- Anglicanism is Historical
- Anglicanism is Biblical
- Anglicanism is Catholic
- Anglicanism is Reformed and Reforming
- Anglicanism is Sacramental
- Anglicanism is Evangelical
- Anglicanism is Episcopal
- Anglicanism is Parochial
- Anglicanism is Liturgical
- Conclusion
To find the roots of Anglicanism, one must go back to the height of the Roman Empire. At that time, the church was united under Patriarchs and Bishops who were in direct succession to the original twelve Apostles. As early as the fourth century, there are records of Bishops in the remote corner of the Empire called Britannia and, sometime during the third century, St Alban became known as a British
martyr.
When the Roman Empire yielded to the Germanic tribes, the Romans abandoned Britannia. The Christians there were largely forgotten by the rest of the Empire, but the Celtic Christians in Whales, Ireland, and Cornwall continued to flourish and develop their own distinctive customs. Soon, they emerged to convert the Scots and Germanic tribes that had invaded England. Ss. Aiden, Cuthbert, and Hilda (and others) left behind a
vibrant, British Church.
In the 597AD, St Augustine of Canterbury was sent to England to restore contact between the British Church and The Church of Rome. He established his see at Canterbury and in time not only converted the Anglo-Saxons of Southern England but he also brought the Celtic Christians under the authority of the Pope. Under the Anglo-Saxons, the English church produced artistic marvels, moving religious poetry, and The
Ecclesiastical History” of St. Bede. Also, remaining true to its Celtic roots, the English church retained a distinct character.
Then in 1066, William the Conqueror defeated the Anglo-Saxons at Hastings and took the English crown for himself. He replaced the Anglo-Saxon clergy and bishop with those from his own country, Normandy, who brought the Church of England more into line with the rest of the Western Church. The first great theologian of this Anglo-Norman church was St. Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury. A later successor of his, Thomas
Becket, was murdered at the foot of the alter for refusing to submit the church to the crown.
During the middle ages, the Church of England spread into every aspect of daily life. Thousands of poor priests ministered to the needs of peasants, merchants, and nobles alike while monks and nuns dedicated their lives to God. Beautiful cathedrals, like Lincoln, Salisbury, and York Minister, were built in the major cities. Monks, who valued knowledge and learning, founded the now-famous universities at Oxford and
Cambridge.
Despite all this, the medieval English Church had grown corrupt and many began to press for reforms. Capitalizing on this feeling, King Henry VIII challenged the authority of the Papacy within Britain. A formal break with Rome came in the sixteenth century when the House of Parliament passed an Act of Supremacy declaring Henry VIII to be the “supreme governor” of the Church of England. For the first time since the sixth
century, the Church of England was not under the authority of the Pope.
After a brief return to Rome under Queen Mary in 1553, the Church of England began the long process of reformation. Using scripture and the teachings of the early undivided Church as guides the English Church retained bishops, sacraments, ceremony, and vestments, while dispensing with indulgences, enforcing celibacy of clergy, and Latin services. The King James Authorized Version of the Bible and The Book of Common Prayer
made scripture and worship comprehensible to all people, high and low.
The settlers who founded Jamestown, Virginia were members of the Church of England. Later, Church of England parishes would be found throughout the thirteen colonies, especially in Virginia, Maryland, and New York. When the colonies gained independence after the Revolutionary war, those churches came together to form the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America: “Protestant” as opposed to “Roman”;
“Episcopal” as opposed to “Congregational.” After the consecration of their first bishops by bishops in England and Scotland, the Episcopal Church flourished for over a hundred fifty years. Many of our nation’s presidents –such as George Washington, James Madison, and Franklin Roosevelt-were Episcopalians.
Sadly, starting in the 1960’s, the Episcopal Church, like many other mainline churches, became more concerned with social agendas than with the gospel. Our jurisdiction was formed in 1968 to preserve the old, established ways of Anglicanism. Our faith remains in solidarity with the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Christians, the saints of the Middle Ages, the first Anglican reformers and all traditional Anglicans and Episcopalians
throughout the world.
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Anglicanism is Biblical