What is an Episcopalian?

What makes Episcopalians (also called Anglicans) different from other churches? Toward the end of the 16th century, a priest named Richard Hooker wrote a book called The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, which remains influential today. In it, Hooker said that Christians should look for guidance not from the pope or only from the Bible but from the 'three-legged stool' of tradition, Scripture and reason. It is this "and reason" that sets us apart. We begin with Scripture, learn traditional church teachings and apply our minds to understand. Some like to say "reason/experience" is the third leg of the stool.

The poet and preacher John Donne called the Episcopal path a "middle way," steering a course between the extremes in his day between Roman Catholicism (no reform) and the new Protestantism (extreme reform). This middle way has sometimes been misunderstood as fence sitting. Actually, the intent is to achieve a comprehensive, balanced approach that draws wisdom from every side and includes the insights of others.

Thus the Episcopal community is a "big tent" where everyone's views are welcome and we often agree to disagree, looking to the example of Christ's love as the tie that binds us all together.

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The History of the Episcopal Shield
 

The red cross on a white field is the St. George Cross, an indicator of our link to the Church of England, the mother church of the Anglican Communion. The miniature crosses in the blue quadrant symbolize the nine original American dioceses that met in Philadelphia in 1789 to adopt the constitution of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. 

The outline of the miniature crosses is in the form of St. Andrew's Cross in tribute to the Scottish church's role in ordaining the first American bishop, Samuel Seabury, in 1784. The colors red, white and blue symbolize, respectfully, the sacrifice of Christ and Christian martyrs, the purity of the Christian faith, and the humanity of Christ received from the Virgin Mary. In duplicating the colors of the American flag, they also represent the Episcopal Church's standing as the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion.

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