Lambeth Quadrilateral

Lambeth Quadrilateral, four points that constitute the basis for union discussions of the Anglican Communion with other Christian groups: acceptance of Holy Scripture as the rule of faith; the Apostles’ and the Nicene creeds; the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; and the historic episcopate. Declared by the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Chicago in 1886, they were amended and adopted by the Anglican Communion’s Lambeth Conference of 1888. The first three points are widely accepted. The fourth point, episcopacy (church government based on bishops), has been the principal block to union of Anglican and Protestant churches.