The Take-Away - Anglicanism

Last week our section of Christianity's Family Tree focused on Anglicanism.  King Henry VIII sought an annulment from Catherine of Aragon.  The Pope excommunicated him from the Roman Catholic Church.  King Henry VIII declared that the KING should be the leader of the Church, and he developed a new group - the Catholic Church of England.  Religious chaos ensued, and Queen Elizabeth I sought to find the via media ("middle way") between Catholicism and Protestantism.  She brought forward the Book of Common Prayer.  James I thought that a new translation of the Bible was needed, and the translation that became the Bible of the via media was the King James Bible.

Anglicans wanted a "middle road" between Catholicism and Protestantism:

Catholicism - Bishops, priests, and deacons
                       Seven Sacraments
                       Sense of reverence and liturgy

Protestantism - Baptism makes everyone a minister of the Gospel
                         Bishops, priests, and deacons can be married and can be women

Anglican's beliefs are centered on the "Three-Legged Stool" of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason

Adam Hamilton emphasized the importance of prayer to the denomination.  Their phrase, lex orandi, lex credendi, translated from Latin as "As you pray, so you believe."  The Apostle Paul advised Christians in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to "pray without ceasing."

Here's a funny meme that I found, and I thought you all would enjoy it  :-)

Also, I came across this article on the differentiation between the Anglican Church and the Episcopalian Church.  I never knew this and thought it may be helpful for you, too!



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Hamilton, Adam.  Christianity's Family Tree.   Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007.