Incarnation Anglican Church

What We Believe

Many faith communities have simple, succinct answers to the questions "what do you believe?" At Incarnation, we could try and do that, but it would be a huge injustice to the vast heritage we base our faith upon. We do believe in Jesus, and we do believe the best way to hear from God is through the Scriptures. But there is much more to it than just that.

We are Christian, in that we adhere to the early Christian Creeds (Apostle's, Nicene, Athanasian). These creeds clearly define God as Triune, and establish both the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ. They also give us a strong sense of connection to followers of Christ throughout history, and all around the world today. Our liturgy contains elements that have been used by followers of Christ all around the world for almost 1900 years.

We are Reformed, in that we can trace our spiritual history through the Reformation as it happened in England in the Sixteenth Century. This includes affirming the 39 Articles of Religion, an Anglican confession drafted in England during the turbulence of the Sixteenth Century, that attempted to help the church better explain what it believed. We also affirm the spirit behind other Reformation confessions, including the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

We are Evangelical, in that we believe the gospel (“evangel” in Greek), with its emphasis on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but we also believe this relationship is best lived out in the context of a worshiping community.

Finally, we are Anglican, because we have found in Anglicanism a tradition where all of the above mentioned elements come together. Anglican spirituality, as we understand it, includes the use of a “common” prayer book, rooted in scripture and the traditions handed down to us since the time of the Apostles. This facilitates our private and public worship. As Anglicans, we strive for a “middle way” approach to worship that allows for both unity and diversity within the broader Christian tradition. We desire to follow the lead of Saint Augustine, who said “In essentials, Unity. In non-essentials, Liberty. In all things, Charity.” Our worship, therefore, incorporates some of the best elements from the Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Charismatic traditions.

Why use all these creeds and Catechisms, you may ask? Good Question.

The life of faith can be quite complicated. A cursory review of church history will show you that what faith communities have believed over time has changed in many ways, while in other areas it has remained the same. How is one to know, on their spiritual journey, what is true and what is not? Why not benefit from the wisdom and knowledge of those who have gone before us, so that we have guides we can follow and learn from on our journey. Why try to reinvent the wheel? The creeds and confessions we adhere to provide us with a great "roadmap" as we try and navigate the challenging walk that is the life of faith.

Christocentric

What Does It Mean to Be Christocentric?

At Incarnation, we believe in the importance of being Christocentric in how we live our lives, how we worship, and how we interpret Scripture. By “Christocentric,” we mean “Christ-

centered.” If we want to know how to live and worship in a Christocentric manner, we must first learn to read Scripture Christocentrically. This means, first and foremost, endeavoring to interpret Scripture in the same manner that Jesus did. What many people do not realize is that Jesus himself shows us how he interprets Scripture.

When it comes to matters of morality and justice—especially how to understand the Jewish laws found in what Christians call the Old Testament—Jesus teaches that our highest duty is to love

God from the core of our being and to manifest that love in how we love our neighbors. We see this articulated in the “Greatest Commandment” passages (Matthew 22:34–40; Mark 12:28–34; and Luke 10:25–28), as well as in the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31), the “New Commandment” (John 13:34–35), much of John 15–17, and elsewhere throughout the Gospels.

The Apostle Paul reinforces this understanding in Romans 13:8–10, where he teaches that love fulfills the law. Even Saint Augustine affirmed this principle when he wrote:

Whoever, therefore, thinks that he understands the divine

Scriptures or any part of them so that

it does not build the double love of God

and of our neighbor, does not understand them at all.”

— Augustine, On Christian Doctrine 1.36.40

Beginning from this foundation, Christians can understand morality and justice as participating in God’s will on earth by promoting the flourishing of all God’s image-bearers, especially the poor, the needy, and the marginalized, as Jesus teaches in Matthew 25.

Jesus also interprets all of Scripture as ultimately pointing to himself. He makes this clear in John 5:39–40; Luke 24:25–27, 44–47; John 1:45; and John 5:46. Likewise, the Apostle Paul teaches that Scripture can only be properly understood through Christ (2 Corinthians 3:12–16). He describes the Old Testament as a shadow whose substance is Christ (Colossians 2:16–17), the Law as pointing toward Christ (Romans 10:4), and the Law as a teacher leading us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). The author of Hebrews likewise teaches that the Law and the tabernacle were types and shadows pointing toward Christ (Hebrews 8:5; 10:1). The Apostle Peter writes that the prophets foretold the sufferings and glory of Christ (1 Peter 1:10–12).

Anyone can quote Scripture. Anyone can claim certain things are “biblical.” In the Book of Job, Job’s friends speak many true-sounding theological ideas found in Scripture, yet they fundamentally misunderstand God’s purposes and misapply their interpretations to Job’s suffering. The Pharisees were masters of quoting Scripture (Matthew 12:1–8; 19:3–9; Mark 7:5–13). Even Satan quoted Scripture when tempting Jesus (Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13).

In our current cultural moment, political and religious leaders sometimes weaponize Scripture to justify harming the most vulnerable among us. Such spiritually abusive uses of Scripture do not reflect the heart of Jesus. Anyone who desires to follow Jesus should also desire to follow Jesus in the way he interprets and applies Scripture. That is why, at Incarnation, we emphasize the importance of being Christocentric.