Though not officially affiliated with a Christian denomination, Iona House draws its teaching and practice from the Great Tradition* of Christianity, being thoroughly committed to Christian orthodoxy, and above all to the centrality of Christ. The overall ethos of Iona House is intentionally ancient and rooted, with Celtic, Benedictine, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox influences, yet accessible to all Christians. We profess the Nicene Creed, the universal confession of Christian faith for nearly 1700 years, as the standard of our faith.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

*By “Great Tradition” we mean that we consciously seek to draw our worship, teaching, and practice from only where the Church speaks with unity -- captured well by the language of the 4th century A.D. Vincentian Canon: what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all (Christians). We receive this as an invitation into the fullness of the Christian faith as echoed in the Scriptures (Bible), creeds, ecumenical councils, hymns, iconography, liturgies, traditions/practices; it’s what we see witnessed in the writings of the Early Church Fathers and practiced in the lives of the faithful saints throughout time and around the world. The Great Tradition does not belong to one denomination or group but is the shared treasure of the entire Christian Church - “the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints”. (Jude 1:3) As a church we joyfully and humbly submit ourselves to this ancient Tradition as the essential means of faithfully following Christ.

Three Key Emphases

For some it is helpful to articulate the Great Tradition through three important and interrelated emphases of the church.