Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion.

Theology and sociology

The Church of England considers itself to stand both in a Reformed church tradition (current English law regards it as Protestant) and in a Catholic (but not Roman Catholic) church tradition: Reformed insofar as many of the principles of the Reformation have influenced it and insofar as it does not accept Papal authority; Catholic in that it views itself as the unbroken continuation of the early apostolic and later medieval "universal church" rather than as a new formation. In its practices, furthermore, the Church of England remains closer to Roman Catholicism than most Protestant Churches. It holds many relatively conservative theological beliefs, its liturgical form of worship can feature tradition and ceremony, and its organization embodies a belief in apostolic succession through the historical episcopal hierarchy of archbishops, bishops, and dioceses.

Related Topics:
Reformed church - Protestant - Roman Catholic - Reformation - Theological - Liturgical - Apostolic succession - Episcopal - Archbishop - Bishop - Diocese

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In many people's eyes, however, the Church of England has as its primary distinguishing mark its breadth and open-mindedness. In addition to the traditional mainstream, the church has long included "high church" and "low church" factions with their own particular preferences. Today, practices range from those of the Anglo-Catholics, who emphasize liturgy and sacraments, to the far less ceremonial services of Evangelicals and Charismatics. But this "broad church" faces various contentious doctrinal questions raised by the development of modern society, such as conflicts over the ordination of women as priests (accepted in 1992 and begun in 1994) and the status of noncelibate homosexual clergy (still unsettled today). In July 2005 the divisions were once again apparent as the General Synod voted to "set in train" the process of allowing the ordination of women as bishops, scheduling debate on the specific legislation for February 2006.

Related Topics:
High church - Low church - Anglo-Catholics - Sacrament - Evangelical - Charismatic - 1992 - 1994 - Homosexual - July 2005 - General Synod - Bishops - February - 2006

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