Figure 1.-- This view of an English cathedral choir shows the choristers wearing Eton collars and red cassocks. The Church of England is responsible for the country's magnificent medieval cathedrals. Most of the cathedrals have boy choirs which maintain a very high standard of choral music. Many cathedrals in recent years have added girl choirs. We believe this is the Westminister Abby Choir, but we are not positive.

The Protestant Reformation began in England with King Henry VIII broke the relationship of the Church of England (COE) with the pope and thus the Roman Church. Henry broke with Rome in a dispute over divorce (16th century). He had no intention of changing the theology and liturgy of the Church. This developed later under Edward VI and Elizabeth I. And there was certainly no intention of allowing multiple denominations to organize. These differing poles of orientation between a Catholic church that did not recognize papal authority and a proptestant church has continued to be waged within the COE. Elizabeth saw it as the "via media" (the middle way). The COE under Henry and his sucessors continued as the established church and after Elizabeth became ibcreasingly Protestant. The COE became an important source of support for the Crown, but would play a major role in the Glorious Revolution when threatened by King James II's Catholcism (17th century). Of all the Protestant denominations, the Anglican Church continues to be the denomination with a litergy closest to Roman Catholicism. Over time it became known as the Anglican or Episcopalian Church. The term "Anglican" was applied to the Church of England only in relatively "modern" times after the Church of England had been established throughout the world in British colonies (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, parts of Africa, and of course the United States). Obviously the Church could not be called the Church of England in America and other countries that became independent. While most English people are culturaly Christian. Church attendance, especially at Anglican churches, is very low and large numbers of English people are non-believers. America and Britain are similar in various ways, but this is a basic difference with historical roots in the dissenters who help found New England. It is interesting that the established Anglican COE Church is today probably the least dynamic of all the Christian denominations in England. While most English people are culturaly Christian. Church attendance is very low and large numbers of English people are non-believers. America and Britain are similar in various ways, but this is a basic difference with historical roots in the dissenters who help found New England. It is interesting that the established Anglican COE Church is today probably the least dynamic of all the Christian denominations in England.

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation began in England with King Henry VIII broke tenuous, but existing relationship of the Church of England (COE) with the pope and Roman Church. Henry broke with Rome in a dispute over divorce, not theology (16th century). He had no real afinity with Protestantism or intention of changing the theology and liturgy of the Church. He would have been quite happy to have remained Catholic if the pope had granted him his divorce. And the pope would have been equally happy to grant the divorce except that Queen Catherine was related to his main supporter in the struggle with the Proteatants--Emperor Charles V. The break with Rome and Catholic efforts to reverse this meant that English Catholics had to oppose the Crown. This emensly strengthened the hands of the Protestants. And of great importance, both Prince Edward and Princess Elizabeth as well as Prince Janesin Scotland were raised as Protestants.

Nature of the COE

This developed later under Edward VI and Elizabeth I. And there was certainly no intention of allowing multiple denominations to organize. These differing poles of orientation between a Catholic church that did not recognize papal authority and a protestant church has continued to be waged within the COE. Elizabeth saw it as the "via media" (the middle way). Of all the Protestant denominations, the Anglican Church continues to be the denomination with a litergy closest to Roman Catholicism.

Shift toward Protestantism

The COE under Henry and his sucessors continued as the established church and after Elizabeth became increasingly Protestant. The COE became an important source of support for the Crown, but would play a major role in the Glorious Revolution when threatened by King James II's Catholcism (17th century).

Anglicans

Over time the COE became known as the Anglican or in American the Episcopalian Church. The term "Anglican" was applied to the Church of England only in relatively "modern" times after the Church of England had been established throughout the world in British colonies (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, parts of Africa, and of course the United States). Obviously the Church could not be called the Church of England in America and other countries that became independent.

Oxford Movement

The COE by the 18th century had become very Protestant, but the Oxford Movement in the 19th century restored nearly all of the Catholic emphasis in the so-called Oxford Movement (one of the most famous leaders was of course John Henry Newman, who eventually became a Cardinal in the Roman Church). Monastic orders of monks and nuns, for instance, were reestablished and also the centrality of the Mass. These still exist today.

