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Holy Trinity Hastings

Statement of Faith

The Jerusalem Declaration

Adopted at the Global Anglican Future Conference · Jerusalem, June 2008

In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit:

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, have met in the land of Jesus' birth. We express our loyalty as disciples to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. We joyfully embrace his command to proclaim the reality of his kingdom which he first announced in this land. The gospel of the Kingdom is the good news of salvation, liberation and transformation for all. In light of the above, we agree to chart a way forward together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our Anglican identity.

  1. We rejoice in the gospel of God through which has come the salvation of the world and the reconciliation of all things. The gospel of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the highest priority of the Church and is necessary for salvation.
  2. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the Church's historic and consensual reading. We uphold the authority of the Scriptures as the Word of God and as the supreme standard and rule for Christian life and faith. We acknowledge that the Scriptures contain all things necessary for salvation.
  3. The sovereign lordship of Christ over all human life calls us to engage fearlessly with all earthly powers and to seek justice and peace for all people. Freedom and human dignity are gifts of God to all, and we commit ourselves to uphold them.
  4. We uphold the Creeds of the Church as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
  5. Salvation accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ is received through repentance and faith alone and does not need to be supplemented by any human merit or acts. Jesus alone is Lord and Saviour.
  6. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a standard for Anglican doctrine and practice. We recognise the 39 Articles as containing the essentials of Anglican doctrine.
  7. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard for the three-fold ministry.
  8. We acknowledge God's creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.
  9. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise and teach believers. We are convinced that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is for all the nations and that God wills for the nations to come to him through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
  10. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God's creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek the transformation of unjust structures.
  11. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and serve Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.
  12. We celebrate the God-given mission and role of lay Christians and acknowledge the importance of seeking and including their wisdom in the governance and ministry of the Church.
  13. We uphold the 1958 Lambeth Conference resolution on human sexuality and the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution 1.10 as the standard of teaching on human sexuality. We are committed to proclaim the gospel to all including those who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or intersex. We oppose criminal sanctions against them.
  14. We rejoice in the gospel of God through which has come the salvation of the world and the reconciliation of all things. We commit ourselves to work and pray for the healing and reconciliation of the Church.

Signed in Jerusalem, June 2008

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