Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral

   The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral is a four-point statement of beliefs presented by various Anglican groups in the late 19th century as the basis for possible Protestant unity. In 1870, Episcopal priest William Reed Huntington's book The Church Idea searched for a minimum doctrinal basis for uniting Protestantism across denominational lines. He proposed four points: the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God, the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds as the rule of Faith; the two sacraments commonly accepted within Protestantism (baptism and Holy Communion), and the historical episcopate. Most Protestants agreed on the first three points, but only Anglicans and some Lutherans retained an episcopate in apostolic succession.

   Huntington's four points, now called the quadrilateral, were raised and endorsed at the 1886 Chicago meeting of the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops in response to the recent creation of the Joint Commission on Christian Reunion. The four points were further supported at the 1888 session of the Lambeth Conference, the decennial worldwide gathering of Anglican bishops.

   subsequently, the Episcopal Church's house of deputies adopted what was now known as the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. The brief statement often served as a handy tool in 20th-century ecumenical discussions. Discussion on these issues in the 1970s under the auspices of the World Council of Churches led to the 1982 publication Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry.

   See also Anglicanism; Church of England.

   Further reading:

   ■ G. Richmond Bridge, ed., Rebuilding the House of God, The Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1888. Report of the 1987 Theological Conference (Charlotte-town, S.C.: St. Peter Publications, 1988)

   ■ George Carey, Sharing a Vision (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1993)

   ■ William Reed Huntington, The Church Idea: An Essay Towards Unity (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899)

   ■ Stephen Sykes and John Booty, eds., The Study of Anglicanism (London: SPCK, 1988).