Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral

1. The Holy Scripture
   Bible
   
   The Bible is the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity. The exact Books of the Bible is dependent on the religious traditions of specific denominations....
   s, as containing all things necessary to salvation;
2. The Creeds (specifically, the Apostles'
   Apostles' Creed
   
   The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christianity belief, a creed or "symbol". It is widely used by a number of List of Christian denominations for both liturgy and catechesis purposes, most visibly by liturgical Churches of Western tradition, including the Latin Rite of the Roman Catho...
    and Nicene
   Nicene Creed
   
   The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christianity liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Iznik by the first ecumenical council, which met there in 325....
    Creeds), as the sufficient statement of Christian faith;
3. The Sacraments
   Anglican sacraments
   
   In keeping with its prevailing self-identity as a via media or "middle path" of Western Christianity, Anglican sacramental theology expresses elements in keeping with its status as a church in the Catholicism tradition and a church of the English Reformation....
    of Baptism
   Baptism
   
   In Christianity, baptism is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is admitted as a full member of the Christian Church and, in the view of some, as a member of the particular Church in which the baptism is administered....
    and Holy Communion;
4. The historic episcopate, locally adapted.

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1. The Holy Scripture
   Bible
   
   The Bible is the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity. The exact Books of the Bible is dependent on the religious traditions of specific denominations....
   s, as containing all things necessary to salvation;
2. The Creeds (specifically, the Apostles'
   Apostles' Creed
   
   The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christianity belief, a creed or "symbol". It is widely used by a number of List of Christian denominations for both liturgy and catechesis purposes, most visibly by liturgical Churches of Western tradition, including the Latin Rite of the Roman Catho...
    and Nicene
   Nicene Creed
   
   The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christianity liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Iznik by the first ecumenical council, which met there in 325....
    Creeds), as the sufficient statement of Christian faith;
3. The Sacraments
   Anglican sacraments
   
   In keeping with its prevailing self-identity as a via media or "middle path" of Western Christianity, Anglican sacramental theology expresses elements in keeping with its status as a church in the Catholicism tradition and a church of the English Reformation....
    of Baptism
   Baptism
   
   In Christianity, baptism is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is admitted as a full member of the Christian Church and, in the view of some, as a member of the particular Church in which the baptism is administered....
    and Holy Communion;
4. The historic episcopate, locally adapted.

American House of Bishops resolution

We, Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, in Council assembled as Bishops in the Church of God, do hereby solemnly declare to all whom it may concern, and especially to our fellow-Christians of the different Communions in this land, who, in their several spheres, have contended for the religion of Christ:

1. Our earnest desire that the Savior's prayer, "That we all may be one," may, in its deepest and truest sense, be speedily fulfilled;
2. That we believe that all who have been duly baptized with water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, are members of the Holy Catholic Church.
3. That in all things of human ordering or human choice, relating to modes of worship and discipline, or to traditional customs, this Church is ready in the spirit of love and humility to forego all preferences of her own;
4. That this Church does not seek to absorb other Communion
   Communion (Christian)
   
   The term Communion is derived from Latin language communio . The corresponding term in Greek language is ???????a, which is often translated as "fellowship"....
   s, but rather, co-operating with them on the basis of a common Faith and Order, to discountenance schism
   Schism (religion)
   
   The word schism , from the Greek language s??s?a, skh?sma , means a split or a division, usually in an organization or a movement. A schismatic is a person who creates or incites schism in an organization or who is a member of a splinter group....
   , to heal the wounds of the Body of Christ, and to promote the charity which is the chief of Christian graces and the visibile manifestation of Christ to the world.

But furthermore, we do hereby affirm that the Christian unity can be restored only by the return of all Christian communions to the principles of unity exemplified by the undivided Catholic Church during the first ages of its existence; which principles we believe to be the substantial deposit of Christian Faith and Order committed by Christ and his Apostles to the Church unto the end of the world, and therefore incapable of compromise or surrender by those who have been ordained to be its stewards and trustees for the common and equal benefit of all men.

As inherent parts of this sacred deposit, and therefore as essential to the restoration of unity among the divided branches of Christendom, we account the following, to wit:

1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of God.
2. The Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian Faith.
3. The two Sacraments — Baptism and the Supper of the Lord — ministered with unfailing use of Christ's words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him.
4. The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the unity of His Church.

Furthermore, Deeply grieved by the sad divisions which affect the Christian Church in our own land, we hereby declare our desire and readiness, so soon as there shall be any authorized response to this Declaration, to enter into brotherly conference with all or any Christian Bodies seeking the restoration of the organic unity

Organic unity

In literature, Organic unity is a concept founded by the philosopher, Plato. The structure in itself, started to take rudimentary form through certain works by Plato including The Republic, Phaedrus and Gorgias....
 of the Church, with a view to the earnest study of the conditions under which so priceless a blessing might happily be brought to pass.

