Who We Are
Our Beliefs
The Anglican Church, due to its history, includes elements that reflect Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions in its beliefs, customs, and liturgy.
People of many Christian backgrounds feel at home at St. Thomas.
Followers of Jesus
Anglicans are Christians. They follow the way of Jesus Christ revealed in the New Testament of the Bible. The Apostle Paul, one of the writers of the New Testament, says that Jesus was the true image of God – God present among us. This is known as the “incarnation,” a central belief of Christians that God entered into human form as Jesus, who lived and died as one of us, and was resurrected. At Pentecost, Christ sent the Holy Spirit to empower us and so that we would know that we are never separated from the love of God. Central to Jesus’ inclusive teaching was the commandment that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and that we love our neighbour as ourselves.
Anglicans also accept the historic statements of the Christian faith – the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. These are statements of faith for most Christians throughout the world. As a result, Anglican churches often include members who started their faith journeys in other Christian traditions as well as those who have been Anglicans all their lives.
Thinking about God
The way Anglicans think about God has traditionally been shaped by three factors – the Bible, tradition, and reason.
The Bible is a basic authority for Anglicans, and our services are filled with Bible readings and reflections on them. Tradition is the collective wisdom of the church accumulated over the centuries. Reason is a gift from God, and we use this gift to help discern God’s call. As a result, Anglicans place high value on scholarship and study.
Some Anglicans would add a fourth factor – human experience. We believe that God is revealed in every age and culture through our experience. So, the Anglican Church often adapts itself to the language, culture and customs of the country where it is found and the people who worship within a particular parish.
As a result, Anglican congregations include followers of Jesus with a variety of points of view related to their faith, and worship in a variety of expressions of that faith.
