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"High Church" relates to ecclesiology and liturgy in Christian theology and practice. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the The Lambeth Conferences are decennial assemblies of Bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Anglican Communion Primates' Meetings are regular meetings of the Anglican Primates, i The Anglican Consultative Council or ACC is one of the four "Instruments of Communion" of the Anglican Communion. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th century England by which the Church of England first broke away from the authority of the Pope The Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe, is an Apocalyptically oriented English Protestant account of the Persecutions of Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl of Essex (c 1485 &ndash 28 July 1540) was an English statesman who served as King Henry VIII 's chief minister Richard Hooker (March 1554 – 3 November 1600) was an Anglican priest and an influential theologian. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Archbishop William Laud (7 October 1573 - 10 January 1645 was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645 In a Catholic sense the term "saint" refers to any person in Heaven&mdashhowever since the 10th century the title "Saint" is only given to persons who have been officially The Book of Common Prayer is the common title of a number of prayer books of the Church of England and used throughout the Anglican Communion. Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative Broad Church is a term referring to Latitudinarian Churchmanship in the Church of England, in particular and Anglicanism, in general The Oxford Movement or Tractarianism was an affiliation of High Church Anglicans, most of whom were members of the University of Oxford, who sought The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion were established in 1563 and are the historic defining statements of Anglican doctrine in relation to the controversies of the The Anglican Homilies (1547 1562 and 1571 are two books of thirty-three sermons developing the Reformed doctrines of the Anglican Communion in greater depth and detail than Anglican doctrine (also called Episcopalian doctrine in some countries is the body of Christian teachings used to guide the religious and moral practices of Anglicans See also Holy Orders The Anglican ministry is both the leadership and agency of Christian service in the Anglican Communion. In keeping with its prevailing self-identity as a Via media or "middle path" of Western Christianity, Anglican sacramental theology expresses Ecclesiology (from Greek grc ἐκκλησίᾱ ekklēsiā, "congregation church" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of the A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group according to their particular traditions Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Although now used with regard to many Christian denominations, the term has traditionally been associated with the Anglican tradition in particular. List of Christian denominations (or Denominations self-identified as Christian) ordered by historical and doctrinal relationships Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs
The term is often used to describe Anglican churches using a number of ritual practices associated in the popular mind with the Roman Catholic Mass. this article is on the Anglican church in particular See Orthopraxis for ritualism in general The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Supporters of the "High Church" position emphasise that these practices have to do with holiness, sanctity, and respect for God, Jesus, and the Church itself as the Body of Christ. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Body of Christ is a term of Christian Theology, implicitly traceable to Jesus 's statement at the Last Supper that "This is my body" As such they espouse a position that the Church as an organisation and the congregation at worship is "catholic" primarily in the sense that it is joined through its ritual to the Church "universal", and so they employ the terms "High Church" and "Anglo-Catholic". As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism (or sometimes possibly incorrectly High Church &mdashsee below describe people
Due to its history, the term "High Church" can also be used to refer to aspects of Anglicanism quite distinct from the Oxford Movement or Anglo-Catholicism. The Oxford Movement or Tractarianism was an affiliation of High Church Anglicans, most of whom were members of the University of Oxford, who sought There remain parishes which are "High Church" and yet adhere closely to the quintessentially Anglican usages and liturgical practices of the Book of Common Prayer. The Book of Common Prayer is the common title of a number of prayer books of the Church of England and used throughout the Anglican Communion. These congregations are what is termed "Prayer Book" in liturgy, but "High Church" in churchmanship and ecclesiastical outlook. Within Anglicanism the term churchmanship is sometimes used to refer to distinct understandings of church Doctrine and Liturgical practice by members Essentially this can be summed-up as following 'High' Ceremonial but not Catholic doctrine.
Within the Protestant and reformed traditions, the term is used to describe those groups that make a clearer distinction between religious items, people, practices, institutions and authority; and their secular counterparts. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Reformed churches are a group of Christian Protestant Denominations formally characterized by a similar Calvinist system of doctrine historically It would be an over-simplification to say that "high church" practice among Protestants is merely the use of ceremonial and formal worship styles. In general, the term could be applied to any tradition that interprets the religious as fundamentally -- even ontologically -- distinct from all else. For example, those in the high church tradition tend to see clergy as intrinsically different in role, nature and authority from other members of the congregation. Those who take a "low church" view tend to see the clergy as one "calling" -- albeit distinct -- among many essential roles within the congregation.
