Anglican Church: Uniting State & Faith Across 165 Nations - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Anglican Church is also called the Church of England. Forty churches are in the umbrella of the Church of England, and collectively they are known as Anglican Communion. It is the main church in England where there is no separation between the state and the church. Because there is no separation between the state and the church, the British governor has a say in appointment of Bishops and other senior leaders of the church. The Anglican Church has a presence in more than 165 countries and has more than 85 million followers in the world. The church upholds many of the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church (Bernarr 2001). It also embraces many ideas that were generated during the protestant revolution. There is also room for liberal policies in the church. Some of the Catholic practices that are upheld in the church include the Nicene Creed, Apostles Creed, infant baptism and Holy Communion. The leadership hierarchy includes archbishop, bishop, priest and deacons.

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The Church of England has the Episcopal form of government where the church is divided into provinces which are again divided into diocese. Each diocese is led by a bishop. Several parishes make up one diocese. In Britain, the bishops of the Anglican Church are involved in lawmaking activities. Twenty six Bishops are members of The House of Lords and are consulted before bills are passed. The Anglican Church is known for liberal policies like the ordination of women and gay priests (Bernarr 2001). Some of the church ordinances practiced by the Anglican Church include baptism and Holy Communion.

The Believes and Practices

Anglicans are staunch Christians who believe in Bible reading, prayer, meditation, and church ordinances of baptism and Holy Communion. Anglicans are expected to have a morning and evening prayer, as stipulated in the prayer book. The prayer can be recited, or it can be sung. There is a scheduled plan for reading the Bible. The plan involves relating the Old Testament and the Apocrypha once a year, reading the New Testament three times a year, and the psalms once a month. Anglicanism is also founded on active missions (Laura 2015). Anglican churches continue to grow because of the significant impact of missions.

In addition to the law making duties in the house of Commons, the church of England fulfills some Civic responsibilities. The leaders of the church are responsible for state weddings and funerals. They also officiate grand functions like coronation and memorials. After major events like disasters, the country congregates in mourning as directed by the bishops and priests of the Church of England. The religious landscape in England has been changing over time, which has led to the accommodation of other religious bodies in performing civic duties.

History of the Anglican Church

The Birth of Church of England: Separation of England and Rome

The origin of the Church of England can be traced back to the second century during the influence of the Catholic Church in Europe. The active formation of the church was in the 16th century during the period of the reformation in England. There was a political matter that led to the separation of England and Rome, giving birth to the Church of England. The King had a personal issue which Pope seemed not to solve. King Henry VIII had married the brother's widow Catherine of Aragon (Alan 2014). The Pope gave the king permission to do so. After some time, King Henry VII and Catherine failed to give birth to a male offspring. It, therefore, means that England was at risk of going into civil war, yet they had just come from the war roses. King Henry VII requested Pope Clement VII to annul the marriage so that each would go their separate ways, and the King could marry another wife. The Pope declined the request because the wedding between King Henry VII and Catherine Aragon had being officiated by his predecessor. Pope Clement also knew that doing so would mean that the Roman Catholic Church would be seen to advocate for divorce, which was not the official position (Alan 2014). In addition, Catherine was the aunt of Roman emperor Charles V, so the Pope feared the political consequences of such a move.

King Henry VII was not satisfied with the decision of the Pope. He continued seeking more advice, and theologian Thomas Cranmer advised him to seek the counsel of university professors. King Henry VII reached out to the staff at the University of Europe who shared his sentiments. They were convinced that the marriage between King Henry and Catherine Aragon should not have taken place. That advice led to the formation of the Church of England. Thomas Cranmer was appointed the archbishop of the church, and he declared the marriage invalid in 1533 (Alan 2014). England was thereafter separated from Pope's jurisdiction.

The Growth of Anglican Church

After the death of Henry VIII, his young son Edward VI took over. Many Protestants during that period found it easy to identify with the Church of England compared to the Catholic Church. This led to the growth of the church throughout England. However, there was a change when Edward VI passed away. Mary, the half sister, took over the reign and decided to persecute the protesters who were in England. She ordered the killing of many protestant bishops and leaders, including Thomas Cranmer. Mary believed that the Catholic Church was the only church that could be relied upon and hence the intention to prosecute the protestants (Jack 1962. The persecution had a significant impact on the spread of the Church of England. It led to the closure of some of the parishes that were operational. Many pastors fled from England and sought refuge in Geneva.

