The foundation of all our beliefs rests on the Gospel of Jesus Christ as communicated to us in the authoritative Word of God in Scripture.
Following on that, our beliefs can be summed up with three historical documents that were each responding to cultural needs to clarify the particulars of the Christian faith in their times. As clarifying documents, these creeds and confessions did not define the Christian faith but served to sharpen our understanding of the faith in the face of competing religious and cultural claims.
The first is the Nicene Creed, which was drawn up in the 4th century to clarify the nature and work of Jesus Christ, and has served ever since as the definitive creed for all Christians around the globe. This is the foundational tenets of our faith that we confess weekly in our worship service.
The second is the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, which was originally written in the 16th century in England to articulate the reformed and catholic theology of the Church of England after it separated from the Roman Catholic Church. The Articles seek to clarify the authority of Scripture, the nature of sacraments, the church, and the doctrine of justification. These are the articles of faith that have defined the Anglican tradition ever since.
The third is the Jerusalem Declaration. This was written at the first GAFCON meeting in 2008 in response to a crisis of orthodoxy in the world of Anglicanism, reflecting the cultural pressures and compromises of some church bodies. It clarifies our understanding of the authority of Scripture, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and our human nature.
In these three, one can see throughout history how the need to clarify our beliefs has arisen in response to the needs of the moment. We believe that the Lord has used this process to teach and form His people in the unchanging truth of the Gospel, and for this we give Him thanks.