There are groups, classes and forums available for discussing questions with other seekers. We have classes at different times throughout the year. In addition, the clergy are eager to be contacted for help with questions. What are the foundations of belief? In the Episcopal Church, we are called to live out our faith on a daily basis, whether we are at home, school, work or recreation.

The cornerstones of our faith are Scripture, tradition and reason. What do Episcopalians believe about Scripture? It is written in 27 books. Within an Episcopal worship service, Scripture is read in lessons from the Old and New Testaments, the Gospel the teachings of Jesus , the Psalms poems from the Old Testament and other prayers.

There are those who believe it is the word of God, and to be taken literally without interpretation, and there are those who view Scripture as a moral and ethical framework from which to draw examples how to live.

What role does tradition play? We are not Christians in isolation but are part of a living faith that spans years. Tradition is the embodiment of our experience as Christians throughout the centuries.

Our tradition is expressed with many voices, among which are a variety of worship styles, languages, cultures, architecture and music. Our tradition encourages this diversity. We seek to value the life and story each person brings to the community of faith.

What part does reason play in the way Episcopalians believe? A personal relationship with God allows us to realize and celebrate our lives to the fullest. The gift of reason, as a complement to Scripture and tradition, leads us to seek answers to our own questions and to grow spiritually. Being active in a community of faith strengthens us to carry our faith into the world. Weaving Scripture, tradition and reason together, we strengthen our faith and grow as Children of God.

Book of Common Prayer. What is the Book of Common Prayer? The Book of Common Prayer is our guide to worship and devotion. Scripture is the foundation of our worship and two-thirds of the Book of Common Prayer comes directly from the Old and New Testaments. There are more than 70 million Anglicans Episcopalians in countries throughout the world, using a Book of Common Prayer in their own language, reflecting our diversity and ethnic backgrounds.

The Book of Common Prayer is a collection of ancient and modern prayers and worship services for occasions when the community gathers and for individual use as well. It allows everyone to participate, reminding us that each person is an important part of the worship experience, whether the service is a celebration or a solemn occasion.

It is a guidebook for daily Christian living. Common does not mean ordinary. Personal Devotions. Can the Book of Common Prayer be used in personal devotions?

Yes, in private daily prayers or with family, prayers in the morning and evening, special prayers of praise or thanksgiving, requests for others, and for special occasions.

All Psalms, or poems from the Old Testament are contained in the Book of Common Prayer and can be read at any time. A calendar for reading through the entire Bible every two years, as well as an outline of the Episcopal faith and Church history, is also included. Individual Prayer. Can I make up my own prayers? The Book of Common Prayer is meant to complement daily individual prayers, not replace them. Every service in the book includes time for personal prayer requests, either silent or aloud.

Prayers from your heart and mind and of your own words and thoughts are the most important prayers. What services are included in the Book of Common Prayer? This is the service you are most likely to share with us when you visit an Episcopal Church on Sunday. What are sacraments? In the Episcopal Church we take part in certain regular acts of worship.

The two primary sacraments are Baptism and Holy Communion. We believe that God is actively present in the world and in us. In the sacraments we realize his presence and his favor towards us.

Through the sacraments, which are freely given to us by God, our sins are forgiven, our minds are enlightened, our hearts stirred and our wills strengthened. These sacraments are contained in the worship services found in the Book of Common Prayer. Additional information can be found in the Book of Common Prayer.

Questions are encouraged and always welcome. Some individual members of the Episcopalian tradition also have the habit of Bible reading at home. With so many English Bible translations to choose from today, many people are curious about which one Episcopalians use.

Episcopalians primarily use the New Revised Standard Version. Some Episcopalians still use the Revised Standard Version. What exactly do Episcopalians believe about the Bible and which books do they include in their reading? Is there a particular Study Bible that Episcopalians prefer? Continue reading to explore these questions and others. Formal equivalence means that translators try as much as possible to translate biblical passages word for word. Episcopalians believe that the Bible is the Word of God and contains everything that a person needs to become a Christian and be saved.

The Episcopal Church will not require of any person anything that the Bible does not contain. Historically, people in the Episcopalian tradition take the Bible seriously and believe that God reveals his purposes through its pages.

Episcopalians have traditionally believed that the Old and New Testaments work together in their offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Although believers no longer need to keep the ceremonial and civil precepts laws of the old covenant, nevertheless Christians ought to keep the moral commandments. In relation to interpretation, Christians should avoid proof-texting in order to support their theology. Instead, they should examine the whole of Scripture in order to better understand the individual parts. Most Episcopalians avoid using theological terms such as infallibility or inerrancy when talking about the Bible. God used human beings to write the Bible and thus it should not be surprising or alarming if something historically or scientifically askew according to conventional Episcopalian thinking.

The musical started with those weird and scary flying monkeys — the music was dark and the lights were low. But then the entire play stopped due to a glitch with the lighting… scary monkeys switched back into normal upright people, who in their confusion walked off stage quite out of character.

It was bizarre to see; only made more bizarre by it happening two more times — the same glitch, the same response, an upset crowd. Eventually they worked out the glitches, the musical went on, and we were swept up into story and song.

For many of us, reading the Bible is this way. We have tried to enter into the story, but there are too many challenges, including outside factors that seem to keep us from engaging it — like busy jobs, or traveling youth sports, Netflix, or it being the domain of those Christians, or more.

This is to say nothing of challenges internal to the Bible itself such as cultural, historical and linguistic gaps! When early Christians were hard pressed, and when forces were bringing peril into the lives of the disciples in Second Timothy, Paul pointed them back to hearing the gospel song of Christ, even as Paul himself sings it in the face of his own death, writing as he does from a prison cell in Rome.

How does he encourage them to hear the song of Christ amidst the siren songs around them? By pointing them to Sacred Scripture. Paul encourages Timothy, and others, to remain faithful to the Orthodox belief about Jesus Christ, and to do so by meditating on holy writ. Jesus knew his identity, for the Father sings an eternal love song in the Spirit, sung over him once again at his baptism. And when in the wilderness he was tempted by the siren songs of Satan, he likewise knew which song to sing instead — Sacred Scripture; it nourished him, and its truthfulness cut through the lies of the enemy who sought to convince him to find his identity elsewhere.

Identity is not constructed, it is a gift of divine utterance. He knows the script-writer and the script, and he is able to improvise in the face of temptation; he is able to sing faithfully the song of Scripture, even under duress.

This is, I think, what Paul has in mind for Timothy as well. Walking in the way of love will require that we are likewise marinated in Scripture — and that our children are, too. In short, verbal communication makes your mind and heart do the work of grasping and imagining the story for yourself.

This simple article about reading to children supports an ancient understanding about the power of the Word to capture our hearts and soak them with the truth in a way nothing else can. Scripture is a unique and inspired sacramental vehicle through which we encounter the same Christ who walked the road of Galilee and died on the cross and rose again and who is seated at the right hand of God.