Elastic in meaning, the term "High Church" has spread to those Protestant denominations which have undergone ritualistic revivals or realignments in their liturgical practices, for example, "High Church" Presbyterianism. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Within Lutheranism there is also a historic "High Church" and "Low Church" distinction that is very comparable to that of Anglicanism (see Neo-Lutheranism and Pietism). Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther High Church Lutheranism is the European name for the Lutheran movement that emphasises worship practices and doctrines that are similar to those found within both Roman Neo-Lutheranism was a 19th century revival movement within Lutheranism which began as a reaction against theological rationalism and Pietism. Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later
In contemporary Roman Catholicism, the term "high church" is sometimes used in contrast to "Traditional Catholic" to refer to Catholics who favour traditional celebrations of the reformed liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, with such practices as the use of incense, eastward celebration at Mass, the use of Latin, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Traditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics, or people who identify as Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical This article is about the post-Vatican-II changes to the Mass for an explanation of the current structure of the Mass see Mass (Catholic Church. Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is a devotional ceremony celebrated within the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in some Anglican
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Evolution of the term "High Church"
The nineteenth century Oxford Movement within the Church of England began as a "High Church" movement, following a call to action to save the Church, whose position, with emancipation of Roman Catholics and other changes in the English body politic, was perceived as being in danger. The Oxford Movement or Tractarianism was an affiliation of High Church Anglicans, most of whom were members of the University of Oxford, who sought The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican High Churchmen strove against the erosion of the Church of England's traditionally privileged and legally entrenched role in English society. Over time a significant number of the leading lights of the Oxford Movement converted to Roman Catholicism, following the path of their spiritual precursor, John Henry Cardinal Newman, one of the fathers of the Oxford Movement, and, for a time, a High Churchman himself. Family John Henry Newman was born in London and was the eldest son of John Newman (d A lifelong High Churchman, the Reverend Edward Bouverie Pusey, remained the spiritual father of the Oxford Movement, and in Holy Orders of the Church of England. Edward Bouverie Pusey ( 22 August 1800 - 16 September, 1882) was an English churchman and Regius Professor of Hebrew
Today, a source of continuing division between the "High Church" party and some Anglo-Catholics and the Roman Catholic Church itself is the attitude taken by some liberals in the Anglican Communion regarding practices which to orthodox Roman Catholic teaching are strictly anathema, such as the ordination of women, and, increasingly, acceptance and ordination of openly homosexual people. The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism (or sometimes possibly incorrectly High Church &mdashsee below describe people Anathema (in Greek Ανάθεμα meaning originally something lifted up as an offering to the gods later with evolving meanings it came to mean to be formally In general religious use Ordination is the process by which a person is consecrated (set apart for the administration of various religious rites Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. [1] A longer standing issue, however, is the Roman Church's historical refusal to consider the ordination of Anglican priests as valid;[2] hence, for example, a Roman Catholic is not permitted to receive communion from an Anglican priest, and an Anglican is forbidden to take Holy Communion from a Catholic Priest, as the (Roman) Catholic Church forbids this practice, except in limited circumstances. [3]
In the 17th century, the term "High Church" was used to describe those divines and laity who placed a "high" emphasis on complete adherence to the Established Church position, including some elements that involved ritual or liturgical practice inherited from the Early Church or Undivided Church. An established church is a church officially sanctioned and supported by the government of a country e Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c In the early days of Anglicanism's existence as a Church entirely independent of the Roman Catholic Church, this position was unremarkable, but as the Puritans began demanding that the English Church abandon its traditional liturgical emphases, episcopal structures, parish ornaments, and the like, the "High Church" position came to be distinguished increasingly from that of the Latitudinarians, who sought to minimise the differences of Anglicans from other believers in Reformed Christianity, and to make the Church as inclusive as possible by opening its doors as widely as possible to admit believers of all Christian viewpoints, except Roman Catholics. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group according to their particular traditions Episcopal polity is a form of church governance which is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a Bishop (Greek Latitudinarian was initially a pejorative term applied to a group of 17th-century English Theologians who believed in conforming to official Church of England
During the reign of King James I, there were attempts to diminish the growth of party feeling within the Church of England, and indeed to reconcile to the Church moderate Puritans who did not already conform to the Established Church or who had left the Church in recent years. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James The project to create the Authorized Version of the Bible saw one such attempt reach fruition. The continued use of what has also been termed the King James version of the Bible by Anglicans and Protestants alike in the English-speaking world is a reflection of the success of this endeavour at cooperation.
