What about Episcopalians?
Like all churches, we are often asked, “What do you believe?” What Episcopalians believe is simple, but not simplistic.
We believe in God, in Jesus Christ the Son of God, and in the Holy Spirit.
But in our world today, full of division and uncertainty, many people find that simple answer unsatisfying. After all, don’t ALL Christians believe those things? People want to know precisely what a church believes about God, not just that we believe in God. People want to know specifics, so that they can decide if we’re “right” or “wrong.”
That is not how The Episcopal Church tends to approach faith and belief. Our list of “non-negotiable” points are very few, and come directly from the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, two ancient statements of faith affirmed by virtually all Christian denominations. We encourage you to read those creeds for yourself sometime, but in the meanwhile, here’s the short version:
Those points are:
There is one God, who is a Trinity of Persons.
The First Person of the Trinity, traditionally called “Father,” created all things at the beginning of time.
Jesus Christ, the human rabbi who lived approximately 2000 years ago, was and is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, and our Savior.
The Holy Scriptures (the Bible) are the revealed word of God, written by human beings under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, who is the Third Person of the Trinity. The Bible contains all things necessary for salvation.
Certainly there is more to be said about God and Jesus than this. In fact, many denominations came about because of their specific stances on other aspects of doctrine: salvation by faith alone, or the nature of God, or the best way to govern a church.
You’ll find Episcopalians with all sorts of opinions on those topics! Our church, though, is not bound together by shared opinions or by tests of doctrine. We are bound together by our love of God in Christ Jesus, by our shared traditions and experiences of God in the worship and the life of the community.
Everyone in our community is able to think for themselves, to wrestle with doubt and the questions of faith, and to arrive at conclusions which may be different than those of other members within the community. We strive to maintain openness and love toward each other - even when we disagree.
This openness has led The Episcopal Church to a number beliefs that actually are somewhat unique among Christian churches. These ideas and practices are not so much points of doctrine like you might learn in Sunday School or a theology class, but they are defining characteristics of our church.
OPEN AND AFFIRMING, WELCOMING EVERYONE
Not only does The Episcopal Church accept and welcome a wide range of theological ideas and thoughts, we also accept and welcome all people. We do not discriminate against anyone or any group for any reason.
It saddens us that throughout our history, the Christian church has discriminated against particular groups for such a long time that we must explicitly state what should be obvious and self-evident:
In our church, women are of equal worth and dignity with men, and have full access to all orders of ministry, including the ordained priesthood and the office of bishop.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons are likewise full and equal members of our church, and likewise have full access to all orders of ministry, including the ordained priesthood and the office of bishop.
WE ARE ALL THE CHURCH, TOGETHER
Our church as an organization – from the national governing structure all the way to the individual parish – is run by lay people and clergy working together, making decisions together, in an open and democratic process. We have no infallible leaders, and no elite ruling class. We’re all in this together.