Oxford Movement was a revival in the Church of England that began in 1833 at the University of Oxford in England. The English clergyman John Keble preached a powerful sermon intended to show people the evils that threatened the church because of their indifference and ignorance. Keble’s fellow leaders of the Oxford Movement were the English clergyman John Henry Newman and the English theologian Edward B. Pusey. Members of the Oxford Movement were also known as Tractarians.
The movement’s leaders preached and wrote for a number of years, seeking to impress on the people that the church was “more than a merely human institution; that it had privileges, sacraments, a ministry ordained by Christ; that it was a matter of the highest obligation to remain united to the Church.” They wrote a series of essays called “Tracts for the Times” (1833-1841). Many people read these essays, and the movement grew. But in 1841, Newman wrote a tract (pamphlet) that was so decidedly Catholic that the Anglican bishops condemned it. Anglicans are a group of Christians who include members of the Church of England. In 1845, Newman joined the Roman Catholic Church. He eventually became a Catholic cardinal. Keble and Pusey continued the work of the Oxford Movement, and new leaders also took it up.
The Oxford Movement greatly influenced the Anglican world, including the Episcopal Church in the United States. It revived faith in the church as the divine society, which should not be controlled by the state. It made the pastor’s office more important. The movement also increased the importance of tradition and the sacraments (religious ceremonies). It extended the church’s work among the poor in larger cities. In general, the movement awakened the clergy and the laity—that is, church members other than clergy—to a broader view of their power and duty.
See also Church of England ; Keble, John ; Newman, John Henry ; Pusey, Edward Bouverie ; Wilberforce, Samuel .
