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The Church of England logo since 1996
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The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the
oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches. The Church also extends to the Isle of Man via the Diocese of
Sodor and Man, while the Channel Islands form part of the Diocese of Winchester, and a number of Anglican communities in continental Europe, the former Soviet Union, Turkey and Morocco are formed into the Diocese
of Gibraltar in Europe.
The Church of England understands itself to be both Catholic and Reformed:
* Catholic
in that it views itself as a part of the universal church of Jesus Christ in unbroken continuity with the early apostolic and later medieval
church. This is expressed in its strong emphasis on the teachings of the early Church Fathers, in particular as formalised in the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian creeds.
* Reformed
to the extent that it has been shaped by some of the doctrinal and institutional principles of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The more Reformed character finds expression in the
Thirty-Nine Articles of religion, established as part of the settlement of religion under Queen Elizabeth I. The customs and liturgy of the Church of England, as expressed in the Book of Common Prayer, are based on
pre-Reformation traditions but have been influenced by Reformation liturgical and doctrinal principles.
History
According to tradition, Christianity arrived in Britain in the first or second century (probably via the tin trade route through
Ireland and Iberia), and existed independently of the Church of Rome, as did many other Christian communities of that era.
The earliest historical evidence of an organized Christian church in the area that is now called England is found in the writings
of such early Christian Fathers as Tertullian and Origen in the first years of the 3rd century, although the first Christian
communities probably were established some decades earlier. Three Romano-British bishops, including Restitutus, are known
to have been present at the Council of Arles in 314. Others attended the Council of Sardica in 347 and that of Ariminum in
360, and a number of references to the church in Roman Britain are found in the writings of 4th-century Christian fathers.
Britain was the home of Pelagius, who nearly defeated Augustine of Hippo's doctrine of original sin.
The Church of England traces its formal corporate history from the 597 Gregorian mission, stresses its continuity and identity
with the primitive universal Western church, and notes the consolidation of its particular independent and national character in
the post-Reformation events of Tudor England, and confirmed by the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.
Christianity arrived in what is now England in the first centuries AD. Over time the indigenous Britons converted to the new
faith. After the Anglo-Saxon invasion, however, Christian Britons made little progress in converting the newcomers from their
native paganism. In 597 Pope Gregory I sent Saint Augustine of Canterbury from Rome to evangelise the Angles; this event is
known as the Gregorian mission. With the help of Christians already residing in Kent Augustine established his church in
Canterbury, the capital of the kingdom of Kent, and became the first in the series of Archbishops of Canterbury in 598. A
later archbishop, the Greek Theodore of Tarsus, also contributed to the organisation of Christianity in England.
The English church was under papal authority for nearly a thousand years, before separating from Rome in 1534 during the
reign of King Henry VIII. A theological separation had been foreshadowed by various movements within the English church
such as Lollardy, but the English Reformation gained political support when Henry VIII wanted an annulment of his marriage
to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. Under pressure from Catherine's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Pope Clement VII refused the annulment. Eventually, Henry, although theologically a doctrinal Catholic, took the
position of Supreme Head of the Church of England to ensure the annulment of his marriage. He was excommunicated by Pope Paul III.
Henry maintained a strong preference for traditional Catholic practices and, during his reign, Protestant reformers were unable
to make many changes to the practices of the Church of England. Indeed, this part of Henry's reign saw the trial for heresy of Protestants as well as Roman Catholics.
Under his son, Edward VI, more Protestant-influenced forms of worship were adopted. Under the leadership of the
Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, a more radical reformation proceeded. A new pattern of worship was set out
in the Book of Common Prayer (1549 and 1552). These were based on the older liturgy but influenced by Protestant
principles. The confession of the new reformed church was set out in the Forty-two Articles (later revised to thirty-nine). The
reformation however was cut short by the death of the king. Queen Mary I, who succeeded him, returned England again to
the authority of the Pope, thereby ending the first attempt at an independent Church of England. During Mary's reign, many
leaders and common people were burnt for their refusal to recant of their reformed faith. These are known as the Marian martyrs and the persecution has led to her nickname of "Bloody Mary".
Mary also died childless and so it was left to the new regime of her half-sister Elizabeth to resolve the direction of the church.
The settlement under Elizabeth I (from 1558), known as the Elizabethan settlement, developed the via media (middle way)
character of the Church of England, a church moderately Reformed in doctrine, as expressed in the Thirty-nine Articles, but
also emphasising continuity with the Catholic and Apostolic traditions of the Church Fathers. It was also an established church
(constitutionally established by the state with the head of state as its supreme governor). The exact nature of the relationship between church and state would be a source of continued friction into the next century.
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Stained glass window in Rochester Cathedral, Kent.
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For the next century, through the reigns of James I, who ordered the creation of what became known as the King James Bible,[6] and Charles I, and culminating in
the English Civil War and the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, there were significant swings back and forth between two factions: the Puritans (and other
radicals) who sought more far-reaching Protestant reforms, and the more conservative churchmen who aimed to keep closer to traditional beliefs and
Catholic practices. The failure of political and ecclesiastical authorities to submit to Puritan demands for more extensive reform was one of the causes of open warfare.