During the reign of King Charles I, however, as divisions between Puritan and Anglican elements within the Church of England became more bitter, and Protestant Nonconformity outside the Church grew stronger in numbers and more vociferous, the "High Church" position became associated with the leadership of the "High Church" Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, (see Laudianism), and government policy to curtail the growth of Protestant Dissent in England and the other possessions of the Crown. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Nonconformism is the refusal to conform to common standards conventions rules customs traditions norms or laws Archbishop William Laud (7 October 1573 - 10 January 1645 was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645 Laudianism was an early Seventeenth-century reform movement within the Church of England, promulgated by Archbishop William Laud and his supporters English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England. See, for example, the attempt to re-impose episcopacy on the Church of Scotland, a policy that was 'successful' until the reign of William and Mary, when the office of bishop was discontinued except among the small minority of Scots who belonged to the Scottish Episcopal Church. The Church of Scotland (Eaglais na h-Alba known informally by its Scots language name The Kirk, is the National church of Scotland.
To a lesser extent, looking back from the 19th century, the "High Church" also came to be associated with the beliefs of the Caroline divines, and with the pietistic emphases of the period, practised by the Anglican community at Little Gidding, such as fasting and lengthy preparations before receiving the Eucharist. The Caroline Divines were influential theologians and writers in the Anglican Church who lived during the reigns of King Charles I and after the Restoration Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all Food, Drink, or both for a period of time The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those
After the Restoration, the term "High Church" became associated with those who took the view that the Church of England forever ought to be specially protected against all other Christian beliefs, which it termed sectarian. The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored Sectarianism is Bigotry, Discrimination, Prejudice or Hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions
In the wake of the disestablishment of Anglicanism and the persecution of Anglican beliefs and practices under the Commonwealth, the return of the Anglican party to power in the Cavalier Parliament saw a strong revival of the "High Church" position in the English body politic. The Commonwealth of England was the Republican government which ruled first England (including Wales) and then Ireland and Scotland The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from May 8, 1661 until January 24, 1679. Victorious after a generation of struggle, the Anglican gentry felt the need to re-entrench the re-Anglicanised Church of England as one of the most important elements of the Restoration Settlement through a renewed and strengthened alliance between Throne and Altar, or Church and State. The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored Reverence for martyrdom of the Stuart king Charles I as an upholder of his Coronation Oath to protect the Church of England became a hallmark of "High Church" orthodoxy. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. At the same time, the Stuart dynasty was expected to maintain its adherence to Anglicanism. This became an important issue for the High Church party and it was to disturb the Restoration Settlement under Charles II's brother, King James II, a convert to Roman Catholicism, and lead to setbacks for the "High Church" party. These events culminated in the Glorious Revolution and the exclusion of the Catholic Stuarts from the British Throne. The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (VII of Scotland in 1688 by a union The subsequent split over the matter office-holders' oaths of allegiance to the Crown and the Royal Succession which led to the exclusion of the Non-Juror bishops who refused to recognise the 1688 de facto abdication of the King, and the accession of King William III and Queen Mary II, and did much to damage the unity of "High Church" party. The nonjuring schism was a split in the Anglican Church in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, over whether William of Orange could legally be recognized William III or William of Orange (14 November 1650 &ndash 8 March 1702 He is informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy" Mary II (30 April 1662 &ndash 28 December 1694 reigned as Queen of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689 until her death
Later events surrounding the attempts of the Jacobites, the adherents of the excluded dynasts, to regain the English and Scottish thrones, led to a sharpening of anti-Catholic rhetoric in Britain and a distancing of the High Church party from the more ritualistic aspects of Caroline High churchmanship, which were often associated with the schismatic Non-Jurors. Jacobitism was (and to a limited extent remains the political movement dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland The nonjuring schism was a split in the Anglican Church in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, over whether William of Orange could legally be recognized Eventually, under Queen Anne, the High Church party saw its fortunes revive with those of the Tory party, with which it was then strongly associated. Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714 became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702 succeeding William III of England and II of In the political tradition of some English-speaking countries, the term Tory has referred to a variety of political parties and Creeds since it was