High and Low Church

Well both the American Episcopal Church and the Church of England have low church and high church wings. But the more influential bishops and clergy, not necessarily the majority, tend to be more oriented to Catholic traditions of belief and worship, using Eurchastic vestments, incense, sanctus bells, candles, holy water, crucifixes, and the like as outward symbols of the ancient faith. The present Archbishop of Canterbury comes from the Anglo-Catholic tradition. Most contemporary Anglicans don't consider themselves to be Protestants. There has been an ongoing dialogue between the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury for almost a century, but there continue to be obstacles to full reunion including the ordination of women and acceptance of homosexuals in the clergy.

Monarchy

There continues to be a close association between the Church of England and the Monarchy. The coronation service is an Anglican rite and has been since the coronation of Elizabeth I, just as it was a Roman Catholic rite up until the coronation of Edward VI. The Archbishop of Canterbury is specifically charged with the office of crowning and anointing the new monarch. And there is the old tradition of the divine right of kings latent in the crowning ceremony itself--i.e., the king as divinely chosen by God and having quasi-priestly status. If the Church of Enngland were to be disestablished, who would serve to bless, anoint, and crown the monarch? In the doing of homage at the coronation service, a rite in which the entire nobility in order of their degrees kneel before the newly crowned sovereign and swear the ancient medieval oath to be the new monarch's "liege man of life and limb," the Archbishop of Canterbury is the first to do homage, kneeling and taking the oath of allegiance on behalf of all the other bishops (the lords spiritual) just as dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, and barons do in order of their ranks as peers of the realm. Royal marriages and funerals are always celebrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury with the aid of his subordinate clergy. There are certain churches, most notably Westminster Abbey (originally a Benedictine Abbey), which are known as "royal peculiars" and are directly under the authority of the Queen and not part of any diocese or responsible to a bishop. The whole structure of the monarchy and the titles of nobility that go with it is tied to the official episcopacy. When King James I was opposed by the Puritans who wanted a church without bishops, James said very indignatnly "No Bishop, no King." The monarchy implies bishops and secular lords by ancient tradition as reflected in the House of Lords. And of course when James II began putting COE prelates, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Tower, he undermined his last remaining source of support--the COE. It would be the last archbishop of Canterbury sent to the Tower by an English monarch.

First Communion

For many years in the Church of England and the Episcopal Church, there was a tradition that children did not receive Holy Communion until they had been confirmed--at about age 13 years, whereas Roman Catholic children tended to receive Holy Communion much earlier, and the typical age was about 7 or 8, although this has varied over time. Except in the Anglo-Catholic tradition in the Episcopal Church and COE, where the Mass was always the central service, most "low church" or "broad church" parishes made Matins (also called Morning Prayer) the central service on Sunday with Holy Communion (or the Mass) reserved for early services (usually 8 AM) and also in many places substituting for Morning Prayer at 11:00 or 10:30 AM one Sunday a month. So in such churches first communion often coincided with confirmation, and the special dress-up clothes served for both purposes at the same service (confirmation and first communion put back to back as it were). In the 1970s numerous liturgical reforms took place throuhgout the Anglican Communion (both in England and in North America), one of the most significant of which was to restore Holy Communion (or the Mass) to the place of centrality on Sundays. Now, if an Episcopalian or Anglican goes to church on Sunday morning, he is much more likely to find himself at Mass than at Morning Prayer. The New Prayer Book of the Episcopal Church (officially adopted in the United States in 1978) makes Holy Communion the most central and most common service that worshippers attend. So, liturgically speaking, the church has become much more Catholic. And the lectionary of the Episcopal Church as well as its liturgical calendar is now, for the most part, in sync with that of the Roman Catholic Church (although there are some exceptions). The readings tend to be the same in both on a given Sunday. With the changes in a more Catholic direction has also come the practice of allowing very young children to receive Holy Communion when they go to the altar rail with their parents or guardians. In my parish, for instance, it is common for children as young as 2 or 3 years to receive communion. So the special service of a child's "first communion" has tended to disappear in both the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches since there is no longer an official age at which children are admitted to the Eucharist. The only requirement now in both the Catholic and Anglican traditions is that persons must be baptized to receive communion. And baptism normally occurs when children are still babes in arms. Of course if people become converts to Anglicanism and have not been baptized, they must receive baptism first before they are eligible. You see such people at Mass going to the altar and crossing their arms across their chest to indicate to the priest that they desire only to receive a blessing (the sign of the cross on their foreheads) instead of the bread and wine that baptized people are receiving. So the idea of special clothing for a child's first communion has now become archaic in most places. Children, however, still do dress formally in many places for Confirmation (the service in which a person, usually an adolescent, confirms the vows made on his or her behalf at baptism). Confirmation is a sacrament that requires a bishop, so often children go to the cathedral in their diocese to receive the laying on of hands by the diocesan bishop.

