What is unique in Anglicanism is our source of authority. Roman Catholics find their authority in the tradition, in the pope whose office gives him the authority to speak for all members of the Roman church. Many Protestants would maintain that scripture alone can be our guide. Yet scriptural interpretations can change - at one time, for example, most Christian churches believed that slavery was a divinely sanctioned institution. To these two sources of authority, scripture and tradition, Anglicans add a third: human reason. Our ability to reason, the insights of science and psychology - these are brought into conversation with the other two, that God's will may be discerned.
