Whirlwind history of the Church of England · to enquire into people’s private beliefs. This...
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In the year 597 Pope Gregory in Rome sent a mission the former Roman colony of Britannia, led by Augustine, one of his monks. Augustine and his fellow missionaries preached the gospel to the Anglo-Saxon peoples, and made many converts. Augustine was surprised, however, to find that there were already Christians in Britain. Some were descendants of those who became Christians under the Romans, others had become Christians under the influence of the church in Gaul. But Augustine’s church was more organised. The Pope appointed him first Archbishop of Canterbury, and he established monasteries and dioceses throughout the Saxon territories. 1 The Church in England put down solid roots under Augustine and continued to grow after him. But for three centuries Britain was divided between various Saxon kingdoms. It was King Alfred the Great of Wessex who united them at the end of the ninth century. Forget the story of him burning the cakes, he was a cultured and learned man, the only British monarch to earn the title “great”. He made the church his personal responsibility, had the gospels and other important texts translated into (Old) English so the people could understand them, and made a policy of appointing devout and learned bishops and abbots. 2
Transcript of Whirlwind history of the Church of England · to enquire into people’s private beliefs. This...
Intheyear597PopeGregoryinRomesentamissiontheformer
RomancolonyofBritannia,ledbyAugustine,oneofhismonks.
Augustineandhisfellowmissionariespreachedthegospelto
theAnglo-Saxonpeoples,andmademany converts.Augustine
wassurprised,however,tofindthattherewerealready
ChristiansinBritain.Someweredescendantsofthosewho
becameChristiansundertheRomans,othershadbecome
ChristiansundertheinfluenceofthechurchinGaul.But
Augustine’schurchwasmoreorganised.ThePopeappointed
himfirstArchbishopofCanterbury,andheestablished
monasteriesanddiocesesthroughouttheSaxonterritories.
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TheChurchinEnglandputdownsolidrootsunderAugustine
andcontinuedtogrowafterhim.Butforthreecenturies Britain
wasdividedbetweenvariousSaxonkingdoms.Itwas KingAlfred
theGreat ofWessex whounitedthem attheendoftheninth
century.Forgetthestoryofhimburningthecakes,hewasa
culturedandlearnedman,theonlyBritishmonarchtoearnthe
title“great”.Hemadethechurchhispersonalresponsibility,had
thegospelsandotherimportanttextstranslatedinto(Old)
Englishsothepeoplecouldunderstandthem,andmadea
policyofappointingdevoutandlearnedbishopsandabbots.
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Butallthingspass.AttheBattleofHastings in1066theSaxon
KingdomofEnglandcametoanendandtheNormanstook
over.TheChurchofEnglandremainedthesamebutwithina
generationallseniorpostswerefilledbyNormans. Itwasa
churchundernewmanagement.
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Newcathedralsandchurcheswerebuilt onamassivescale,
usingthelatestcontinentaltechnology.ThisisCanterbury
Cathedral.
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TheChurchofEnglandatthistimehadtwocentres ofpower –
thePopeinRomeandtheKinginEngland.IntheSaxonperiod
relationsbetweenthetwoweremostlyharmonious,andthe
Popeswerenotverypowerfulanyway.Butfrom11th Century
thepowerofthePapacystartedtogrow;theBishopofRome
wasnowapoliticalpowertobereckonedwithinEurope.The
Pope andtheKingdidnotalwaysagree,anddisputeserupted.
OneresultedinthemurderoftheArchbishopofCanterbury,
ThomasBecket,in1170.Tensionscontinuedoverthecenturies
thatfollowed,withparliamentseveraltimespassinglawstotry
andlimitthePope’spowerinEngland.
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Sodisputesbetween thePopesandtheEnglishKinghadbeen
goingonforcenturiesalreadywhenHenryVIIIdecidedhe
wantedanannulmentofhismarriagetoCatherineofAragonin
1527.OnlythePopecouldgrantannulments,butthePopewas
inthepoweroftheHolyRomanEmperor,whowasCatherine’s
nephew– andhehadnointentionofgrantingHenry’swishes.
SoHenrysimplydeclaredthathe,andnotthePope,wasthe
headoftheChurchofEngland,andbrokewithRome.
