The Church of England contends that the Bible is the principle foundation of all Christian faith and thought. Followers embrace the sacraments of baptism and holy communion. The Church claims to be both Catholic and Reformed. It upholds teachings found in early Christian doctrines, such as the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.

These establish core Anglican beliefs about the doctrine of God, scripture, sin and salvation, the church and authority, and the sacraments.

As a broad church, the Church of England contains several doctrinal strands. The main traditions are known as Anglo-Catholic, high church, central church and low church, the latter producing a growing evangelical wing. Tensions between theological conservatives and liberals find expression in debates over the ordination of women and homosexuality.

However, as part of the Anglican Communion there are some distinctively Anglican ideas which can be identified in the Church of England. They are: a belief that the Bible contains the core of all Christian faith and thought a loyalty to a way of worship and life that was first set out in the Book of Common Prayer