THE MONTREAL DECLARATION OF
ANGLICAN ESSENTIALS
[A recasting of the Thirty-Nine Articles]

"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things,
charity." - St. Augustine

This declaration was adopted at a national conference of
Anglicans from across Canada in June 1994 and serves as
the theological basis of those involved in this on-going
movement. As members of the Anglican Church of Canada
from every province and territory, and participants in
the Essentials 1994 Conference in Montreal, we unite in
praising God for his saving grace and for the fellowship
we enjoy with our Lord and with each other. We affirm the
following Christian essentials:

1. The Triune God

There is one God, self-revealed as three persons, "of one
substance, power and eternity," the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. For the sake of the Gospel we decline
proposals to modify or marginalize these names and we
affirm their rightful place in prayer, liturgy, and
hymnody. For the Gospel invites us through the Holy
Spirit to share eternally in the divine fellowship, as
adopted children of the God in whose family Jesus Christ
is both our saviour and our brother. (Deuteronomy 6:4;
Isaiah 45:5; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14;Galatians
4:4-6; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 1 Peter 1:2; Jude 20-21.
Cf. Article I of the 39 Articles, Book of Common Prayer
[BCP], p. 699.)

2. Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier

The almighty triune God created a universe that was in
every way good until creaturely rebellion disrupted it.
Sin having intruded, God in love purposed to restore
cosmic order through the calling of the covenant people
Israel, the coming of Jesus Christ to redeem, the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit to sanctify, the building
up of the church for worship and witness, and the coming
again of Christ in glory to make all things new. Works of
miraculous power mark the unfolding of God's plan
throughout history. (Genesis 1-3; Isaiah 40:28;
65:17;Matthew 6:10; John 17:6; Acts 17:24-26, 28; 1
Corinthians 15:28; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Ephesians 1:11; 2
Timothy3:16; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 21:5. Cf. Article
I.)

3. The Word made Flesh

Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, born of the
virgin Mary, sinless in life, raised bodily from the
dead, and now reigning in glory though still present with
his people through the Holy Spirit, is both the Jesus of
history and the Christ of Scripture. He is God with us,
the sole mediator between God and ourselves, the source
of saving knowledge of the Godhead, and the giver of
eternal life to the church catholic. (Matthew 1:24-25;
Mark15:20-37; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; 17:20-21; Acts
1:9-11; 4:12; Romans 5:17; Philippians 2:5-6; Colossians.
2:9;1 Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 1:2; 9:15. Cf. Articles
II-IV; the Nicene Creed, BCP.)

4. The Only Saviour

Human sin is prideful rebellion against God's authority,
expressing itself in our refusing to love both the
Creator and his creatures. Sin corrupts our nature and
its fruit is injustice, oppression, personal and social
disintegration, alienation, and guilt before God; it
destroys hope and leads to a future devoid of any
enjoyment of either God or good. From the guilt, shame,
power, and path of sin, Jesus Christ is the only Saviour;
penitent faith in him is the only way of salvation.

By his atoning sacrifice on the cross for our sins,
Jesus overcame the powers of darkness and secured our
redemption and justification. By his bodily rising he
guaranteed the future resurrection and eternal
inheritance of all believers. By his regenerating gift of
the Spirit, he restores our fallen nature and renews us
in his own image. Thus in every generation he is the way,
the truth, and the life for sinful individuals, and the
architect of restored human community. (John 14:6; Acts
1:9-11; 2:32-33; 4:12; Romans 3:22-25; 1
Corinthians15:20-24; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Philippians
2:9-11; Colossians 2:13-15; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 Peter
1:3-5; 1 John4:14; 5:11-12. Cf. Articles II-IV, XI, XV,
XVIII, XXXI.)

5. The Spirit of Life

The Holy Spirit, "the Lord, the Giver of life," sent to
the church at Pentecost by the Father and the Son,
discloses the glory of Jesus Christ, convicts of sin,
renews the sinner's inner being, induces faith, equips
for righteousness, creates communion, and empowers for
service. Life in the Spirit is a supernaturalizing of our
natural existence and a true foretaste of heaven. The
loving unity of Spirit-filled Christians and churches is
a powerful sign of the truth of Christianity. (Genesis
1:2; Exodus 31:2-5; Psalm 51:11; John 3:5-6; 14:26;
15:26;16:7-11, 13-15; 1 Corinthians 2:4; 6:19; 12:4-7; 2
Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 4:4-6; 5:22-26; Ephesians
1:13-14;5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 2 Timothy 3:16. Cf.
Article V; The Nicene Creed.)

6. The Authority of the Bible

The canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments
are "God's Word written," inspired and authoritative,
true and trustworthy, coherent, sufficient for salvation,
living and powerful as God's guidance for belief and
behaviour.

