The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion are one of the three historic'formularies' (constitutional documents) of the Church of England.Along with the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal they gavethe church its distinctive identity at the time of the Reformation,an identity which has had a formative infl uence on worldwideAnglicanism. The English formularies have played an exceptionallyimportant role in shaping the Anglican Communion and theycontinue to serve as reference points whenever it is necessary to thinkin terms of a common Anglican tradition.In the confusion caused by recent developments, it is encouragingthat in many parts of the Anglican Communion some have returned tothese sources to satisfy a genuine hunger for both Anglican traditionand sound Christian doctrine. It is to meet this growing demand thatthis book has been written.Although the Articles have had a chequered historical career, theintention of this book is to take them as they now stand and interpretwhat they mean for us today. Historical circumstances cannot beavoided completely and will be mentionedas necessary, but the main emphasis here istheological. What do the Articles say aboutwhat we believe and how should they beunderstood and applied by us today? Read on!Gerald Bray is director of research for the LatimerTrust and research professor at Beeson DivinitySchool, Samford University, Birmingham,Alabama, USA.