The Episcopal Church is a vibrant part of the third largest Christian denomination in the world - the Anglican Communion. This is a global fellowship of over 70 million Christians who trace their origins to the English Reformation in the sixteenth century. The Episcopal Church is the only universally recognized Anglican church in the US. St John’s is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama.
Episcopalians are strong believers in the historic faith of the Christian Church, especially as it is expressed in the ancient Creeds. In particular, we give an important place to the doctrine of the Incarnation. This is the wonderful and liberating truth that God become fully human in Jesus of Nazareth, while also remaining fully God. This belief makes Episcopalians keen to celebrate the beauty in all of creation – especially in every human being. It also means that we embrace all aspects of being human – physical and intellectual, as well as spiritual.
The Tricycle
The image of a tricycle sums up how Episcopalians think of the ways God speaks to people.
Holy Scripture – the front wheel
The Bible the most important way God reveals the truth to us. Like the front wheel of a tricycle, it guides us and points us in the right direction.
Tradition – one rear wheel
The purpose of the rear wheels is to give stability. Without stability Christians can lose
balance and fall into unhelpful beliefs or practices. One of these rear wheels of the
tricycle is Tradition. In other words, if the Church has believed and practiced something for many hundreds of years, there’s a really good chance that God is in it.
Reason – the other rear wheel
The other rear wheel is Reason. God has blessed people with reasoning minds. We
honor God's gift when we use them to think deeply about God's will. Our thinking brains
are an essential way in which God speaks to us.
Read more about the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama here.