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England is a largely Christian country, at least culturally. There are today several different important denominations. Christianity was introduced by the Romans. After the fall of Rome and Anglo-Saxon invasions, the country had to be re-chritianized. The Church of England (Anglicans/Episcopalians) is the established church and a Protestant denomination. The Anglicans or Church of England was founded by King Henry VIII in a dispute over divorce with the Catholic Church (16th century). The Anglican Church was an important source of support for the Crown, but would play a major role in the Glorious Revolution (17th century). There are several other Protestant denominations. Dissenters played an importabt role in both the English Civil War and the settlement of North America. The Puritans were a disenter group who helped found America. The Methodists developed in England, named after their methodical Bible study. They played a major role in the English abolitionist movement. The Presbyterians devloped from Scottish origins. Another denominations were the Baptists, but they proved more important in America. There are also English Catholics. They included English who refused to accept the Protestant Church of England during the Reformation. Since the Potato Famine, large numbers of Irish people, mostly Catholic, have emigrated to 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.
Christianity was introduced by the Romans. After the fall of Rome and Anglo-Saxon invasions, the country had to be re-Chritianized which occurred in the early medieval period. And it was the Roman Church headed by the pope rather than Celtic church that predominated in England. Thus for the rest of the medieval period a part of the Western or Roman Catholic community. During the medieva; period in England as the rest of Europe conflicts developed between church and state centered on the investiture controversy. This condlict in Britain is well known and culminated in the conflict between King Henry II and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket (12th century). As a result, perhaps in part because of its geographic location, the English Crown established a high degreee of control over the English Church. The English Church over time Over time acquired a vast amount of property as people bequethed their property or part of their property to the Church. It was widely believed at the time that gifts to the Church were good deeds thst improved one's chances to enter heven. Thus when Henry VIII broke from the Roman Church during the Reformation, his primary action other than purging the Church of Roman loyalists was to attack and seize the monasteries and distribute the land to his supporters. This in effect made the Reformation irreversible in England. As a result of this and further more radical Protestant reforms, the Catholic Church was much reduced in England and perscecuted in many ways, although not as severely as in Catholic countries like Italy and Spain. There continued to be English Catholics who held on to thedir faith. They included English who refused to accept the Protestant Church of England during the Reformation. Since the Potato Famine, large numbers of Irish people, mostly Catholic, have emigrated to England.
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 recohnize papal authority and a proptestant church has continued to be wage 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 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). 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 coyntries 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.
The Protestant Reformation began in England with King Henry VIII broke the relationship of the Church of England with the pope and thus the Roman Church. Henry broke with Rome in a dispute over divorce (16th century). Henry's Church of England was far too Catholic for the growing body English Protestants. He had no intention of launching the Reformation in England and changing the theology and liturgy of the Church or of allowing multuple denominations to form. Subsequent monarchs with the exception Mary moved the COE increasingly toward Protestantism. This ternded to change with the Stuarts, especially after James. The result was essentially creating an incubation chamber for discenting sects. Chasrles I would lose his head in the process. There are today several important Protestant churches in England. The COE has at time been viewed as a Protestant Church and at other times an essentially a Catholic Church that did not recognize the authority of the pope. A major tenant of Protestantism, however, was Bible reading and study. This inevitably led to the rise of disenting Protestant denominztions more in line with the more radical Protestant denominations on the Continent. There are thus several other Protestant denominations. Dissenters played an important role in both the English Civil War and the settlement of North America. There are thus several other Protestant denominations. Dissenters played an important role in both the English Civil War and the settlement of North America. The Puritans were a disenter group who helped found America. The Methodists developed in England, named after their methodical Bible study. They played a major role in the English abolitionist movement. The Presbyterians devloped from Scottish origins. Another denominations were the Baptists, but they proved more important in America.
The Baptists are one of the many Protestant denominations that emerged from the Protestant reformation. Luther and German Protestants were not apostles of religious freedom. Only once the break from Rome occurred, it was virtually inevitable that more than one Protestant church would emerge. The Baptists appear to have emerged from the relatively open religious environment of the Netherlands. Differing religious ideas in Germany faced severe opposition not only from the Catholic church, but Luther's reformed church as well. There is some disagreement among Baptists as to their origins. The most common understanding is that the first Baptist church was formed in Amsterdam, but with English roots (1609). English Separatist John Smyth was the pastor forming the church.【Gourley】 Smyth like Luther and other early Protestants believed in reading the Bible for religious inspiration. And like any major religious text, inevitably different religious ideas are going to emerge. As for Smyth and other Presidents this meant the New Testament and the issue he focused on was baptism, one of the Church's most important sacraments. Smyth agreed that baptism was important, but he objected to the baptism of infants which was the Catholic practice and accepted by Luther and most other Protestants. He believed that this baptism should only occur when the individual was old enough to understand the commitment he was making. 【Cross】 From the original Dutch church, Baptist beliefs spread to England. The environment there was not as open because of the established Church of England, but it was generally more free than on the Continent. Two schools of thought developed in England, the General and Particular Baptists. The General Baptists saw Christ's message applying to all of mankind. The Particular Baptists in contrast took the view that it only applied to the elect--an opinion taken by some other Protestant denominations. 【Benedict】 This was a major rift which developed among Protestants. Thomas Helwys enunciated a very important Baptist belief that would eventually become a major Protestant contribution to Western civilization. Helwys insisted that the church and the state should be separate. That there should be no established church. This of course put Helwys and his church in conflict with the Church of England and the monarchy tied to it. It was essentially the formulation of freedom of religion which would eventually become an important Protestant tenement--first in America and eventually in England as well. Helwys would be arrested by King James I and perish in prison. The idea of religious freedom, however, was inevitable among Protestants. There were so many Protestant different denominations, that Protestant countries over time had to embrace the idea.