By Continental standards, the level of violence over religion was not high, but the casualties included a king, Charles I, and an Archbishop of Canterbury, William
Laud. Under the Commonwealth and then the Protectorate of England from 1649 to 1660, the bishops were dethroned and former practices were outlawed, and in
their place, Presbyterian ecclesiology was introduced in place of the episcopate. In addition, the 39 Articles were replaced with the Westminster Confession, and the
Book of Common Prayer was replaced by the Directory of Public Worship. Despite this, about one quarter of English clergy refused to conform to this form of State Presbyterianism.
With the Restoration of Charles II, Parliament restored the Church of England to a form not far removed from the Elizabethan version. One difference was that the
ideal of encompassing all the people of England in one religious organisation, taken for granted by the Tudors, had to be abandoned. The religious landscape of England assumed its present form, with the
Anglican established church occupying the middle ground, and Roman Catholics and those Puritans and Protestants who
dissented from the Anglican establishment, too strong to be suppressed altogether, having to continue their existence outside
the National Church rather than controlling it. Continuing official suspicion and legal restrictions continued well into the nineteenth century.
By the Fifth Article of the Union with Ireland 1800, the Church of England and Church of Ireland were united into "one
Protestant Episcopal Church, to be called, The United Church of England and Ireland". Although this union was declared "an
essential and fundamental Part of the Union", nevertheless the Irish Church Act 1869 separated the Irish part of the Church again and disestablished it, the Act coming into effect on 1 January 1871.
Doctrine and practice
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Canterbury Cathedral from the southwest. It houses the cathedra or throne of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is the mother church of the Diocese of
Canterbury (east Kent) and the Church of England and also a focus for the Anglican Communion.
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Church of England doctrine can be summarised in its canon law as follows:
Canon A 5 Of the doctrine of the Church of England: "The doctrine of
the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular such doctrine is to be
found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal."
As the Church of England bases its teachings on the Holy Scriptures,
the ancient Catholic teachings of the Church Fathers and some of the doctrinal principles of the Protestant Reformation (as expressed in the 39 Articles and other documents such as the Book of Homilies),
Anglicanism can therefore be described as 'Reformed Catholic' in character rather than Protestant. In practice, however, it is more mixed, with Anglicans who emphasise the Catholic tradition and
others the Reformed tradition. There is also a long history of more liberal or latitudinarian views. These three 'parties' in the C of E are
sometimes called high church or (Anglo-Catholic), low church (or Evangelical) and broad church (or Liberal). In terms of
church government, unlike many of the Protestant denominations it has retained episcopal (bishop) leadership.
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Richard Hooker (1554–1600), one of the most influential figures in shaping Anglican theology and self-identity
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The teachings of Richard Hooker, the 16th century divine, summarised the Anglican position well, affirming bishops as ancient, allowable and for the wellbeing of the church.
In many people's eyes today[whose?] the Church of England has, as one of its distinguishing marks, a breadth and "open-mindedness". This range of belief and
practice includes those of the Anglo-Catholics, who emphasise liturgy and sacraments, to the far more preaching-centred and less ritual-based services of
Evangelicals and gatherings of the Charismatics. But this "broad church" faces various contentious doctrinal and social questions.
Women's ministry
Women were appointed as deaconesses from 1861 but they could not function fully as deacons and were not considered ordained clergy. Women have been lay
readers for a long time. During the First World War some women were appointed as lay readers but known as "Bishop's Messengers". However, after that no more lay readers were appointed until 1969.
Legislation authorising the ordination of women as deacons was passed in 1986 and they were first ordained in 1987. The
ordination of women as priests was passed by the General Synod in 1992 and began in 1994. In July 2005 the synod voted
to "set in train" the process of allowing the consecration of women as bishops. In February 2006 the synod voted
overwhelmingly for the "further exploration" of possible arrangements for parishes that did not want to be directly under the
authority of a woman bishop. On 7 July 2008 the church's governing body voted to approve the ordination of women as
bishops and rejected moves for alternative episcopal oversight for those who do not accept women bishops. Actual
ordinations of women to the episcopate will require further legislation which is anticipated to be considered before 2014.
Worship and liturgy
The Church of England's official book of liturgy as established in English Law is the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). The
BCP remains the touchstone of all Anglican liturgy.[citation needed] In addition to this book the General Synod has also
legislated for a modern liturgical book, Common Worship, dating from 2000, which can be used as an alternative to the BCP.
Like its predecessor, the 1980 Alternative Service Book, it differs from the Book of Common Prayer in providing a range of
alternative services, mostly in modern language, although it does include some BCP-based forms as well, for example Order
Two for Holy Communion. (This is a revision of the BCP service, altering some words and allowing the insertion of some
other liturgical texts such as the Agnus Dei before communion.) The Order One rite follows the pattern of more modern liturgical scholarship.
Membership
Membership in the Church of England is by baptism although, due to its status as the established church, in general anyone
may be married, have their children baptised or their funeral in their local parish church, regardless of whether they are baptised or regular church goers.
Churchgoing in the United Kingdom, including the Church of England, has been declining steadily since around 1890. In the
years 1968 to 1999, Anglican church attendances almost halved, from 3.5 per cent of the population to just 1.9 per cent.
One study published in 2008 suggested that if current trends continue, Sunday attendances could fall to 350,000 in 2030 and
just 87,800 in 2050. The Church of England responded by stating that the figures on which this were based overlooked the
level of midweek attendance and that 1.7 million people attend Church of England parish and cathedral services each month, and argued that this figure has remained stable since 2000.
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