Lambeth Conference resolution

In 1888, the third Lambeth Conference (an international consultation of bishops of the Anglican Communion) passed Resolution 11. This was a scaled-back version of the resolution passed at Chicago two years earlier, more closely aligned with Huntington's original wording, and reads as follows:

That, in the opinion of this Conference, the following Articles supply a basis on which approach may be by God's blessing made towards Home Reunion:

The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as "containing all things necessary to salvation," and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith. The Apostles' Creed, as the Baptismal Symbol; and the Nicene Creed, as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith. The two Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself — Baptism and the Supper of the Lord — ministered with unfailing use of Christ's Words of Institution

Words of Institution

The Words of Institution are those used, inserted into a narrative of the Last Supper, in Christian Eucharistic liturgies to recall those used by Jesus on that occasion....
, and of the elements ordained by Him. The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the Unity of His Church.

Significance of the Quadrilateral

The Quadrilateral has had a significant impact on Anglican identity since its passage by the Lambeth Conference. The Resolution came at a time of rapid expansion of the Anglican Communion, primarily in the territories of the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
. As such, it provided a basis for a shared ethos, one that became increasingly important as colonial churches influenced by British culture and values, evolved into national ones influenced by local norms. At the same time, it has been the locus of fervent debate, especially over its third and fourth points.

The first point, concerning what Anglicans call "the suffiency of Scripture," takes its language directly from Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles

Thirty-Nine Articles

The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion were established in 1563, and are the historic defining statements of Anglican doctrine in relation to the controversies of the English Reformation; especially in the relation of Calvinist doctrine and Roman Catholic practices to the nascent Anglican doctrine of the evolving English Church....
 of Faith, foundational to Anglican Scriptural exegesis

Exegesis

Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text.Biblical exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of the Bible....
 and hermeneutics

Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is the study of interpretation theory. Traditional hermeneutics - which includes Biblical hermeneutics - refers to the study of the interpretation of written texts, especially texts in the areas of literature, religion and law....
 since the sixteenth century. As such, it has been widely accepted as written. Similarly, the second point describes the sine qua non of Catholic faith since antiquity, and so likewise has enjoyed broad acquiescence. To the extent that it has been controversial, the controversy has centered entirely on those parts of the Communion that have sought to expand a sufficient statement of faith to include other formulae. The third point has been controversial among some Anglicans as being inappropriately limited. In particular, many Anglo-Catholics

Anglo-Catholicism

The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestantism, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
 have maintained that the five other sacrament

Sacrament

A sacrament, as defined in Hexam's Concise Dictionary of Religion is "a rite in which God is uniquely active." Augustine of Hippo defined a Christian sacrament as "a visible sign of an invisible reality." The Anglican Book of Common Prayer speaks of them as "an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible Grace." Examples of sacram...
s should be included as essential marks of the Church (see Anglican sacraments

Anglican sacraments

In keeping with its prevailing self-identity as a via media or "middle path" of Western Christianity, Anglican sacramental theology expresses elements in keeping with its status as a church in the Catholicism tradition and a church of the English Reformation....
). By far, the most controversial point has been the fourth, which many believe could open the door to challenging the Church's episcopal tradition of apostolic succession

Apostolic Succession

Apostolic Succession is the doctrine in some of the more ancient Christian communions that the succession of bishops, in uninterrupted lines, is historically traceable back to the original twelve Apostles Within Catholic Christianity it "is one of four elements which define the true Church of Jesus Christ" and legitimizes the existing sacr...
.

The Quadrilateral in ecumenical dialogue

The Quadrilateral has also been important to ecumenical dialogue. While it was originally proposed as a basis for discussion, it has frequently been used as a non-negotiable basis for reunion. In this context, it has been particularly helpful in the ongoing consultation between the Anglican and Roman Catholic Communions (see Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission) and between certain Anglican ecclesiastical province

Ecclesiastical Province

An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian Christian Church, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church Churches and in the Anglican Communion....
s and national Lutheran organisations. It has also proved a stumbling block, however, as in the discussions between the Anglican Church of Canada

Anglican Church of Canada

The Anglican Church of Canada is the sole Canada representative of the Anglican Communion. The official French name is l'?glise Anglicane du Canada....
 and the United Church of Canada

United Church of Canada

The United Church of Canada, one of the largest Christian churches in Canada, is an evangelical Protestant denomination with strong Methodist and Presbyterian roots....
 and between the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
 and the Methodist Church of Great Britain

Methodist Church of Great Britain

The Methodist Church of Great Britain or British Methodist Church is the largest John Wesley / Methodism body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain ....
, both of which broke down largely due to the issue of episcopacy.

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