Church Dynamism

While most English people are culturaly Christian. Church attendance, especially at Anglican churches, is very low and large numbers of English people are non-believers. America and Britain are similar in various ways, but this is a basic difference with historical roots in the dissenters who help found New England. It is interesting that the established Anglican COE Church is today probably the least dynamic of all the Christian denominations in England. While most English people are culturaly Christian. Church attendance is very low and large numbers of English people are non-believers. America and Britain are similar in various ways, but this is a basic difference with historical roots in the dissenters who help found New England. It is interesting that the established Anglican COE Church is today probably the least dynamic of all the Christian denominations in England.

Establishment

Britain has become a highly secular nation like most of western Europe. Many Anglicans, both those in England and those in more far flung parts of the world, are beginning to regard the erastianism of the COE (it's official status as part of the government with Bishops having seats in the House of Lords as the Lords Spiritual) is at the root of its weakness. Any change in the Book of Common Prayer, for instance, would have to be ratified by Parliament, which includes many non-Christians and non-believers. The Prayer Book has not been officially altered since 1662 at the time of the restoration of Charles II after the Great Revolution when Charles's father, the martyr-king Charles I was given a special day in the liturgical calendar (January 30), a feast that is still celbrated in the Anglo-Catholic churches of Great Britain. The reason the so-called free or dissenting churches in Britain show more dynamism is because they are not tied officially to the British government. After all, the Queen is still officially the head of the Church of England and appoints the bishops with advice from the Prime Minister and a Parliamentary committee. In other parts of the world such as Canada and the United States, the Anglican Church has no connection to government, is not a "state church", and can make its decisions about liturgy and personnel without interference from the existing government. The Episcopal Church of Scotland, which is not the state church (the Church of Scotland is Presbyterian), does much better in terms of strength and attendance than the COE to the south. It is for this reason that many serious Anglicans are hoping for the eventual disestablishment of the Church of England, in which case it would be free to act more like the free churches. It is thought such a move would greatly strengthen Anglicanism in England, but the chances of disestablishment seem pretty dim at the moment. It would be very difficult to overturn the centuries-old tradition of the Church of England as an extension of the monarchy and ruled by Parliament. The Archbishop of Canterbury is not merely the titular authority of the entire Anglican Communion, he is also a kind of official spokesman for national morality in Britain. His title, for instance, is Primate of All England. In practice, it is true, many COE churches have modernized their liturgies and have been permitted to do so on an unofficial basis in the interests of greater flexibility, but no COE church is allowed to have any Prayer Book but the 1662 version in the pews. A more modern order of the Mass is often used for services, but these are only printed in disposable leaflets given to worshipers when they arrive for services. Disestablishment would of course have huge financial and economic consequences. What would happen to all the great medieval cathedrals which are currently maintained as national treasures and are largely funded by the government just as the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are? One interesting historical note: the city of Oxford is of course the seat of the Diocese of Oxford and its cathedral, built by Cardinal Wolsey in the reign of Henry VIII, is also the chapel of Christ Church College, one of the university's most prestigious colleges. The C or E is historically so interwoven with education, hospitals, and other public institutions of Great Britain, that disestablishment would be very complicated and controversial.

Events

We notice various scenes n and around churches. Aome of the events like church services, communion, pinics, sunday school, weddings, and others are obvious. Others we are not sure about. Just what is involved we are not sure. We noted varied groups as well as groups of the same ageand gender. We can tell that they are some kind of church event becuse we see clerical garb or a church is in the background. Hopefully readers will have some idea of what is transpiring.

Created: 6:53 AM 12/10/2010
Last updated: 11:00 PM 1/13/2020