The trinitarian, Christ-centred, redemption-oriented
faith of the Bible is embodied in the historic ecumenical
creeds and the Anglican foundational documents. To this
basic understanding of Scripture, the Holy Spirit leads
God's people and the church's counsels in every age
through tradition and reason prayerfully and reverently
employed.

The church may not judge the Scriptures, selecting and
discarding from among their teachings. But Scripture
under Christ judges the church for its faithfulness to
his revealed truth. (Deuteronomy 29:29; Isaiah40:8;
55:11; Matthew 5:17-18; John 10:35; 14:26; Romans 1:16;
Ephesians 1:17-19; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17;2 Peter
1:20-21. Cf. Articles VI-VIII, XX.)

7. The Church of God

The supernatural society called the church is the family
of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy
Spirit. It is the community of believers, justified
through faith in Christ, incorporated into the risen life
of Christ, and set under the authority of Holy Scripture
as the word of Christ. The church on earth is united
through Christ to the church in heaven in the communion
of the saints. Through the church's ministry of the word
and sacraments of the Gospel, God ministers life in
Christ to the faithful, thereby empowering them for
worship, witness, and service.

In the life of the church only that which may be
proved from Scripture should be held to be essential to
the faith and that which is non-essential should not be
required of anyone to be believed or be enforced as a
matter of doctrine, discipline, or worship. (Ephesians
3:10-21; 5:23, 27; 1 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 12:1-2;
2Timothy 3: 14-17. Cf. Articles XIX, XX and XXI.)

8. The New Life in Christ

God made human beings in the divine image so that they
might glorify and enjoy their creator forever, but since
the Fall, sin has alienated us all from God and disorders
human motivation and action at every point. As atonement
and justification restore us to fellowship with God by
pardoning sin, so regeneration and sanctification renew
us in the likeness of Christ by overcoming sin. The Holy
Spirit, who helps us practice the disciplines of the
Christian life, increasingly transforms us through them.
Sinlessness, however, is not given in this world, and we
who believe remain flawed "in thought, word and deed"
until we are perfected in heaven. (Genesis 1:26-28; 3;
John 3:5-6; 16:13.; Romans 3:23-24; 5:12; 1 Corinthians
12:4-7; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18;Galatians 5:22-24;
Ephesians 2:1-5; Philippians 2:13; 2 Peter 3:10-13. Cf.
Articles IX-XVI; Book of Alternative Services, p. 191.)

9. The Church's Ministry

The Holy Spirit bestows distinctive gifts upon all
Christians for the purpose of glorifying God and building
up his church in truth and love. All Christians are
called in their baptism to be ministers, regardless of
gender, race, age, or socioeconomic status. All God's
people must seek to find and fulfil the particular form
of service for which God has called and equipped them.

Within the priesthood of all believers we honour the
ministry of word and sacrament to which bishops, priests
and deacons are set apart by the Ordinal. (Romans 12:6-8;
1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:11; 12:4-7, 27; 2Corinthians 5:20;
Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Timothy 3:1, 12-13;
5:17; Hebrews 2:11; 1 Peter 2:4-5,9-10. Cf Articles XIX,
XXIII.)

10. The Church's Worship

The primary calling of the church, as of every Christian,
is to offer worship, in the Spirit and according to truth,
to the God of creation, providence, and grace. The
essential dimensions of worship are praise and
thanksgiving for all good things, proclamation and
celebration of the glory of God and of Jesus Christ,
prayer for human needs and for the advancement of
Christ's kingdom, and self-offering for service. All
liturgical forms --verbal, musical, and ceremonial --
stand under the authority of Scripture.

The Book of Common Prayer provides a
biblically-grounded doctrinal standard, and should be
retained as the norm for all alternative liturgies. It
should not be revised in the theologically-divided
climate of the contemporary church. The Book of
Alternative Services meets a widely-felt need for
contemporary liturgy, and brings life and joy to many
Anglican worshipers.

No form of worship can truly exalt Christ or draw
forth true devotion to him without the presence and power
of the Holy Spirit. Prayer, public and private, is
central to the health and renewal of the church. Healing,
spiritual and physical, is a welcome aspect of Anglican
worship. (John 4:24; 16:8-15; Acts 1:8; 2:42-47;
Romans12:1; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 12:7; 2 Corinthians
5:18-19; Ephesians 5:18-20; Colossians 3:16; 1
Thessalonians1:4-5; 5:19. Cf. The Solemn Declaration of
1893, p. viii, BCP; Articles XXV, XXXIV.)

