Lecture 24: Anglicans and Puritans

Anglicans and Puritans .....................................................................

Lecture 24

Anglican theology is the theology of the Anglicana Ecclesia in Latin, the

Church of England, to translate into English. Anglican is now a much

broader term; it is not just the Church of England.

A

nglican is from a Latin word meaning “English,” and refers to

the Church of England. The Anglican communion is a worldwide

fellowship of national churches in communion with the established

Church of England. The Anglican communion is led but not governed by

the archbishop of Canterbury in England. Its main American branch is the

Episcopal Church.

Anglican theology, that is, the teachings of the Church of England, is

often described as a via media, a “middle way” between Catholicism and

Protestantism. Its most important document, the Book of Common Prayer,

contains a liturgy with many Catholic elements. The prayer book treats

baptism (including infant baptism, which is the norm) as regenerating.

The eucharistic liturgy is ambiguous on the issue of the real presence of

Christ’s body and blood, so that both Lutherans and Calvinists have found it

acceptable. This deliberate ambiguity is characteristically Anglican, allowing

people with quite different theologies to participate in the same church.

Its doctrinal formula, the 39 Articles, leans in a more Reformed direction.

The eating of Christ’s À esh in the Eucharist is entirely spiritual, suggesting

no real presence of Christ’s body in the bread. Predestination is af¿ rmed in a

way that suggests, but does not positively state, unconditional election. The

articles include a strong doctrine of prevenient grace, but no af¿ rmation that

it is ever irresistible.

The ambiguity of these documents was of great importance because of the

establishment of the Church of England. “Established” church is a technical

term, meaning a state church supported and to some extent supervised

and enforced by the government. The Church of England was required by

Parliament in the Act of Uniformity (1559) to conduct services according