Church of England was Revived when Mary's half sister, Elizabeth 1 was crowned with the title of the Queen in 1558. Elizabeth I was a protestant who championed the implementation of all the policies that had been drafted by the protestant pastors who were killed. It is during that time that the Book of Common Prayer and the thirty-nine articles were endorsed for use in worship.

Origin of the Book of Prayer and Religion Articles

King Henry was a tough defender of the Catholic faith and had little Association with the Protestant movement. The Pope once referred to him as the faith defender. Thomas Cranmer the leader of the church was a Protestant who wanted to introduce the same ideals to the Church of England. King Henry opposed the idea, but after his death, Thomas Cranmer was able to introduce Pentecostal reforms in the Church of England. It is during this time that the book of prayer was formulated. The book of prayer was meant to bring order to the church as it is a collection of services and other resources that are to be used by the priests during worship. The book of prayer was also intended to bring uniformity in the church so that all parishes across England could have the same standard of worship every service. Thomas Cranmer also officiated the launch of the articles of religion. The articles stipulate the Confessions and the Constitution of the Anglican Church. The two documents helped the Church of England avoid controversy and also remain unique, considering they had just split from the Catholic Church. They also help the church avoid the extremes of radical transformation and Roman Catholic influence.

Church Movements

The Church of England has been involved in different movements in different centuries. During the 17th century, the puritan movement head to the Commonwealth and English Civil War. The Church of England was silenced at that time but was re-established in 1660. The evangelical movement was experienced in the 18th century, and it formed the genesis of protestant reforms of the Church of England. During the 19th century, the Oxford movement was established, and it led to the introduction of Roman Catholic ordinances in the church (Jack 1962). The evangelical and the Oxford movement led to the introduction of significant changes in the style of worship, which is still experienced in the modern Anglican Church. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Anglican Church joined the ecumenical movement, which advocates for the unity of all Christians in the world.

The Church of England in America

Anglican Puritans form the significant majority of the colonists in America. The Anglican Church was established during the colonial era because the colonists needed a place of worship (Jack 1962). Immediately after the American Revolution, the church was separated from the state, which led to the formation of the Episcopal Church, which is the official Anglican Communion in America. The church has more than 2 million followers and has been self-governing since 1785. The Episcopal Church in America has been involved in various controversies in the recent past. The church ordained a gay bishop. A bishop of the church was also involved in a road accident as a result of drunken driving. The church was condemned for not taking any action against the bishop.

Anglican Church in Asia

The church congregation in Asia is small. However, the case is not peculiar to the Anglican Church as Christianity is not very old in Asia when compared to Europe and America. The Anglican Church is not well established in Asia (Robbie 2005). It has been said that the 20th century was the American century, and the 21st century is the Asian century in economic and faith matters. Anglican communions have continued to grow in Asia, although the size of the congregants is smaller than what is found in Europe and America. Asian Anglicanism is focused on the Southeast Asia where there is phenomenal growth. The number of Anglican followers in Hong Kong and Singapore is more than any other country in Asia (Robbie 2005). The Anglican Church in Singapore has planted churches in Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam where growth is expected in the future.

Liberal Policies in the Church

The Church of England ordained female priests. The decision to ordain female priests was made in 1992, and it sparked a hot debate in the Christian Community. The decision of the church was a pacesetter and led to the empowerment of women in the church by other Protestant movements. In 2014, the church passed a vote to ordain women as bishops. The first female bishop of the church was concentrated in January 2015. Reverend Libby Lane was the first female bishop.

The Church of England allows the ordination of gay priests. The decision arrived in 2005. However, the gay priests were given the condition to remain celibate. Homosexuals were first allowed to become bishops in 2013. The same year, the 26 Bishops sitting in the House of Commons allowed the legalization of same-sex marriages, but the Church of England was not permitted to officiate in the weddings.

The Church of England's position in regards to women's leadership ordination of gay priests has been challenged by many other protestant Christians. Others in the Christian body view that as blasphemy and lack of moral standing but the Anglican Church believes that the church should expand its wings to accommodate the people that have suffered from lack of inclusivity in the past. Such progress has also led to inclusivity in the secular governments.

The Comprehensive Church

The Church of England has a rich culture that has three broad traditions. The church has an evangelical tradition, Catholic tradition, and liberal tradition. The evangelical tradition process the adoption of the Protestant and Pentecostal reforms. The tradition called for reference to the Bible as the authority of the Christian Faith that believe in salvation and personal conversion finds the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing out personal transformation. The Catholic tradition is seen in the leadership hierarch...