01
Right to Life
The Rev. James f. sweeney
Forward in Faith has partnered with Anglicans for Life for the production of this Tract. The Sanctity of Life is the foundation of Anglicans For Life’s ministry and a shared commitment of Forward in Faith North America. God’s Word is clear: All life is sacred, and humanity was made in the holy image of God.
02
Believing the Bible
the rev. timothy matkins, s.s.c.
Anglicans believe the holy Scriptures, commonly called the Bible, are the books of the Old and New Testaments; other books, called the Apocrypha, are often included in the Bible. These books were written by the people of God, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to show God at work in history and to testify to Jesus Christ, the fullness of divine revelation and the living Word of God.
03
The Blessing of Family
the rev. james f. sweeney
I n creating the world, God has ordered human society and has established the family as the basic social unit and the building block of the larger human community. It is the means through which children are nurtured and reared, the Christian faith and Christian moral values are passed on to children and young people, elderly parents are cared for in their later years, and the love of family members for one another is channeled into care and nurturing for one another. The family is central not only to Christian life, it is essential to an ordered, just, and moral culture.
04
Marriage: Sacrament & Blessing
the rev. james f. sweeney
As Christians, we believe that God has blessed his people abundantly in the wonder and beauty of his creation, in the miracle of life, in the mystery of love, and in ways too numerous to count. Perhaps nowhere is the abundance of God’s blessings more manifest than in the marriage between one man and one woman, who commit themselves in the name of Christ to love, honor, nurture, and care for one another for the remainder of their lives.
05
Seven Ecumenical Councils
the V. rev. Dr. Robert S. Monday
In the first eight hundred years of Christianity, before the schism between East and West divided the Church into what we know as the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, representatives of the whole, undivided Church met in a series of councils. These councils were convened to clarify points of Christian doctrine, especially in light of various heresies that arose and troubled the Church.
06
The Anglican Church
the rev. timothy matkins, s.s.c.
Anglicans are Christians who belong to the Church of England or its daughter churches throughout the world that maintain a fellowship in what is called the Anglican Communion. Christianity came to Britain in the first or second century, probably brought there by merchants. Legend says that the gospel was brought there by St. Joseph of Arimathea. When Pope St. Gregory the Great sent a monk named Augustine to England in 597 to establish a Roman mission at Canterbury, he found there was already a British church with its own bishops and customs.
07
The Sacraments
the rev. timothy matkins, s.s.c.
The sacraments are “Holy Mysteries” (from the Latin, sacramentum; see Eph 5:3132). The term came to be applied to seven biblical rites through which the ministry of Jesus is carried on in his Church. All the glories of the risen Christ have ascended into the sacraments. In the classic Anglican definition, sacraments are “outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace” (BCP, p 857). They are sure signs that God is at work, using material things to communicate his spiritual gifts.
