The Lambeth Quadrilateral
As taught in the Anglican / Episcopal tradition
Defining the four essential elements of Anglican identity: Scripture, Creeds, Sacraments, and the Historic Episcopate.
What does it mean to be a "Church"? Is it a collection of like-minded individuals, a historical institution, or a mystical body? For the Anglican tradition, these questions became acute in the nineteenth century as the British Empire expanded and the global reach of the Anglican Communion grew. The subtopic of the Lambeth Quadrilateral answers a fundamental question of ecclesiology: what are the essential, non-negotiable elements of the Christian Church that can serve as a basis for unity and reunion among divided traditions? Within the Anglican Way, the Quadrilateral is not merely a checklist of administrative requirements; it is a theological statement about how the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—reveals Himself and maintains the unity of His people through history, scripture, and sacrament.
By the end of this lesson
- Identify the four essential elements of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral and their historical origins.
- Distinguish between the "essentials" of the Quadrilateral and the "non-essentials" of local church tradition or liturgy.
- Explain the Trinitarian foundation of Anglican ecclesiology as expressed through the four points.
- Articulate how each point of the Quadrilateral is grounded in the provided Scripture anchors.
- Trace the development of the Quadrilateral from William Reed Huntington to the 1888 Lambeth Conference.
- Defend the necessity of the "Historic Episcopate" within the Anglican tradition while acknowledging its role as a point of ecumenical tension.
- Apply the principles of the Quadrilateral to contemporary questions of church unity and mission.
- Compare the Anglican "minimalist" approach to unity with the "confessionalist" approaches of other Protestant traditions.
Scripture
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