone, to the priesthood of all believers, and to a sacramental understanding that the grace of Holy Communion is Christ’s spiritual presence in the hearts and affections of the faithful recipients.

These inviolable Anglican doctrines are enshrined and fixed in the Elizabethan Settlement and the recognized formularies of the English Reformation. The historic formularies name and explain the essential doctrines of the Anglican Communion.

See below to learn about the Formularies:
Thirty-nine Articles | 1662 Ordinal | 1662 Prayer Book | Two Books of Homilies

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Thirty-nine Articles

The Articles of Religion are doctrinal statements, evangelical essentials, that define what Anglicans believe. These do more than address sixteenth century matters; they are considered authoritative Anglican core values then and today.

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1662 Ordinal

The ordination services recognize the historicity of the three orders of ministry (bishops, priests, and deacons), and emphasize the authority of the Bible, and the importance of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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1662 Prayer Book

The Book of Common Prayer (1662) is Thomas Cranmer's "immortal bequest," and is the standard for worship and theology for Anglicans. In the words of Anglican worship, the biblical doctrine of Justification by Faith is proclaimed and explained week-after-week.

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Two Books of Homilies

The Homilies mentioned in the Articles of Religion (II and XXXV) are the sermons specifically written by the English reformers to be heard sequentially in all Church of England churches to inculcate the Protestant faith into the minds and hearts of the English people.

 

(Source: Cranmer's Church: Then and Today by Chuck Collins)