Q. I am not an Episcopalian. Would I be welcomed at a worship service and can I receive communion in the Episcopal Church?

A. Yes. Any baptized person who is in good standing in his or her own church and wishes to receive the Grace of our Lord's Sacrifice, through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is welcomed at the altar of any Episcopal Church.

Q.  What is the Episcopal Church?

A. The Episcopal Church is part of Christ's Church and part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a branch of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus and established by his Apostles after his Resurrection. The Episcopal Church came to American shores before the American Revolution as the Church of England. After the War of Independence, Anglicans in America changed their name to "The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America," and made other minor changes to "Americanize" the Church, such as eliminating the requirement that ministers being ordained swear allegiance to the British Crown. Later, to eliminate confusion and misperceptions, the church named itself "The Episcopal Church in the United States of America," or simply "The Episcopal Church," for short. In matters of faith, doctrine and practice, the Episcopal Church remains true to the Church of England. The Episcopal Church is the only representative of the Anglican Communion in the United States because it is the only church in the United States that is in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Archbishop of Canterbury simply does not recognize those schismatic churches in the United States, which claim to be the "Anglican Church" in the United States. They are not in communion with Canterbury and are not recognized by the rest of the Anglican Communion.

Q. What is the Anglican Communion?

A. The Anglican Communion consists of 38 self-governing church provinces located in 164 countries. These churches all look to the Church of England as the "Mother Church," follow very similar liturgies and share a common Christian doctrine. All worship using The Book of Common Prayer, translated into the language of the people by each church and modified, as necessary, to meet local needs. These English churches are united under the spiritual direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose cathedral "See" is in Canterbury, England. This is the famous Canterbury Cathedral of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The Church of England and, therefore, the Anglican Communion traces its history as an autonomous church back to the first or early second century A. D., when Christianity was brought to England by Roman soldiers. Legend has it that Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy disciple of Jesus who provided the tomb for the Lord's burial, became a missionary in England. Historically, we know that English Church bishops were present at the ecumenical council of bishops at Arles in A.D.314. This is the first historical record, outside England, proving that Christianity was established in England. The English Church has had an individual and unbroken life in England since the days of the Roman soldiers. For a period of time, however, the English Church was under the authority of the pope and was incorporated into the Roman Catholic Church.

Q. Isn't it true that the Anglican Church got started only because Henry VIII wanted a divorce?

A. This claim is a major distortion of history. But, because this distortion has benefited certain religious bodies, they have tried to perpetuate the distortion. The reality is that England had long chaffed under the domination of the Roman pontiff and his usurpation of ecclesiastical and political authority. Henry sought an annulment, or declaration that no marriage existed, because the marriage into which he was forced, as a youth, violated church law. Henry also believed that his marriage to Catherine, the wife of his dead brother, violated Biblical teachings. Pope Julius, Pope Clement VII's predecessor, had authorized the marriage in violation of Roman Catholic canon law. Henry expected Pope Clement to grant the annulment, given that this was the advice of many Vatican advisors and the religious scholars of the great European universities to whom Clement sent Henry's petition for review. Clement, no doubt, would indeed have granted the annulment, for Henry's case was strong. However, international politics intervened. Clement had gotten the Vatican State at cross-purposes with the Holy Roman Emperor. The Empire was in an alliance with Spain, whose crown insisted that Henry and Catherine remain married. After all, Henry's wife, Catherine, was the daughter of the King and Queen of Spain. To survive as pope, Clement believed that he had to support the Empire and Spain in this matter. Clement was also reluctant to overturn the ruling of his predecessor, Pope Julius for fear of damaging the emerging doctrine of papal infallibility. When Clement denied the annulment, Henry VIII took the bull by the horns. He removed the English Church from Roman authority and the Archbishop of Canterbury willingly granted Henry's annulment. The English Church continued as it had from the time of the Roman soldiers, but once again without the domination of the Roman Catholic Church.

