In his book Mere Christianity, the Anglican author and Oxford professor C.S. Lewis imagines Christianity as a house with many rooms, where the different rooms correspond to different traditions within the Christian faith. As Anglicans, we belong to this great house that proclaims Jesus as Lord and believes that he is the Savior of the world.
Thus, we are Christians first, and Anglicans second. That means you do not need to identify as Anglican to worship fully with us!
That said, people often come to Cornerstone familiar with other "rooms" in the house of Christian faith, but they want to know what makes Anglicanism distinct. Here are some distinctives of Anglicanism you may experience when you join us for worship at Cornerstone:
“Three Streams, One River”
The Anglican ethos holds together three streams of the Christian Church:
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Emphasizing the Bible as the authoritative Word of God and Jesus as the only way to salvation.
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Emphasizing the tangible presence of God through the sacraments and respect for the Great Tradition of the historic church.
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Emphasizing the dynamic and ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the Church.
Liturgical
Our worship is rooted in a time-tested pattern of worship that has served the church for thousands of years. This pattern is expressed through the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, which has been described as the Scriptures arranged for worship. On any given Sunday, our Prayer Book liturgy provides the incredible opportunity to offer the same basic prayers, read the same Scriptures, and receive Holy Communion in the same manner as Christians from around the world.
Global
Anglicanism is the third largest group of Christians in the world, with churches in more than 165 countries. Our Anglican heritage can be traced back to the early church in the British Isles. From the start, Anglican Christianity sought to faithfully adapt the practices of the church to local cultures while remaining rooted to the historic Christian faith. This ethos continues to define the diverse expressions of Anglicanism around the world today and knit us together as a global family.
If you'd like to learn more about Anglicanism, the best way is to experience worship in the Anglican tradition for yourself by joining us on Sundays at 10am. Once you've gotten to know us a bit, we then encourage you to participate in our Explore Membership retreat, where we explore the above topics in greater depth. And you can always contact us at office@cornerstoneanglican.com to learn more or to speak with one of our leaders.
To explore specific topics of Anglicanism, we also recommend the Word and Table podcast, featuring the Canon Theologian of our Diocese, Cn. Stephen Gauthier.