The Anglican Church
The Anglican Church
There are many differences between individual Anglican churches, but share these ideas:
The Anglican Church has (more or less!) maintained diversity in unity, balancing faith, reason, tradition, and experience. The other principal Christian denominations with a presence in England are: the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the Baptist Church, the United Reformed Church, and the Society of Friends (Quakers) - click on the names to see their websites. There are also a number of evangelical congregations which do not belong to a denomination. Worldwide, there are also the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Unitarians - the list goes on. The Anglican Church as historical accident It is often said that the Church of England came into being simply because Henry VIII wanted his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. It is quite a bit more complicated than that. King Henry's main concern, supported by many English churchmen, was independence from the authority of the Pope in Rome. The history of the church in England after that is fascinating and complex. The monarch is the 'Supreme Governor' of the church and there has often been a creative tension between church and state. The church has continued to accommodate strong traditions of both Catholicism and Protestantism. There are wide differences of styles of worship. The role of women
![]() Most services, translations of the Bible, and modern hymns use inclusive language. Some traditional hymns and forms of service do use male-specific language which can't be removed without damage to their poetic quality. We still (but not always) refer to God as ‘He’ and ‘Father’, because the English language has no suitable neutral terms other than the impersonal ‘it’.
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