Defining Convictions and Decisive Commitments: The Thirty Nine Articles in Contemporary Anglicanism

The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion are a summary of the Christian faith.Promulgated in 1571 and reflecting closely the controversies of sixteenth century Europe, are they still worth studying? The answer, according to Michael Jensen andTom Frame, two Australian Anglican theological educators, is not an unqualified 'yes'.Very different issues confront Christian believers in the twenty-first century.Contemporary Anglicans disagree on matters that were unknown to the leading Elizabethan theologians and reformers. The authors contend however that although the Articles have been around for nearly 450 years and debates between Christians have moved to new subjects, many of the concerns and convictions outlined in the Articles have a timeless quality and a universal application. They argue that the Articles are not an embarrassing skeleton in the Anglican cupboard but the fruits of careful listening to the Bible and its teaching. The Articles disclose a deft understanding of God's self-revelation and its meaning for the Church and individual believers.Jensen and Frame have written this book to assist ordinands and clergy wanting to know what the drafters of the Articles intended to say, why certain words and specific phrases were used, the points of disagreement and areas of uncertainty they tried to settle, and how the Articles have shaped Anglican belief over the past four centuries. This book will also help laity to gain a firmer grasp of historic Anglican belief and to acquire insights into protracted debates over Anglican distinctive customs. The authors hope that theologians might ponder afresh the possibilities that exist for devising some contemporary statements of Anglican belief that honour the Church's rich history while extending its continuing and creative efforts to preserve and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ.