The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the origin of the Anglican tradition, with foundational doctrines being contained in the Thirty-nine Articles and The Books of Homilies. Its adherents are called Anglicans.
English Christianity traces its history to the Christian hierarchy recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain by the 3rd century and to the 6th-century Gregorian mission to Kent led by Augustine of Canterbury. It renounced papal authority in 1534, when King Henry VIII failed to secure a papal annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The English Reformation accelerated under the regents of his successor, King Edward VI, before a brief restoration of papal authority under Queen Mary I and King Philip. The guiding theologian that shaped Anglican doctrine was the Reformer Thomas Cranmer, who developed the Church of England's liturgical text, the Book of Common Prayer. The Act of Supremacy 1558 renewed the breach, and the Elizabethan Settlement (implemented 1559–1563) concluded the English Reformation, charting a course for the English church to describe itself as a via media between two branches of Protestantism—Lutheranism and Calvinism—and later, a denomination that is both Reformed and Catholic.
In the earlier phase of the English Reformation there were both Roman Catholic martyrs and Protestant martyrs. The later phases saw the Penal Laws punish Roman Catholics and nonconforming Protestants. In the 17th century, the Puritan and Presbyterian factions continued to challenge the leadership of the church, which under the Stuarts veered towards a more Catholic interpretation of the Elizabethan Settlement, especially under Archbishop Laud. After the victory of the Parliamentarians, the Book of Common Prayer was abolished and the Presbyterian and Independent factions dominated. The episcopacy was abolished in 1646 but the Restoration restored the Church of England, episcopacy and the Book of Common Prayer.
Since the English Reformation, the Church of England has used the English language in the liturgy. As a broad church, the Church of England contains several doctrinal strands: the main traditions are known as Anglo-Catholic, high church, central church, and low church, the latter producing a growing evangelical wing that includes Reformed Anglicanism, with a smaller number of Arminian Anglicans. Tensions between theological conservatives and liberals find expression in debates over the ordination of women and homosexuality. The British monarch (currently Charles III) is the supreme governor and the archbishop of Canterbury (vacant since 12 November 2024, most recently Justin Welby) is the most senior cleric. Jusin Welby resigned as Archbishop after a report on his handling of the Church sex abuse scandal that caused a wave of criticism and calls to resign.
The governing structure of the church is based on dioceses, each presided over by a bishop. Within each diocese are local parishes. The General Synod of the Church of England is the legislative body for the church and comprises bishops, other clergy and laity. Its measures must be approved by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
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