Church of England
TheChurch of Englandis the leadingChristianchurchinEngland.It is thechurch establishedby law: its formal head is theEnglishmonarch(Charles III). It is the mother church of theAnglican Communion.Itsheadquartersare at Church House,Westminster,inLondon.
The Church of England understands itself to be bothCatholicandReformed:
- Catholicbecause it views itself as a part of the universal church ofJesus Christin unbroken continuity with the early apostolic church. This is expressed in its emphasis on the teachings of the earlyChurch Fathers, as in theApostles' Creed,Nicene CreedandAthanasian Creed.
- Reformedbecause it has been shaped by the doctrinal ideas of the 16th-centuryProtestant Reformation,in particular by theThirty-Nine Articlesand theBook of Common Prayer.
There are other Protestant churches in England which are not part of the Anglican Communion.
History[change|change source]
The Church of England became independent under KingHenry VIIIin 1534. Henry VIII was married toCatherine of Aragon,but asked the Pope toannulthe marriage (say that it was a mistake and that Henry and Catherine were never really married). He wanted to annul the marriage because he wanted a maleheirto his throne and Catherine could not produce one. When the annulment was refused, Henry VIII used his position as King to break the Church away from theRoman Catholic Church.This established the independence of the Church of England, sometimes called the Anglican (English) Church.Methodismbroke away from the church in the18th century.TheOxford Movementbrought someCatholicbeliefs and practices back into the church in the19th century.
Under his son,King Edward VI,moreProtestantforms of worship were adopted. The Archbishop of Canterbury,Thomas Cranmerstarted more changes. A new pattern of worship was set out in theBook of Common Prayer(1549 and 1552). These were based on the olderliturgybut influenced by Protestant principles.
Related pages[change|change source]
- Archbishop of Canterbury
- Thomas Cranmer
- Reformation
- House of Lords
- Supreme Governor of the Church of England