Changes

First, Anglican doctrine in summed up in "the three historic creeds": The Nicene, The Apostles' ("The Roman Symbol") and the ''Quicunque Vult'' [[Athanasian Creed]] (or "Creed of St. [[Athanasius of Alexandria|Athanasius]] "). On advice from the Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission, some national Churches have dropped the [[Filioque]] from the Nicene Creed in their liturgies, while others have not. The Church of England, for instance, maintains it in general, but it can be removed on occasions of ecumenical significance (such was the case at the entrhonement of Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury).

Second, the major doctrinal statement of Anglicanism has historically been the '''39 Articles'''. A product of the English Reformation, the Articles are no longer binding on Anglicans, though many traditionalists hold very firmly to them. These, among other things, affirm a belief in the [[Holy Trinity|Trinity]], the [[Incarnation ]] and the [[Resurrection ]] of [[Jesus Christ|Christ]]. Protestan influence on the articles led to the inclusion of Article VI: "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man..." This same article, however, contains certain Old Testament books that were rejected by most Protestants at the Reformation, namely the deuterocanonical or "apocryphal" books. Calvinist influences can also be read in the Articles.

Several times throughout the history of Anglicanism, there have been movements which led to schism. The various resulting bodies have maintained their Anglican heritage to differing degrees. Among these groups are the various Methodist churches, the Reformed Episcopal Church, the Anglican Catholic Church and the Anglican Church in America. Current debates within the Communion regarding the ordination of homosexuals and the church's blessing of same-sex unions threaten further schism.

In the 1960s, largely through the ecumenical work of Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey and Patriarch Athanagoras of [[Constantinople]], both the Anglican Communion and the Orthodox Churches established commissions to consider Anglican-Orthodox relations. Between 1973 and 1976 an "Anglican-Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission" met which led to the '''Moscow Agreed Statement''' which dealt with "the Knowledge of God, the Inspiration and Authority of Holy Scripture, Scripture and Tradition, the Authority of the Councils, the ''Filioque'' Clause, the Church as the Eucharistic Community, and the Invocation of the [[Holy Spirit ]] in the Eucharist."