St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Pastor: David Knight
AI summary — doctrinal positions on this page are inferred by AI from this church's own public statements and may be inaccurate.
Inherited from denomination
What The Episcopal Church teaches
Positions bound by the denomination's confessional standards. This is what the tradition teaches; whether this specific congregation publicly holds each is a separate question — see Statements below.
Confessional standard: Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion
Affirms
- Apostolic SuccessionstandardHistoric episcopate — tactile line of consecration from the apostles.
- Homosexual practice and biblical sexual ethicsweakSame-sex marriage authorization implies moral affirmation.
- Infant BaptismstandardWestminster XXVIII; Book of Concord SC IV; Council of Trent Session VII; Wesleyan Articles Art. XVII
- Permissibility of divorce and remarriageweakMatthew 19:9 (adultery ground); 1 Corinthians 7:15 (abandonment ground). Practice varies.
- Women in pastoral / ordained officeweakVarious denominational actions (TEC 1976, ELCA 1970s, PC(USA) 1956, AG 1935, CofE 1994 priests / 2014 bishops, etc.)
Denies
- Assumption of MaryweakUniversal Protestant rejection — not attested in Scripture; not received as dogma.
- Immaculate ConceptionstandardUniversal Protestant + Orthodox rejection. Orthodox reject on the grounds that they hold prepurification at the Annunciation, not conception.
- Marriage as one man and one womanweakPC(USA) 2015; ELCA 2009; TEC 2015; UMC 2024. Same-sex marriage authorized in polity.
- TransubstantiationstandardOrthodox reject the Aristotelian metaphysics; Lutherans use 'sacramental union'; 39 Articles Art. XXVIII rejects explicitly; Reformed/Baptist reject substance-change.
Wrestles with
- Believer's BaptismweakPaedobaptist bodies practice adult baptism on credible profession where infant baptism was omitted, but do not consider it normative.
- Pacifism vs. just-warweakDefault just-war framework — usually unwritten. Inheriting at weak confidence.
- Perpetual Virginity of MaryweakHistorically held by Luther, Calvin, Zwingli; retained as pious opinion (not binding) by confessional Lutherans and traditional Anglicans.
- Real PresenceweakCalvin's spiritual presence (genuinely present but not physically) is neither strong affirm nor deny; Anglican/Methodist typically hold a receptionist view.
- TheotokosweakConfessionally valid title (Ephesus is a received council) but not used devotionally; retained in liturgy where liturgy is retained.
In their own words
Statements
statement_of_faith
<!DOCTYPE html> What We Believe – St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Delray Beach, Florida Link to Facebook Link to Youtube Link to Instagram 561-276-4541 About Us Why St. Paul’s What We Believe Calendar Clergy & Senior Staff Vestry 2024 Ministry Reports Giving Location Map Worship Weekly Worship Services Morning Prayer / Compline Online (external link) YouTube Live Streams (external link) Baptisms Weddings Music Music Ministry Artists in Residence Spiritual Growth Bible Studies Becoming Beloved Community Gentle Yoga Lectio Divina Men’s MinisSource ↗
about_us
<!DOCTYPE html> About Us – Paul’s Place After School Program – St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Delray Beach, Florida Link to Facebook Link to Youtube Link to Instagram 561-276-4541 About Us Why St. Paul’s What We Believe Calendar Clergy & Senior Staff Vestry 2024 Ministry Reports Giving Location Map Worship Weekly Worship Services Morning Prayer / Compline Online (external link) YouTube Live Streams (external link) Baptisms Weddings Music Music Ministry Artists in Residence Spiritual Growth Bible Studies Becoming Beloved Community GentleSource ↗
about
About Us – Paul’s Place After School Program – St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Delray Beach, Florida Link to Facebook Link to Youtube Link to Instagram 561-276-4541 About Us Why St. Paul’s What We Believe Calendar Clergy & Senior Staff Vestry 2024 Ministry Reports Giving Location Map Worship Weekly Worship Services Morning Prayer / Compline Online (external link) YouTube Live Streams (external link) Baptisms Weddings Music Music Ministry Artists in Residence Spiritual Growth Bible Studies Becoming Beloved Community Gentle Yoga Lectio Divina Men’s Ministry Prayer ShawlSource ↗
mission
What We Believe – St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Delray Beach, Florida Link to Facebook Link to Youtube Link to Instagram 561-276-4541 About Us Why St. Paul’s What We Believe Calendar Clergy & Senior Staff Vestry 2024 Ministry Reports Giving Location Map Worship Weekly Worship Services Morning Prayer / Compline Online (external link) YouTube Live Streams (external link) Baptisms Weddings Music Music Ministry Artists in Residence Spiritual Growth Bible Studies Becoming Beloved Community Gentle Yoga Lectio Divina Men’s Ministry Prayer Shawl Ministry Spiritual Care Events & ForSource ↗
Leadership
Who serves here
David Knight