11. The Priority of Evangelism

Evangelism means proclaiming Jesus Christ as divine
Saviour, Lord, and Friend, in a way that invites people
to come to God through him, to worship and serve him, and
to seek the empowering of the Holy Spirit for their life
of discipleship in the community of the church. All
Christians are called to witness to Christ, as a sign of
love both to him and to their neighbours. The task, which
is thus a matter of priority, calls for personal training
and a constant search for modes of persuasive outreach.
We sow the seed, and look to God for the fruit. (Matthew
5:13-16; 28:19-20; John 3:16-18; 20:21; Acts 2:37-39;
5:31-32; 1 Corinthians 1:23; 15:2-4; 2Corinthians 4:5;
5:20; 1 Peter 3:15.)

12. The Challenge of Global Mission

Cross-cultural evangelism and pastoral care remain
necessary responses to the Great Commission of Jesus
Christ. His command to preach the gospel world-wide,
making disciples and planting churches, still applies.
The church's mission requires missions.

Christ and his salvation must be proclaimed
sensitively and energetically everywhere, at home and
abroad, and cross-cultural mission must be supported by
praying, giving, and sending. Global mission involves
partnership and interchange, and missionaries sent by
younger churches to Canada should be welcomed. (Matthew
28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 10:2; Romans 15:23-24; 1
Corinthians 2:4-5; 9:22-23; 2 Corinthians 4:5;8:1-4, 7;
Ephesians 6:19-20; Philippians 2:5-7; 1 Thessalonians
1:6-8.)

13. The Challenge of Social Action

The gospel constrains the church to be "salt" and
"light" in the world, working out the implications of
biblical teaching for the right ordering of social,
economic, and political life, and for humanity's
stewardship of creation. Christians must exert themselves
in the cause of justice and in acts of compassion. While
no social system can be identified with the coming
Kingdom of God, social action is an integral part of our
obedience to the Gospel. (Genesis 1:26-28; Isaiah 30:18;
58:6-10; Amos 5:24; Matthew 5:13-16; 22:37-40; 25:31-46;
Luke4:17-21; John 20:21; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; James
2:14-26; 1 John 4:16; Revelation 1:5-6; 5:9-10. Cf.
ArticleXXXVIII.)

14. The Standards of Sexual Conduct

God designed human sexuality not only for procreation
but also for the joyful expression of love, honour, and
fidelity between wife and husband. These are the only
sexual relations that biblical theology deems good and
holy.

Adultery, fornication, and homosexual unions are
intimacies contrary to God's design. The church must seek
to minister healing and wholeness to those who are
sexually scarred, or who struggle with ongoing sexual
temptations, as most people do. Homophobia and all forms
of sexual hypocrisy and abuse are evils against which
Christians must ever be on their guard. The church may
not lower God's standards of sexual morality for any of
its members, but must honour God by upholding these
standards tenaciously in face of society's departures
from them.

Congregations must seek to meet the particular needs
for friendship and community that single persons have.
(Genesis 1:26-28; 2:21-24; Matthew 5:27-32; 19:3-12; Luke
7:36-50; John 8:1-11; Romans 1:21-28; 3:22-24; 1
Corinthians 6:9-11, 13-16; 7:7; Ephesians 5:3; 1 Timothy
1:8-11; 3:2-4, 12.)

15. The Family and the Call to Singleness

The family is a divinely ordained focus of love,
intimacy, personal growth and stability for women, men
and children. Divorce, child abuse, domestic violence,
rape, pornography, parental absenteeism, sexist
domination, abortion, common-law relationships, and
homosexual partnerships, all reflect weakening of the
family ideal. Christians must strengthen family life
through teaching, training, and active support, and work
for socio-political conditions that support the family.
Single-parent families and victims of family breakdown
have special needs to which congregations must respond
with sensitivity and support.

Singleness also is a gift from God and a holy
vocation. While single, Christians are called to celibacy
and God will give them grace to live in chastity. (Psalm
119:9-11; Proverbs 22:6; Matthew 5:31-32; Mark 10:6-9;
1Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:21-6:4; Colossians
3:18-21; 1 John 3:14-15.)


The New Beginning

Together we reaffirm the Anglican Christianity that finds
expression in the historic standards of the ecumenical
creeds, the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Solemn Declaration
of 1893, and the 1962 Book of Common Prayer. Respect for
these standards strengthens our identity and communion.
In humility we recognize we have often been ashamed of
the gospel we have received and disobedient to the Lord
of the Church. God helping us, we resolve to maintain our
heritage of faith and transmit it intact. This fullness
of faith is needed both for Anglican renewal and for the
effective proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ
in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We invite all Anglicans to join us in affirming the
above as essentials of Christian faith, practice, and
nurture today. In this declaration we believe that we are
insisting upon only what is genuinely essential. In
regard to non-essentials, we should recognize and respect
that liberty and that comprehensiveness which have been
among the special graces of our Anglican heritage.

________________________


Participants in Essentials '94, with the Sponsoring
Bodies:

Anglican Renewal Ministries of Canada
Barnabas Anglican Ministries
The Prayer Book Society of Canada

21 June 1994, Montreal, Canada