The Methodists developed in England, named after their methodical Bible study. They played a major role in the English abolitionist movement.
The Presbyterians devloped from Scottish origins, heavily influenced by Calvin. John Knox played a major role in the development of Presbyterianism. Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans still generally supported the divine right of kings to rule although they differed on the authority of the papacy. This meant that they generally denied the right of resistance to the king by his subjects. Luthir was horrified when the peasants rose up in Germany. One of the many different streams of Protestantism was Calvinism which formed the basis for Presbyterianism. Calvin was not a believer in what we call democracy today, but he did believe in limitation on monarchial rule. He thought that there were mutual obligations of the ruler and the ruled and that the individual had the right if not the obligation to resist any interference by state or hierarchy between him and his God.
The Puritans or Pilgrims were a disenter group which helped found America. Radical Calvinists were at the heart of Puritan Protestantism. King James I attempted to stop thevPilgrams and the Mayflower from sailing (1620). Resisting the established Church, Puritans also resisted the attemps by the Stuarts after James to impose French and Catholic styled absolutism. The resulting Civil War and Glorious Revolutions were key steps toward the development of democracy in England. And this was the tradition brought to the American colonies. The Puritans once across the ocean they developed unchecked, in part because the Crown became distracted by the Civil War.
Ecumenism is the modern movement toward Christian unity or at least cooperation. This is aodern term and beforeWorld war II the different Christian churches were sharply separated. People tend to socialize around church communities. Marrying outside's one faith was a major decision. This was often referred to as returning to the unity of the early Church. Actually there was not a lot of unity in the early Church. The first churches were informal groupings of believers wihout any organizational connectins. Because of the repression of the Roman state, many kept their Christian beliefs secret. This and the fact that religious scriptures, including the Bible, can be interprted in many different ways. Thus early churches without any organizational structure or clerical training institutions, churches developed different theological views. Church unity developed only with the growing influence of certain bishopries such as at Rome, Constainople, and Alexandria. And when Constatune legalized the church and made it a state religion did a degree of unity develop. Constantine saw Christian unity as required by state interest. There were major theological issies. The most serious was what came to be called the Arian heresy. The Council of Nicaea (325) was called by Emperor Constantine I. It was the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. They convened in Nicaea (modern İznik). The Emperor although still unbaptized presided over the opening session and took an active part in the discussions. The Council did not end disagreement. And the early Church used state power to enforce their views. Disagreements continued, centered on geographic bisoprics. They were finally formalized by the Greator East-West Schism (1054). The Western Church was further split by the Reformation (1517). These religious diffeences had real consequences. King James moved to prevent desenters from settling in English colonies (1620). The French, Portuguese, and Spanish succeded which had a major impact on colonial development. Religious differences ultimately led to the terrible relgious wars (17th century). This intensfied relgious hatred. Notably Queen Mary acquired the sobriquent 'Bloody'. and the conflict between denminations continued into the 19th century, especially affecting the status of Catholics. Other denominations chafed over the status of the Establihed Church of England. Only after the mid-19th cetury did the ecumenical movement begin to develop. An early importat step was the salvation Army. Important steps here were public schools in the late-19th century. The non-demominational Salvation Army was founded (1865). The Children's Special Service Mission (CSSM) was organized (1867). It is now known as the Scripture Union. It was founded by Thomas 'Pious' Hughes and Josiah Spiers in Islington, London. This like the salvation army was both evangelical and ecumenical. It proved very popular with chidren because it was less formal than Sunday Schools of the day and sought to put together fun activities. The CSSM attracted children who often brouht friends from other churches. CSSM developed into into an international movement that included both actual buildings as well as popular beach missions. The School Reform Act leading to the creation of Board Schools was an important step briging children of different denominations together (1870). The Boy Scouts were another important step (1906). Not all troops were sponsored by churches. And unlike European Scout movement, there was on one national assiciation and not separate denominational associations. The International Missionary Conference was held at Edinburgh (1910). Protestants at this time began to use the term ecumenism to describe the gathering of missionary, evangelistic, service, and unitive forces. The movement at first did not include Catholics.
Benedict, David (1848). A General History of the Baptist Denomination in America and Other Parts of the World (1848).
Cross, F.L., ed. "Baptists", The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005).
Gourley, Bruce. "A very brief introduction to Baptist history, then and now." The Baptist Observer.
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