What are the Episcopal Church and Anglicanism?   The Episcopal Church in the United States is the American body of the worldwide Anglican Communion. For a good summary of the teachings of the Episcopal Church regarding its worship, beliefs, sacraments, and ministers, consult the Catechism from the Book of Common Prayer, the standard worship book of the Church which binds disparate parishes and dioceses into one.   Anglicanism is one branch of the universal Church of Jesus Christ spread throughout the world. Sadly, because of the pride and weakness of humanity, from its earliest centuries the Church which Jesus prayed to be one has broken into hundreds of denominations around the globe. Risking generalization, the fractured denominations of the Christian Church today fall into one of three traditions : Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestant. Anglicanism strives to exemplify the best traits of each tradition.   Anglicanism bears many similarities to the Roman and Eastern traditions because from its inception during the Great Reformation in the 16th Century it maintained the historic ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons. Our bishops (in Greek episcopoi , from which the Episcopal Church draws its name) can trace their consecration by the hands of elder bishops through centuries of generations going back to the apostolic age. The English Reformers retained the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds from the first four centuries of Christianity as the Anglican statement of belief regarding the divinity of Jesus Christ and the nature of the Trinity.  The Anglican Church (Church of England) also never disavowed the historic sacraments of the church nor redefined them in such a way that their original meanings as mystical signs of God's grace, present actions of the Holy Spirit, were lost.   Anglicanism is part of the Protestant tradition because it was born protesting against the absolute authoritarian claims of the Roman Papacy and the corrupt, superstitious system that dominated Church life in the medieval period. Like most other Protestants, Anglicans believe that all believers should be acquainted with and inspired by the Holy Scriptures, as we believe that it is the unwarranted Grace of God and not the authority and rules of the Church that save the human soul. Similarly, Anglicans do not accept the claims to an unchanging and infallible doctrine made by Orthodox Churches since the Great Schism around 1100 A.D., though Anglican scholars have found much to admire and consider in the experience of our Orthodox brethren since the Caroline Divines first rediscovered this theology in the 17th Century.   Though the 16th Century Catholic Church in England separated from Rome to form the Anglican Church as a result of a political dispute between King Henry VIII and the Pope, there were many Reformation-minded theologians in the English clergy who were ready to articulate a different religious vision. Richard Hooker stood out among the first generation of Anglican theologians ; he defined its approach to Faith as based on Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. This has remained the hallmark. In the seventeenth century, the Caroline Divines (men such as Lancelot Andrewes and John Cosin) sought to prove that the Church in England was descended from the same Church as had always been there and thus, along with the Roman and Orthodox Communions, was legitimately Catholic. Over the centuries the Church of England produced many of the most prominent Biblical scholars and Church historians of the time. The eighteenth century saw the application of rationalistic and empirical philosophies to the role of religion in society, just as John Wesley produced Evangelical spiritual renewal in much of the Church. The nineteenth century gave rise to the Oxford Movement (from which Anglo-Catholicism today is descended) as an attempt to reclaim the visible Catholic authority of the Church then often subsumed in State politics. In this era was begun the continuing quest by Anglicans to find common ground, communion, and, as Christ wills, eventual reunification of all the broken branches of Christianity. Among many ongoing ecumenical efforts, the Episcopal Church was instrumental in the creation of the National and World Councils of Churches, and, today, opens Holy Communion to all the baptized, as well as sharing full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. At the height of the British Empire, the nineteenth century also produced a great wave of missionary work in all parts of England 's worldwide colonial presence. This would result in the Anglican Communion as we know it today.   The Anglican Communion is now comprised of 38 autonomous church provinces containing 77 million believers from every continent. Each Province is governed by an Episcopal system, locally adapted and led by a Primate Bishop ; and all look for spiritual guidance and leadership to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Archbishop, the traditional episcopal head of the Church of England, serves as a "first among equals' and presides over the Primate's Council and the international Lambeth Conference. Within this worldwide fellowship, the entire spectrum of expressions of Anglican Faith as developed in the last five centuries may be found. Some churches are vigorously Evangelical Protestant, sometimes Biblical literalists, and even the Charismatic Movement may be strong in some dioceses. Other churches are so similar to our Roman Catholic brethren that they use current liturgies approved by the Vatican and share the same beliefs about current concerns regarding social issues and theological dogma. There are other churches from the Catholic side of Anglicanism which maintain the pre-Vatican II forms of Roman Catholic worship almost in their entirety as they had been adopted in the late nineteenth century. The great majority of Anglican churches fall somewhere in the middle, blending Protestant and Catholic worship traditions.   Each national church is bound together by the prayers and liturgies of a prayer book. There are a variety of views throughout the worlwide communion on the interpretation of Holy Scripture and the role of church Tradition, influenced by the education tradition and multiple other factors of a given culture. Political opinions vary from the most radical left to the most staid conservative.  Most expressions of Anglicanism look to the Holy Eucharist to bind this disparateness into one, and still more signs of the Church in one's life come from the six other sacraments and the liturgical seasons : Baptism as a new birth, consecration to God, marriage, healing, repentance, and worship on Sundays and the great Holy Days as they mark a soul's journey through life, ending in the blessing of Christian Burial.   The Episcopal Church in the United Sates was born out of the Revolution against Great Britain which created the nation. As a branch of English government, the Episcopal Church had an influential role in colonial American society. This role continued in the new nation as many men in government came from the Episcopal tradition, George Washington being just one. Thus, from its creation, the Episcopal Church's governance was grounded in democracy and formed on the bicameral pattern of the U.S. Congress. At the nationally authoritative General Convention, elected laity and priests from each diocese take part in decisions in a House of Deputies, while Bishops form an Upper House. The Primate of the Episcopal Church, the Presiding Bishop, serves as President of the Convention and oversees a national office which facilitates relations between the dioceses and offers many charitable and support programs. The Presiding Bishop also serves as a spiritual leader and pastor for the American church, much as the Archbishop of Canterbury does for Anglicans worldwide.   In America, each diocese is autonomous and self-governing, usually through a Diocesan Convention modeled on the bicameral pattern of General Convention (laity, then priests, presided by the Bishop) which advises the Bishop, the administrator and Chief Pastor of the diocese. The great diversity of Anglicanism is nowhere more present than in congregations of the American Church : Evangelical, Charismatic, Anglo-Catholic, Broad Church, conservative Republican, liberal Democrat, social activist, to practically Unitarian. Often, Episcopal congregations take pride in the belief that having Faith does not mean "leaving your mind at the door." Science and the modern age can be reconciled with Scripture and Tradition in the Church. The Episcopal Church has stood at the forefront of progressive social issues in America in the fights against racism and homophobia and, significantly, in the equality granted women to become priests and bishops.   Regardless of where an Episcopal congregation fits on the theological spectrum, the word "Welcome" often displayed on the official Church logo is sincere. We believe seekers from other Faith traditions or of no faith tradition, who search for a Faith respectful of the past and the present...of sacramental tradition and inquisitive reason...of the Faith preached and beauty in Faith's celebration...of knowing Jesus Christ and all the riches of Christianity, can find their needs and questions answered in the Episcopal Church.