C.O.R.E Christianity
Our Episcopal/Anglican Heritage
Physical Trainers know that whole body strength and well being is undergirded by exercising your physical Core. Within the myriad communities of the Christian family we consider the Episcopal-Anglican heritage to be one that builds C.O.R.E. Christianity. One often hears us described as Catholic AND Reformed, but this is incomplete.
We are:
C.O.R.E. Christianity allows us to do what Anglicans have always done: take the best and dump the rest. We draw from three powerful streams of Christian expression and the stream of Enlightenment Reason and all the disciplines of thought it had birthed. It takes some work to find harmony and balance, but that is the point of living an informed spiritual life.
While we recognize that our own members may find more of a home in one stream or another and more spiritually satisfaction within their preferred stream, Anglicanism is the comprehensive whole that is more than the sum of the parts. The treasure of the Episcopal Anglican Heritage is the fusion of the life of the mind with the life of the spirit drawing on the deep truths found in its four converging streams.
We are:
- Catholic in our sensibilities about sacraments and ordered prayer;
- Orthodox (and Celtic) in our sense of mystery, beauty, asceticism that is not afraid to critique and withdraw from the world, and includes a profound appreciation for nature.
- Reformed in our recovery of an appropriate use of Scripture and a careful critique of inherited Christian governing structures.
- Enlightenment in our maintenance of a connection between Faith and Science and our openness to new learning as it unfolds in the scientific world. This includes our embrace of a progressive political theory that structures governance to respect and protect the dignity of every soul. The Arc of Liberty from the Magna Carta to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a monumental advancement in delivering a quality of life to everyone and it is a specific part of our heritage as Anglicans from Richard Hooker to the present moment.
C.O.R.E. Christianity allows us to do what Anglicans have always done: take the best and dump the rest. We draw from three powerful streams of Christian expression and the stream of Enlightenment Reason and all the disciplines of thought it had birthed. It takes some work to find harmony and balance, but that is the point of living an informed spiritual life.
While we recognize that our own members may find more of a home in one stream or another and more spiritually satisfaction within their preferred stream, Anglicanism is the comprehensive whole that is more than the sum of the parts. The treasure of the Episcopal Anglican Heritage is the fusion of the life of the mind with the life of the spirit drawing on the deep truths found in its four converging streams.
