All Saints’ Episcopal Church: What We Believe

We accept the doctrine of the Anglican Way as it is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and councils of the Church as are agreeable to the Scriptures. In particular, we receive such doctrine as it is to be found in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal (as all three of these are printed in the English edition of 1662, and the American edition of 1928.)

We rejoice in the central truths of Christianity as revealed in Scripture, including:

• The unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead
• The sovereignty of God in creation, revelation, redemption and final judgment.
• The divine inspiration and entire trustworthiness of Holy Scripture, as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct
• The universal sinfulness and guilt of all men since the fall, rendering them subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.
• Redemption from the guilt, penalty, dominion and pollution of sin, solely through the sacrificial death (as our representative and substitute) of the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God.
• The bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and his ascension to the right hand of God the Father.
• The presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the work of regeneration..
• The justification of the sinner by the grace of God through faith alone.
• The indwelling work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.
• The one, holy, universal Church which is the body of Christ and to which all true believers belong.
• The expectation of the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We also hold to these contemporary applications of the Gospel:

• The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ: While religions and philosophies of the world are not without elements of truth, Jesus Christ alone is the full revelation of God. In and through the Gospel, Jesus judges and corrects all views and doctrines. All persons everywhere need to learn of him, come to know and believe in him, and receive forgiveness and new life in him, as there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

• Marriage, Family, and the Single Life: God has instituted marriage to be a life-long union of husband and wife, intended for their mutual joy, help, and comfort, and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation and nurture of children. Divorce is always contrary to God’s original intention, though in a fallen world it is sometimes a tragic reality. The roles of father and mother, exercised in a variety of ways, are God-given and profoundly important since they are the chief providers of moral instruction and godly living. The single life, either by call or by circumstance, is honored by God. It is therefore important for unmarried persons to embrace and be embraced by the Christian family.

• Human Sexuality: Sexuality is inherent in God’s creation of every human person in his image as male and female. All Christians are called to chastity: Husbands and wives by exclusive sexual fidelity to one another and single persons by abstinence from sexual intercourse. God intends and enables all people to live within these boundaries, with the help and in the fellowship ofthe Church.