Session #1 - The Roots of Anglicanism.

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Are we 'Protestant' or 'Catholic?'

What does it mean to be Anglican?  Are we 'protestant' or are we 'catholics-once-removed?'  Are we a Protestant Church like the Lutherans or Calvinists which broke off from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century due to serious disagreements over various theological issues?  Are we a strange first-cousin of the Roman Catholic Church, often referred to as 'Anglo-Catholic,' which differs only in its reverence to the bishop of Rome?  The answers to these questions are vague at best.  Looking at the first three decades of our Church's history will help show why.

Pre-1534 - 'The Anglican Church'

Before the act of parliament in 1534 which first severed England's ties with the Church of Rome, the term 'The Anglican Church' referred to the geographic area of what we now call the British Isles - one of the many faithful regions of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.  It was not without its reformers, however.  John Wycliffe, born in the 1300's was the first person to translate the Bible into English so that all (literate) people might have the opportunity to read it for themselves.  This was a radical idea in a time when the Scriptures and their interpretation were considered the sole property of the Church; that is, the clergy.  Many consider Wycliffe to be 'the morning star of the reformation' - an inspiration to those who, like Martin Luther, would reform the church in the 16th century.  Despite Wycliffe's influence, England remained firmly in support of the Church under Rome; in fact, Henry the 8th himself wrote an article, 'Defense of the Seven Sacraments' (1521) against Luther and other reformers and was given the title 'Defender of the Faith' by the pope, a title English monarchs still bear to this day!

Henry VIII's Creation of 'The Church of England'

In the years leading up to 1534, Henry the 8th encountered a political problem which only the church could rectify.  The king needed a male heir and his wife was unable to bear more children.  He would have to divorce Katharine of Aragorn (aunt to Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor).  Only the pope could provide an annulment and he was at the mercy of Charles V; therefore no annulment could be given.  Henry set his universities and lawyers to find arguments that might give the archbishop of Canterbury (the highest bishop in England) the authority to provide the annulment.  Between 1533 and 1534 a number of acts were passed by parliament which effectively ended the pope's authority on English soil, set up the King as the head of the 'Church of England,' and, of course, gave Thomas Cramner, the archbishop of Canterbury, the authority to annul Katharine's and Henry's marriage.  Despite these significant changes at the highest levels, church-life for the average Christian in England saw little change.  Parliament's adoption of 'Ten Articles' in 1536 and 'Six Articles' in 1539 affirmed that many of the teachings of the Reformation were not welcome in the English Church.  The only notable changes were the creation of an English Bible (1539) and an English Litany (1544).  Worship continued in much the same manner as it had for centuries.  Though on the surface the Church of England seemed to be nothing more that a smaller version of the Roman Church, there were those who wanted not just independence from Rome, but a full reformation of the Church.  Henry died a Catholic in 1547, leaving monies to be provided for the prayers for his soul's release from purgatory (A Catholic belief in a place of punishment for the dead who were not entirely free from their earthly sons).

Cramner's Reformed Church of England

With Henry's death Thomas Cramner found the opportunity he needed to complete the reformation he had helped start.  The new king, Edward the 6th, was only nine years old and so control of the country and Church fell into the hands of the Privy Council, a group made up of reformers like Cramner.  Within two years a new, completely English Prayer Book had been introduced and in 1552 was replaced by a second edition which clearly affirmed many of the theological innovations of the reformation: communicants were to receive both bread and wine, belief in purgatory and transubstantiation (that bread and wine become flesh and blood in the Eucharist) were denounced, stone altars (symbolizing sacrifice) were to be replaced by wooden tables (symbolizing a meal), virtually all vestments except the surplice were eliminated, and clergy marriage was permitted, to name a few.  1533 also saw the introduction of the 'Forty-Two Articles of Religion' and a catechism for children which clearly reaffirmed the central Reformation teachings of justification by faith (not works) and the authority of Scripture in determining Church practices and beliefs.  The Reformation of England had begun.

Returning to Catholicism

Edward, a sickly child, died at the age of ten (1553) and was succeeded by his devoutly Roman Catholic sister, Mary.  In only a year and a half almost all of the church legislation produced under Henry and Edward was repealed and England once again became a devout part of the Roman Church.  During her five year rule nearly 300 reformers were burnt at the stake, including the influential Cramner.  Just 20 years after Henry's assertion of England's independence from Rome it looked as if reformation would not be welcomed in England after all.  Mary's rule as monarch, however, was not much longer than her brother's and after only five years in power, her sudden death brought Elizabeth I to the throne.

The Elizabethan Settlement

Despite Mary's attempts to stamp out the seeds of reform some 800 fled to other parts of Europe where they might live in relative safety.  Upon Elizabeth's succession, these reformers returned and started to speak their minds again with the comforting knowledge that Elizabeth (the goddaughter of Thomas Cramner) was sympathetic to their cause.  Through very effective use of her authority Elizabeth set about to bring religious peace to a country that had gone through so much upheaval.  Though she was given the title of 'supreme governor' of the Church of England, she acknowledged among her subjects division over whether this Church was an independent part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church or another protesting ('Protestant') Church among the many others in Europe.  Her solution - The Elizabethan Settlement - was an attempt to bridge a common ground between both groups.  She reinstated the Prayer Book in 1559 and based it upon the reformation-themed 1552 book of Cramner's design.  Out of respect for the more 'catholic' of her subjects she allowed many of their customs to remain: the wearing of vestments other than the surplice, draping the holy table with cloth, the use of unleavened bread, the sign of the cross at baptism, and the use of a ring in marriage, to name a few.  In 1563 she revised 'Thirty-Nine Articles' to reflect this balance of power.  An interesting example of this compromise still exists in our modern Book of Common Prayer in the words of the communion sentences.  The original formula, suggesting transubstantiation were, ' The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life.'  The reformation formula in the 1553 version, reflection a theology of remembrance read, 'Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving.' From 1559 onwards, both sentences were to be said together.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

1. One of the central arguments of the Reformation was over the question of whether we are justified by our faith (Romans 1:16-17) or by our works (James 2:14-17).  What do you believe? 2. Another argument which fuelled the Reformation and development of the Anglican Church was whether all Christian doctrines and practices must be founded upon the authority of Scripture, or whether the Church had the authority to 'invent' doctrines and practices.  What do you believe? 3. The Doctrine of Transubstantiation remains a divisive issue within the Anglican Church for some.  What do you believe? 4. The history of the early Anglican Church was determined in large part by the struggle for power and authority.  How does this struggle still play a part in our Anglican Identity? 5. Read the Articles of Religion from the Book of Common Prayer.  Is there anything there which you find surprising? 6. How would you answer the question of whether the Anglican Church is a 'Catholic' or 'Protestant' Church