However, under the early Hanoverians, the fortunes of both the High Church and Tory parties were once again out of favour. This led to an increasing marginalisation of High Church and Tory viewpoints, as much of the 18th century was given over to the rule of the Whig party and the aristocratic families who were in large measure pragmatic latitudinarians in churchmanship. This was also the Age of Reason, which marked a period of great spiritual somnolence and stultification in the Church of England. 17th century philosophy in the Western world is generally regarded as being the start of Modern philosophy, and a departure from the medieval approach
Thus, by the end of the 18th century, and the beginning of the 19th, those liturgical practices which were prevalent even in High Church circles were not of the same tenor as those which were later to be found under the Catholic revival of the 19th century. High Church clergy and laity were often termed "high and dry", in reference to their traditional "high" attitude with regard to political position of the Church in England, and "dry" faith, which was accompanied by an austere but decorous mode of worship, as reflective of their idea of an orderly and dignified churchmanship against the rantings of the low churchmen that their Cavalier ancestors had defeated. Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War ( 1642 &ndash 1651 Over time, their High Church position had become ossified among a remnant of bookish churchmen and country squires. A fine example of an early 19th century churchman of this tradition is Sir Robert Inglis MP. Sir Robert Harry Inglis 2nd Baronet FRS ( 12 January 1786 &ndash 5 May 1855) was an English Conservative
Only with the success of the Oxford Movement and its increasing emphases on ritualistic revivals from the mid-19th century onward, did the term "High Church" begin to mean something approaching the later term "Anglo-Catholic. this article is on the Anglican church in particular See Orthopraxis for ritualism in general " Even then, it was only employed co-terminously in contrast to the "Low" churchmanship of the Evangelical and Pietist position. Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later This sought, once again, to lessen the separation of Anglicans (the Established Church) from the majority of Protestant Nonconformists, who by this time included the Wesleyans and other Methodists, as well as adherents of older Protestant denominations known by the group term "Old Dissent". In contrast to earlier alliances with the Tories, Anglo-Catholicism became increasingly associated with socialism, the Labour Party, and greater decision-making liberty for the Church's Convocations. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Anglo-Catholics, particularly in London, came to be called "sacramental socialists. "
From the mid-19th century onward, the term "High Church" became associated with an avowedly Anglo-Catholic liturgical or even triumphalist position within the English Church, while the remaining Latitudinarians were referred to as being Broad Church, and the re-emergent Evangelical party was dubbed Low Church. Broad Church is a term referring to Latitudinarian Churchmanship in the Church of England, in particular and Anglicanism, in general Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative However, "high church" can still refer to Anglicans who hold a "high" view of the sacraments, Church Tradition, and the threefold ministry, who nevertheless do not specifically espouse Anglo-Catholicism.
Reference in Popular Culture
In the Graham Greene novel The Quiet American, the main character Thomas Fowler states that he may not divorce or annul his marriage to his estranged wife, because her family is "high church". Henry Graham Greene OM, CH (2 October 1904 &ndash 3 April 1991 was an English writer best known as a novelist but who also produced Short stories The Quiet American ( 1955) is a novel by British author Graham Greene.
Bibliography
- Hein, David. "The High Church Origins of the American Boarding School. " Journal of Ecclesiastical History 42 (1991): 577-95.
- Hylson-Smith, Kenneth. High Churchmanship in the Church of England, From the Sixteenth Century to the Late Twentieth Century. Edinburgh: T&T Clark: 1993.
References and notes
- ^ Note: It is also often such doctrinal and disciplinary differences that have led to the many schisms of "High Church" Anglo-Catholics from within the Churches of the Anglican Communion in the USA, Canada, and elsewhere in the Anglican Communion.
- ^ Apostlicae Curae, 1896 Leo XIII
- ^ can 844, Code oc Canon Law 1983
See also
- Broad church
- Low Church
- Anglicanism
- Church of England
- Anglo-Catholicism
- Continuing Anglican Movement
- Neo-Lutheranism
- High Church Lutheranism
- Anglican devotions
- Evangelical catholic
- Scottish Church Society
- Ritualism
External links
- Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes A High Church
- Liturgical Features of High Church Anglicanism
- A Guide to the Solemn High Mass
- The Church of the Advent Boston Guide to Solemn Mass
- Old St Paul's Church Edinburgh - the oldest Scottish Episcopal congregation in Scotland
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