Difference between revisions of "Church of England"
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| − | The '''Church of England''' (or, ''Anglican Church'') is the English national church that traces its history back to the sixth century in England | + | The '''Church of England''' (or, ''Anglican Church'') is the English national church that traces its history back to the sixth century in England. Under King [[Henry VIII]] ir broke with Rome and formed a [[denomination]] that became part of the [[Protestant]] [[Reformation]]. It contains High Church elements (similar to the Roman Catholics), Low Church elements (similar to evangelicals), and a Broad Church middle. It is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. |
==Establishment== | ==Establishment== | ||
[[Image:Anglican Christ Church.jpg|thumb|230px|Anglican Christ Church, Claremont, Western Australia]] | [[Image:Anglican Christ Church.jpg|thumb|230px|Anglican Christ Church, Claremont, Western Australia]] | ||
The church was formally organised by King [[Henry VIII]] of [[England]]. Like Oriental and Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches (and unlike Protestant churches), Anglicans maintain authority within the church through [[Apostolic succession]]. | The church was formally organised by King [[Henry VIII]] of [[England]]. Like Oriental and Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches (and unlike Protestant churches), Anglicans maintain authority within the church through [[Apostolic succession]]. | ||
| − | The British monarch (currently, Queen [[Elizabeth II]]) is | + | The British monarch (currently, Queen [[Elizabeth II]]) is head of the church. |
The [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] is the [[Primate]] of the church. | The [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] is the [[Primate]] of the church. | ||
Revision as of 21:21, January 11, 2009
The Church of England (or, Anglican Church) is the English national church that traces its history back to the sixth century in England. Under King Henry VIII ir broke with Rome and formed a denomination that became part of the Protestant Reformation. It contains High Church elements (similar to the Roman Catholics), Low Church elements (similar to evangelicals), and a Broad Church middle. It is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Establishment
The church was formally organised by King Henry VIII of England. Like Oriental and Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches (and unlike Protestant churches), Anglicans maintain authority within the church through Apostolic succession.
The British monarch (currently, Queen Elizabeth II) is head of the church.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Primate of the church.
The principal book of worship in Anglican churches is the Book of Common Prayer. Most churches in England still follow the liturgy set down in it, despite moves to modernize the language - all of which were rejected by the Bishops. The basic summary of Anglican beliefs and practices is the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, written by Thomas Cramner and adopted in 1563.
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. There were no such requirements in the colonies, but the Church of England was established and tax supported in the five southern colonies. They were disestabvlished during the Revolution.[1]
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
- Anglican Episcopal Church of Japan
- Episcopal Church in the United States of America
- Extra-provincial Anglican churches
- Scottish Episcopal Church
- Sheng Kung Hui
Continuing Anglicanism is a movement of churches whose beliefs and practices are Anglican, but are not in full communion with the Church of England. These churches are generally more conservative.
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".
Bibliography
- Miranda K. Hassett. Anglican Communion in Crisis: How Episcopal Dissidents and Their African Allies Are Reshaping Anglicanism (2007) excerpt and text search
- Pawley, Bernard & Margaret Pawley. Rome and Canterbury Through Four Centuries four centuries: A study of the relations between the church of Rome and the Anglican churches 1530-1973 (1974)
- Muriel Porter. The New Puritans: The Rise of Fundamentalism in the Anglican Church (2007)
- James Rosenthal. The Essential Guide to the Anglican Communion (1998)
References
- ↑ 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."