Q. Is the Anglican Communion Protestant or Catholic?

A. If by "Protestant" you mean "not Roman Catholic," the churches of the Anglican Communion are Protestant. If by "Catholic" you mean a church which has been continuously a part of the same Church established by Jesus Christ and has been continuously faithful to the apostolic teachings on faith and doctrine, the Anglican Church is fully and completely Catholic. Churches in the Anglican Communion have maintained the historic Apostolic Succession, the unbroken chain of Christ's authority, passed down by the laying on of hands, from the Apostles of Jesus Christ through each bishop, in turn, until today. Generally speaking, Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics and Anglicans are considered the three pillars of the historic Catholic Church and these churches are in "Apostolic Succession." The Anglican Communion has, as its ordained ministry, bishops, priests and deacons, as do the Orthodox and Roman Catholics. We acknowledge the Seven Sacraments of the historic Catholic Church. They are (1) Baptism, through which sin is forgiven and one is reborn into new life in Jesus Christ. Baptism is the means of membership into the Church. (2) The Holy Eucharist, which is sometimes called the Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper or the Mass. It is the principal form of worship in the Anglican Communion, and, except in remote areas where priests must go from congregation to congregation, it is the norm of Sunday worship. We believe in the Real Presence of Christ Jesus in the consecrated elements of bread and wine. (3) Confirmation is the sacrament that strengthens the baptized person, through the action of the Holy Spirit, when she or he assumes personal responsibility for his baptismal vows. It is bestowed by a bishop, in Apostolic Succession, laying hands on the head of the person being confirmed, and invoking the Holy Spirit to strengthen that person for Christian service. (4) Reconciliation of a Penitent, which is, generally, called "Confession." (5) Holy Matrimony, is the sacrament of marriage between a man and a woman, who commit to a life-long monogamous union and seek, in the love of their marriage, to reflect the love relationship between Christ and his Church. (6) Ordination is the sacramental setting-apart, to the Sacred Orders of Deacons, Priests and Bishops, of persons called by God to the ordained ministry of his Church. (7) Unction is the anointing of those who are ill. We consider as "doctrine" the traditional creeds of the Catholic faith, the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. We are a Trinitarian Church, acknowledging that God is manifest as Father, as Son and as Holy Spirit, and that Jesus is the Son of God.

Q. Well, what is the difference, then, between Episcopalians or Anglicans and Roman Catholics, since you seem to have mostly the same beliefs and practices?

A. Episcopalians, or Anglicans, do not acknowledge the supremacy of the Roman Catholic Church, nor do we accept the doctrine of the infallibility of the Roman Catholic pope or the infallibility of any human person or institution. As a church we try, with all our being and ability, to know the mind of Christ and to be his faithful disciples in this world. However, the history of Christianity reveals that all churches are prone to error. We try, through established processes and church councils, to correct ourselves when we err. We have a prayer, which says, "Lord, we pray for your Holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ you Son our Savior. Amen." In short, we acknowledge our humanity and seek the wisdom and direction of the Holy Spirit in remaining true to Jesus Christ. There are also other differences between Anglicans and Roman Catholics in matters of faith, practice and doctrine. All orders of ordained Anglican ministers are free to marry, and most bishops, priests and deacons do. We agree with some other Protestant bodies that salvation is only by God's Grace, through faith in the redemptive sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We deny that good works allow us to earn our way to Heaven, and we believe that the sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation is sufficient and redemptive for all that accept Him as Lord and Savior.

Q. Is, then, the Anglican Communion somewhere in the middle between Protestants and Roman Catholics?

A. Yes, indeed. In fact, finding a middle ground between the extremes of the Continental Reformation and the Roman Catholic Church was intentional and studied. Queen Elizabeth I (Ruled 1558 - 1603) wanted to end long, bitter and bloody religious struggles between Protestants and Catholics that had so divided England. She ordered her bishops to find a way to unite her realm. The objective was to find a Via Media, or a "Middle Way," that would allow Catholic-minded people to feel the fullness of faith, so long as they were willing to renounce Roman domination and authority in England. But it was also important that Protestant-minded people in England should be able to feel comfortable by eliminating the excesses and errors of late medieval Roman Catholic teachings. The English bishops were able to articulate this "Middle Way" quite clearly in the revised Book of Common Prayer (1559), the Elizabethan Act of Uniformity (1559) and the "Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (1571). The Anglican Communion and its provincial churches have remained largely unchanged since Elizabeth I.