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Henry’sclaimofindependencecameatthesametimeasthe
ReformationwassparkingoffincontinentalEurope.
Manypeople recognised thatthecatholicchurchinEuropehad
becomeverycorruptandtherewerewidespreadabuses.Some
wantedtoreformthechurchfromwithin,suchasErasmusand
ThomasMore.OtherssuchasJohnCalvinsawnotjustabuses
butcatholicdoctrineitselfaswrong.ForhimCatholicismwasa
falsechurch,adeceitofthedevil,andthePopewasthe
antichrist.Thetruechurchhadtoberediscoveredandbegun
againfromhisinterpretationoftheBible.
InthisHenrywasonthecatholicside.Hewroteatreatise
againstLuther,forwhichthePopegavehimthetitle“Defender
oftheFaith”.Henrywasnotapleasantcharacter.Hedissolved
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themonasteriestoendtheirpoliticalpowerandseizetheir
wealth.ButheintroducedonlymoderatereformsintheChurch,
suchastranslatingtheBibleintoEnglish,andhisbeliefs
remainedcatholiconeverythingexceptthePope’ssupremacy.
HenrydidnotfoundtheChurchofEngland– ithadalready
existedfor900years– butitwasnowachurchundernew
management,justasithadbeenin1066whentheNormans
tookoverfromtheSaxons.
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ButwhenHenrydieditwasanothermatter.HissonbecameEdwardVI,buthewasa
childandthepowerlaywithaCouncilofRegencywhichfavoured Calvin’sradical
protestantism.Reformbeganinearnest.TheBookofCommonPrayerwasproduced,
acompleteliturgyinEnglish,firsta fairlyconservativerevisionoftheLatinMass,but
asecondeditionsoonfollowedthatwasmoreradical.Churcheswerestrippedof
theirornaments,altarsweredemolished,andcommunionwascelebratedgathered
roundanordinarytablesetlengthwiseinthechancel.Thepeopledidn’tlikethisand
calleditthe“ChristmasGame”,becauseChristmaswasoneofthedayswhenthey
hadtoreceivecommunion.
Edward,however,wasasicklychild,andafterafewyearshedied,theCouncilof
Regencywasdissolved,andMaryTudorsucceeded.
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ShereintroducedRomanCatholicism,withavengeance– quiteliterally.Hersavage
persecutionofprotestantshascaused hertogodowninhistoryas“bloodyMary”;
theArchbishopofCanterbury,ThomasCranmer,wasoneofhundredsburnedatthe
stakefortheirbeliefsduringherreign.She,however,alsodidnotlivelong.Whenshe
diedin1554mostpeopleweregenerallyrelivedattheaccessionofElizabethI.
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Elizabethwasamoderateprotestant.ShereintroducedtheBookofCommonPrayer
butpusheditbackabitinacatholicdirection,restoring vestmentsandputtingthe
communiontablebackinthesanctuarytomakeitlooklikeanaltaragain.Manyof
theProtestantbishopshadbeenkilledunderMary,andthecatholiconeswerein
disgrace,butshepersuadedtwoofeachtojointogetherinconsecratingherchoice
asArchbishopofCanterbury,MatthewParker.BydoingthisshesecuredtheApostolic
Succession,thelineofbishopsfromtheapostles,fortheChurchofEngland.Thiswas
amiddleway,andsheexpectedeveryonetoconforminpractice,butshedidnotseek
toenquireintopeople’sprivatebeliefs.ThisbecameknownastheElizabethan
Settlement,andtheideawasthatbothmoderateCatholicsandmoderateprotestants
shouldbeabletoacceptitandnotcausetrouble.Butitwassometimesanuneasy
settlement.TheChurchofEnglandnowcontainedtwostrandsoftradition:theHigh
Church,whoemphasised continuitywithcatholicism,thesacramentsandritual;and
thePuritans,whodistrustedthesethingsandwantedapurechurchfoundedonthe
Biblealone.Theyacceptedtheprayerbookbecausetheyhadto,butinpracticesat
lightlytoit.
