Church of England, also called the Established Church, is the national church of England. It is also the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Doctrines.
The Church of England recognizes the Old and New Testaments as its authority for doctrine. It also upholds traditional Christian teachings as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed, and in its own Thirty-Nine Articles. The church does not insist on specific interpretations of these documents, but relies on its bishops to ensure consistent teaching. The bishops are regarded as successors to the apostles. The Book of Common Prayer, the church’s official liturgy book, is also a major source of doctrinal unity. The church has two sacraments—baptism and Holy Communion—but other rituals are also important.
Organization.
England is divided into two religious provinces, Canterbury and York. Each is governed by an archbishop. The archbishop of Canterbury bears the title Primate of All England and is considered by Anglicans as their spiritual leader. Provinces are divided into dioceses, each governed by a bishop. Dioceses are further divided into parishes, each headed by a rector. Bishops, clergy, and laity all take part in setting religious policy. The church owns its property and is largely supported by endowments.
History.
Christians in England recognized the spiritual authority of the pope until 1534, when King Henry VIII forced Parliament to pass the Act of Supremacy. The act declared the king to be head of the church in place of the pope, who resisted Henry’s request to dissolve his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
Under Henry’s successors, King Edward VI and Queen Mary I, disputes took place over whether the church was to be primarily Protestant or Roman Catholic. Their successor, Queen Elizabeth I, established a compromise between the two positions. In 1559, she restored the independence of the Church of England with a new Act of Supremacy. During the 1600’s, certain church members, called Puritans, sought more Protestant reforms. Another group, the Methodists, made their final break from the church by the late 1700’s. The Oxford Movement, a reform movement that stressed Roman Catholic ideas, had great influence on the church in the 1800’s. Today, a variety of theological opinions are represented in the church. In 1993, the church passed a measure to allow women to be ordained as priests. In 2014, the church’s General Synod (national assembly) voted to allow women to become bishops. The same year, Libby Lane was appointed the church’s first woman bishop.
