What is Anglican? Part 4: A Church of Three Streams

The Anglican church embraces three streams of faith.

1.  Catholic: This does not mean “Roman Catholic,” which is one expression of Christian faith. When we say “catholic,” we mean universal faith throughout time, centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. To say “catholic,” is also a statement of hope and faith that one day all churches will be united under Christ.

2.  Evangelical: This means that our faith and practice focus on preaching the Gospel and people turning their hearts to Christ. We affirm that the Scripture is the word of God and the revelation of who God is. The Scriptures teach everything that a person needs for salvation. We are sinners in need of Christ’s salvation, and he came to seek the lost and hurting people of this world and set them free from sin and death.

3.  Charisma: The word “charisma” refers to the work of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Spirit is working in and through the church. The Holy Spirit empowers the Church through: prayer, both private and corporate; through the study, preaching, and teaching of God’s word; through Baptism and Eucharist (communion); and through other unexpected ways in the life of the church and the believer. This is a powerful belief because it means that we affirm that Christ will still heal us and perform miracles today through us.

The three streams of the church is a trinitarian concept that flows from the revelation of who God is. The streams merge in the Anglican concept of church and help believers learn to love God with heart, soul, and mind and to love their neighbors and themselves. We believe that God is three persons in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we believe that humanity was created in the image of the triune God. This means that people were made for community because the person of God is a community. Christians best show God to the world when they create communities of love that reach out to the world.  For a Biblical statement on this, see John chapter 17.



If you have questions about the three streams or would like to learn more about what this means for our church in particular, contact me at adventpastor@gmail.com.