Q. Is the Episcopal Church a Bible-based Church?

A. Absolutely. In fact, leaders of the English Church were in the forefront of the long struggle to translate Holy Scripture into languages understood by the people. For hundreds of years, the Roman Catholic Church allowed the Bible to be printed only in Latin, forcing the laity to look to the clergy to tell them what it said. The King James Bible, sometimes called the "Authorized Version," published in 1611, is one of the great gifts of the English Church to the Christian world. It is probable that William Shakespeare participated in its preparation. Since then, Anglican Churches and their Biblical scholars have participated in numerous ecumenical translations of the Bible. The Episcopal Church, with the rest of the Anglican Communion, teaches explicitly that the Bible contains God's truth. However, we teach that there are three sources of Christian Authority: Holy Scripture, Christian Tradition and Reason. Of these sources, the Bible, Holy Scripture, is primary. We have described authority in Christian faith as being like a three-legged milking stool. On three legs, the stool of faith is stable. Remove any of the legs and the stool will overturn. Episcopalians do not accept the Bible as the absolute and literal word of God. In other words, we do not consider the Bible as the inerrant word of God. We try to understand each part of the Bible within the context of the whole. We recognize that Holy Scripture is the recollection and recording of the activities of relationship between God and his people, but that humans, who very much are people of their times and cultures, recorded the stories about God and his people into the pages of the Bible. So, we understand God's will by looking also at the ongoing interactions between God and humanity, as recorded in Church Tradition after the close of the Biblical era, and by evaluating our current experiences in the light of our God-given reason. The Anglican Church teaches that Holy Scripture contains all doctrine necessary for salvation and that "nothing that cannot be read in or proved by" the Bible shall be required as an article of the faith or as necessary for salvation. Persons ordained in the Anglican Communion must sign an affidavit to this fact. But, by the same token, we realize that taking a sola scriptura approach to understanding God is a highly dangerous undertaking. Anglican worship is dominated by readings and prayers from Holy Scripture, incorporated into the liturgies of The Book of Common Prayer. The Book of Common Prayer is sometimes called "the Bible in worship."

Q. What is the Book of Common Prayer and why is it necessary?

A. The Book of Common Prayer contains the liturgies and rituals of the Anglican Communion as well as the doctrine that the Church requires to be taught and believed. We use it as a way of binding ourselves together, in communion, and it gives us the prayer and worship used "in common" when members of the fellowship gather together for worship. It certainly does not replace private prayer and devotion, but it is the unifying element of community worship. We believe that community worship and private devotions complement each other and that both are necessary for our spiritual well being. The Book of Common Prayer contains prayers sited to every need and occasion and is perhaps the finest collection of great prayers ever compiled. If imitation, even plagiarism, is the ultimate flattery, it is noteworthy that many denominations have copied parts of The Book of Common Prayer into their own worship books and pastors from outside our church often use The Book of Common Prayer for funerals, weddings and other services. The Episcopal Church intentionally does not copyright The Book of Common Prayer to encourage others to use its richness in their worship.

Q. Why is Episcopal worship so structured and formal?

A. Anglicans have a propensity to want things to be done "decently and in good order." Worship is a corporate affair, an activity of the whole gathered fellowship. Great emphasis is placed on congregational participation in the service. The Prayer Book is arranged in such a way that people, by noting the rubrics, or directions, may easily follow and participate. As Anglicans, we believe that God is the Creator of all things and is constantly revealed through the materials of creation. We express this truth by enriching our worship with beauty, the beauty of music, vestments and rich symbols, such as candles, crucifixes, crosses and seasonal colors. We worship in spirit, mind and body. One way of enhancing this worship is through our body language. Therefore, many bow their heads at the name of Jesus or when the processional cross passes by. We often kneel for prayer and confession. Many genuflect, or drop to one knee, in reverence to the consecrated bread and wine, acknowledging the presence of the Risen Christ in these elements. Some of our churches use bells and incense for the same purpose of enhancing our experience of the divine in worship. Some have votive candles for worshipers to light when they offer a private prayer. We do not worship the symbols. There is no idolatry. The symbols and other worship aids are simply means to help us express our reverence of God. These outward actions are signs and spiritual aids to inward devotion and reverence in our worship and praise of Almighty God. In worship, no one is compelled to do anything, which to him or her is uncomfortable or bothersome. Visitors and guests may follow the actions of others, or simply sit reverently as they witness the worship of those around them, participating in the liturgical action as they choose.

Q. How is the Episcopal Church governed? Is each parish free to make its own choices and go its own way?

A. The Episcopal Church is a hierarchical church under the authority of bishops. A diocesan bishop, who in turn is accountable for his actions to the other bishops of the Episcopal Church, governs each diocese, or geographical grouping of parishes. A diocese elects its bishop. Episcopal bishops are not appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, as are Roman Catholic bishops appointed by the pope. Our government is both constitutional and democratic. Each parish has a counsel of elected lay persons, called a vestry, and this counsel represents the parish in all matters concerning its property and many matters concerning its daily life and practice. The vestry, in conjunction with the diocesan bishop, calls the parish priest. The governing body of the larger national church, The Episcopal Church in the United States, to whom the diocesan bishops are accountable, is governed by a "General Convention," made up of all bishops of the Church and priests and lay people elected as representatives to the convention. The General Convention establishes Episcopal Church Canons, or church laws. In addition, each diocese establishes canons specific to its needs, so long as they do not contradict Episcopal Church Canons. The laity and clergy are strictly held to church canons.

Compiled by The Rev. Ronald N. Johnson, Th. M., St. James rector from 2001 - 2008

This page is copyrighted, 2005, by St. James the Fisherman Episcopal Church