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ButthissettlementbrokedowninthereignofCharlesI.HisinsistenceontheDivine
RightofKingspolarised thechurch.TheHighChurchpartybecameidentifiedwiththe
Royalistcause,andthePuritanswithparliament. TheEnglishCivilWarsawthe
executionofboththeKingandtheArchbishopofCanterbury,andtheadventofthe
CommonwealthunderOliverCromwell.WiththePuritansincharge,thePrayerBook
wasbanned,bishopsweresuppressed,andtheChurchofEnglanddriven
underground.Christmaswasabolished,andanyonefoundusingtheforbidden
Anglicanserviceswasimprisoned.Thiswasnotpopular,andwhenCromwelldied
CharlesIIwasrestoredtothethrone.
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TheHighChurchpartywasnowinadominantposition.Ninebishopswereleftalive
andquickly gatheredtoconsecratenewones,andtocrowntheKing.Someofthe
puritansconformedtothedoctrineandpracticeoftheChurchofEnglandand
remained,othersrefusedtodosoandleft,becomingthe“non-conformists”orfree
churches.Forthefirsttime,theideathattherewasonechurchforonenationwas
fractured.TherewasafurthercrisisafterCharles’deathwhenhisbrotherJamesII,
whowasaRomanCatholic,refusedtochangehisreligion.Hewasdeposedand
drivenintoexilein1688,andthecrownpassedtoWilliamofOrangeandthenceto
theHanovers fromGermany.
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ThentheChurchofEnglandsettleddown,andthingsfrankly becameratherdulland
uninterestingforthenextcoupleofcenturies.WiththeadventoftheEnlightenment
andscientificdiscoveryfaithwascalledintoquestionandreligionwaspushedtothe
margins.Thechurchwasregardedasusefulforensuringthegoodbehaviour ofthe
lowerclasses,andtheclergyasanacceptableprofessionforyoungersonsofthe
gentry,butreligiousenthusiasmandclaimstospiritualexperiencewereregardedas
suspect.
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Butrationalismandgoodbehaviour justdidn'tanswerpeople’sdeepestneeds.There
remainedagreatspiritualhunger,andatthebeginningofthe19th Centurythetide
turned.Thegothicrevivalinliteratureandartspokeofaspiritualworldthathad
almostbeenforgotten,andthiswasechoedbytwomovementsintheChurch. The
EvangelicalrevivaldrewonthePuritantraditionandsawareturntosolidBiblical
preaching,andtheurgencyofindividualconversion.Livescouldbechangedbyareal
encounterwiththelivingGod.Atthesametime,theOxfordMovement,orthe
Anglo-Catholicrevival,rediscoveredthesupernaturalcharacteroftheChurchandits
continuitywithCatholicism.Thesacramentswerepreachedashavingrealspiritual
power,andchurcheswerebuiltanddecoratedasthoughthehighdaysofmediaeval
Catholicismhadreturned.Bothofthesemovementsinjectednewlifeintothe
Church,andsparkedmissionaryoutreachespeciallyintheterritoriesoftheBritish
Empire.
Itshouldbesaidaswellthat,althoughEnlightenmentrationalismleftmanypeople
wantingsomethingmore,italsogavetotheChurchofEnglandathirdstrandof
tradition,aliberaltraditionthatsoughttobeopentorationalenquiryandnotto
insisttoomuchonparticulardoctrines.
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Thesethreetraditions,Evangelical,Anglo-CatholicandLiberal,haveshapedthe
ChurchofEnglandasitistoday.Sometimesthe tensionsbetweenthemareevident,
aswiththedisputesoversexualityandtheordinationofwomen.Butthetraditions
canalsoworktogether.ThisChurch,StPeter lePoer,wasopenedin1910andhas
alwaysbeenintheAnglo-Catholictradition,whichwasdominantinLondonatthe
timeofitsfounding.Hencethestatues,thevestmentsandincense,thecentralityof
thehighaltarandthetabernaclewiththereservedSacrament.Butwesharetheuse
ofourbuildingwithGraceChurch,whoareintheEvangelicaltradition,withastrong
emphasisonteachingfromtheBible.Differenttraditions,butpartofthesame
ChurchofEngland.Thisisourparticularstory,thehistoryofourpartoftheone
ChurchofJesusChristspreadthroughouttheworld.
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