Part of a series on |
Anglicanism |
---|
Christianity portal |
Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasize the Catholic heritage (especially pre-Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism.[1][2] Anglo-Catholicism claims to restore liturgical and devotional expressions of church life that reflect the ancient practices of the early and medieval Church.[3]
The term was coined in the early 19th century,[4] although movements emphasizing the Catholic nature of Anglicanism already existed.[5][6] Particularly influential in the history of Anglo-Catholicism were the Caroline Divines of the 17th century, the Jacobite Nonjuring schism of the 17th and 18th centuries, and the Oxford Movement, which began at the University of Oxford in 1833 and ushered in a period of Anglican history known as the "Catholic Revival".[7]
Whereas the Wesleys emphasized the Evangelical heritage of Anglicanism, the Tractarians stressed its Catholic heritage.
In the 20th century, useful and scholarly books on the Articles have included E.J. Bicknell, A Theological Introduction to the Thirty-Nine Articles (1925), and W.H. Griffith Thomas, The Principles of Theology: An Introduction to the Thirty-Nine Articles (1930)--Bicknell from an Anglo-Catholic standpoint, Thomas from an evangelical one.
The term 'Anglo-Catholicism' describes a range of theological views and traditions within Anglicanism which emphasise the continuity of the Church of England - and those churches born out of it - with the teaching and practice of Christianity throughout the ages, rooted in scripture and the teachings of the early church. 'Anglo-Catholics' have always valued the sacramental life of the church, adhering strongly to doctrine such as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the continuity of the apostolic orders of Bishop, Priest and Deacon. A significant stress on liturgy and worship - performed in order to maintain the beauty of holiness - makes worship in an Anglo-Catholic church an experience which is intended to appeal to one's whole person - to heart as well as head, to senses as well as to intellect.