What do we believe?

The Church of the Atonement confesses the historic, orthodox Christian faith once delivered, and preserved and passed down in the English Protestant tradition. We accept and unfeignedly believe all the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God, and to be the ultimate rule of Faith and Practice in the Church.

“One canon reduced to writing by God himself, two testaments, three creeds, four general councils, five centuries, and the series of Fathers in that period – the centuries, that is, before Constantine, and two after, determine the boundary of our faith.” - Lancelot Andrewes 

We accept:

• The Apostles' Creed

• The Nicene Creed

• The Athanasian Creed

• the witness of the Ancient Fathers, and undisputed Councils of the Early Church to this faith, and shall endeavour, by the Grace of God, to pass the same to succeeding generations.

We uphold:

• The 39 Articles of Religion

• The 1662 Book of Common Prayer as the standard for worship, and as upheld in the 1962 Canadian Book.

• The 2 Books of Homilies

We Teach:

that catechism, or instruction, of disciples is necessary for strengthening one's faith, as well as knowledge, and adhere to the following:

• the 1662 Prayer Book Catechism

• the Heidelberg Catechism

• Luther's Small Catechism

We maintain: 

• the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are of Divine Institution and are to be administered with the unfailing use of Christ’s Words of Institution, and with the elements instituted by Christ Himself.

• the sanctity and dignity of human life, from conception until death. We unequivocally oppose and condemn any and all intentional and unjust destruction or desecration of human life, including feticide, geronticide, suicide (assisted or otherwise), and homicide.

• the sanctity of marriage, as scripturally defined between one man and one woman:

  • as an honourable estate, instituted of God in the time of man’s innocence, signifying unto us the mystical union that is between Christ and his Church. 

  • ordained for the hallowing of the union betwixt man and woman

  •  for the procreation of children to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord; 

  • and for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, in both prosperity and adversity.