Anglicans begin with Scripture, learn what the Church has traditionally taught, and use our minds to understand.  This process works to give Anglicans a balanced approach to understanding the faith of the Church.  Our authority is the association of Scripture, tradition, and reason.

The Roman Catholic Church maintained a dual authority for discerning the mind of God, namely Scripture and tradition, with emphasis being placed on tradition.  Protestant Christians, on the other hand, contended that Scriptures alone were the authority of the Church, and the meaning of the Scriptures was to be determined without recourse to any established tradition.  As typical, Anglicans chose the middle way, and asserted that the Scriptures contain all that is needed to be known for salvation.  One need not believe anything that is not in Scriptures; one might however, believe anything that is not incompatible with Scriptures.  Another way of stating this position is to say that revelation as contained in Scriptures about God and God’s will is essential to our salvation, but revelation in the Scriptures is not the only source of all our knowledge about God and God’s will.

Scriptures are our primary source of authority, but they are not to be isolated from reason and tradition.  Why, because God communicated His revelation as contained in the Scriptures in a manner sensitive to the specific needs of a specific group in a specific time in history.  Therefore, God intended they be interpreted to make sense to a different people in a different time.  The Scriptures are the Word of God relatively.  Therefore, continuing the never-ending conversations with the Scriptures is a necessary aspect of our life in the Church.  Jesus promised that God would send His disciples the Spirit of Truth to continually inform them (John 14: 25-26) as they went about this task.

Anglicans consult the Texts, see what others have said, and then conclude in the light of the present understanding of reality what is a reasonable interpretation.

Anglicans are part of a Scriptural tradition, but we have never held to a doctrine of Biblical supremacy (no other source has value), literal interpretation (everything is literally true), or verbal inerrancy (God wrote every word).  Rather, we have always supported all forms of Biblical scholarship and accepted diverse opinions.  While holding the Scriptures in high regard, we do not describe them as having the ultimate authority in all matters.  For instance, we allow science to inform us as to how the world was created.  The Creation Story answers why and by whom.

The earliest of the Gospel writings was by Mark in Greek, about the year 65.  John, around the year 100, wrote the last Gospel.

The Anglican Church has always taught that nothing should be taught contrary to Scripture.  This is very different from saying that only what is in Scripture should be taught.

The authors and editors of the books of the Bible were historical human beings with all the normal biases.  Our tradition accepts the cultural conditioning of the books of the Bible as self-evident.  Many of the books are the result of an oral tradition centuries long and then the result of a written editorial process.  We believe the Bible must be read with reason and as a whole.

Anglican tradition, emphasizing corporate reading and hearing of Scripture, reminds us to bring our private thoughts, insights, and understandings, into the community where the collective wisdom and faith can help us to understand and interpret Scripture with greater accuracy.  The statements of the Bible gain a fullness and balance they might not otherwise have in individual reading.

The Anglican position is that we should require no beliefs except those that we are persuaded can be solidly based on Scriptures; however, we are free to adopt beliefs and customs that seem consistent with Scriptural witness even though they may not be directly stated in the Bible.  The Bible is not a set of instructions that can give us simple answers to all questions

Anglicans are steadfast in their belief that the Scriptures are to be taken as a whole.

Since Scriptures do not speak plainly or clearly on all issues and by their nature required interpretation, the wisdom of the community throughout history has always been an important guide to our life of faith in the present.

Reason involves study and investigation and consultation, as well as careful, critical thinking and reflection.  It is a gift of God and cannot be ignored or silenced.  Indeed, the use of reason is a way of participating in divine reasoning, the mind of God who creates all things in wisdom.

The 1979 Book of Common Prayer states that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God because God inspired their human authors, and still speaks to us through them today.  We understand their meaning through the aid of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church to their true interpretation.