Difference between revisions of "Church of England"
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==Establishment== | ==Establishment== | ||
| − | The church was formally organized by King [[Henry VIII]] of [[England]]. Like Oriental and Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches (and unlike many other Protestant churches), Anglicans maintain authority within the church through [[ | + | The church was formally organized by King [[Henry VIII]] of [[England]]. Like Oriental and Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches (and unlike many other Protestant churches), Anglicans maintain authority within the church through [[Apostolic succession]]. |
The British monarch (currently, Queen [[Elizabeth II]]) is technically head of the church. | The British monarch (currently, Queen [[Elizabeth II]]) is technically head of the church. | ||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Primate of the church. | The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Primate of the church. | ||
| − | The Church of England is referred to as the "established church" of England. At the time of the [[American Revolution]], it was a legal requirement in England that all public officials, including university professors, take an oath to uphold the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England. This is what the [[US Constitution]] is referring to when it says in Article VI that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States" and in the Bill of Rights when it says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." | + | The Church of England is referred to as the "established church" of England. At the time of the [[American Revolution]], it was a legal requirement in England that all public officials, including university professors, take an oath to uphold the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England. This is what the [[United States Constitution| US Constitution]] is referring to when it says in Article VI that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States" and in the Bill of Rights when it says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." |
In that context, the word "establishment" originally referred to the Church of England; in the United States during the 1960s, the word came to be used to refer to the social and political groups that were thought to have an analogous influence within the USA. | In that context, the word "establishment" originally referred to the Church of England; in the United States during the 1960s, the word came to be used to refer to the social and political groups that were thought to have an analogous influence within the USA. | ||
Revision as of 19:44, April 23, 2007
(or, Anglican Church). The English national church that traces its history back to the arrival of Christianity in Britain during the second century AD. The Church of England is a denomination of Protestantism.
Establishment
The church was formally organized by King Henry VIII of England. Like Oriental and Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches (and unlike many other Protestant churches), Anglicans maintain authority within the church through Apostolic succession.
The British monarch (currently, Queen Elizabeth II) is technically head of the church.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Primate of the church.
The Church of England is referred to as the "established church" of England. At the time of the American Revolution, it was a legal requirement in England that all public officials, including university professors, take an oath to uphold the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England. This is what the US Constitution is referring to when it says in Article VI that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States" and in the Bill of Rights when it says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
In that context, the word "establishment" originally referred to the Church of England; in the United States during the 1960s, the word came to be used to refer to the social and political groups that were thought to have an analogous influence within the USA.
Components
The worldwide body, the Anglican Communion, is an association of those churches in full communion with the Church of England (which may be regarded as the "mother church" of the worldwide communion), and specifically with its primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury. These include:
- Church of England
- Anglican Church in Australia
- Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Southern Africa
- Anglican Church in Wales
- Continuing Anglicanism
- Episcopal Church in the United States of America
- Extra-provincial Anglican churches
- Scottish Episcopal Church
- Sheng Kung Hui
Trivia
In the late 1800s, there was a movement to disestablish the Church of England. It failed, but it had the incidental effect of giving the English language one of its longest words, "antidisestablishmentarianism".