enriquemolina:

I had a discussion with @theologicalmess about the uniqueness of our faith. We’re Anglican (not Roman, or anything else) for a reason. Ours is a distinct way of being Christian. Let me go over some of the distinctions.

We are both Catholic and Reformed. We are derived from ancient Christianity like the Copts, Romans, and Eastern Orthodox, yet we do not have a patriarch or pope who calls all the shots. 

Scripture, Tradition, and Reason are our sources of Authority, This helps balance Roman Catholic tendencies to overemphasize Tradition and Protestant tendencies to overemphasize Scripture (which often results in one person or group coming to a very narrow conclusion that conveniently conforms to what they already believe). We look at what the Bible says, we look at what the ancient Church has historically taught, and we prayerfully come to understandings using the reasoning God has enabled us to conduct.

We don’t have a Book of Discipline, nor a Book of Order, but a Book of (Common) Prayer. In this way, we acknowledge that none of us is God and none of us can fully discern God’s will; we then allow for disagreement on non-essential things and come together in Peace at the altar, knowing that God is in control and we’ll understand it better by and by.

We don’t have to check our brains at the door. Anglicanism is very intellectual; we are one of the most educated faiths, bested only by Hindus, Unitarian Universalists, and Jews respectively. We know not everything can be explained, but we also know that God has given us the knowledge to figure out other things. Science and the Bible are not mutually exclusive. And it’s exactly because we believe in God that we have to consider issues like climate change or GMOs; after all, we have to be good stewards of God’s creation. 

We live the Via Media, the Middle Way, not as a compromise, but as an actual understanding. Q.E.D. by our understanding of the Eucharist; not Memorialism, nor Transubstantiation, but Real Presence. I.E. the Eucharist is not just a symbolic memorial or representation of Christ’s body and blood, nor shall we try to explain what occurs and how; we know Christ is truly present in the creatures of bread and wine, but it’s God’s business how. As the Via Media, we are the moderation between the extremes of Protestantism and Catholicism. 

Our summation of faith is relatively brief, leaving room for the Holy Spirit to do Her work. As summed up in our Lambeth agreement, we believe The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, “contain all things necessary to salvation.” We believe in the Creeds. We believe in the Great Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, through which God imparts grace and remission of sins. And we believe in Apostolic Succession, that our bishops are the successors to the apostles and that episcopal authority is derived from the apostles by an unbroken succession in the ministry. (There are historic documents like the 39 Articles, but that’s a different discussion). That’s what we believe, and then we let go and let God handle the rest. One can believe the Virgin Mary was forever chaste and had no other children or that she lived a normal life like the rest of us. But since that is not an essential doctrine, no one is required to believe one way or the other. 

These are the main distinctions of Anglicanism. If any of my fellow Anglicans have anything to add, please feel free to share.