Anglicanism

Anglicanism, known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a major tradition within Western Christianity that emerged from the Church of England during the English Reformation. It represents one of the world’s largest Christian traditions, numbering approximately 110 million adherents, most of whom belong to national or regional provinces of the Anglican Communion. This international fellowship of autonomous churches is the third-largest Christian communion globally and identifies the archbishop of Canterbury as first among equals, a symbolic role without jurisdiction beyond England.

Historical Origins and Development

Anglicanism took shape in the context of the wider Protestant Reformation in Europe. The Church of England asserted its independence from the Holy See during the reign of Elizabeth I, building upon reforms initiated under Henry VIII and articulated with clarity by Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury. Sixteenth-century formularies such as the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion and the Books of Homilies expressed a theological vision blending elements of Reformed Protestantism with traditional structures and practices of the ancient English Church.
By the early seventeenth century, theologians of the Church of England and the Church of Ireland increasingly portrayed Anglicanism as a distinctive Christian tradition, occupying a via media between Lutheran and Calvinist influences and later between Protestant and Catholic expressions of Christianity. This understanding profoundly shaped later Anglican identity and contributed to the description of Anglicanism as both catholic and reformed.
The global spread of Anglicanism followed the expansion of the British Empire. Anglican structures were established across North America, Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific, often facilitated by missionary societies and by colonial bishops appointed to new dioceses. After the American Revolution, congregations in the United States and British North America reorganised into independent churches—the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada—each governed locally but maintaining historic continuity with the Church of England.
In the nineteenth century the term Anglicanism was adopted to describe this shared ecclesial tradition, including the Scottish Episcopal Church, which maintained episcopal orders after the Scottish Reformation and increasingly aligned with the wider Anglican pattern of worship and governance.

Terminology and Identity

The word Anglican derives from a phrase in Magna Carta meaning “the English Church shall be free.” Today the term describes the doctrines, liturgical traditions, institutions and people associated with the Church of England and its global counterparts. As a noun, it refers to members of churches in the Anglican Communion, though it is also used by groups outside the communion, including Continuing Anglican and Anglican realignment churches.
Legal usage in Britain typically refers simply to the “Church of England,” though the term Protestant appears in legislative contexts relating to the monarchy and public office. Elsewhere, the term Episcopal is sometimes preferred, particularly in the United States and Scotland, to emphasise governance by bishops. In other regions, Anglican Church is used to distinguish these bodies from other episcopal traditions.

Foundations of Belief and Practice

Anglican faith and practice are grounded in the Bible, the traditions of the apostolic Church, apostolic succession, the historic episcopate and the writings of early Church Fathers. The Apostles’ Creed is understood as the baptismal symbol, while the Nicene Creed is regarded as a sufficient statement of Christian belief. Anglicans hold that Holy Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation and view reason and tradition as important aids for interpreting Scripture—a balance famously articulated by Richard Hooker.
Anglicans adhere to the teachings expressed in the ecumenical creeds and draw guidance from patristic thought, especially from the first five centuries of Christianity, following principles championed by Lancelot Andrewes and Georg Calixtus. Although Anglicans broadly agree on the primacy of Scripture, there is no universal consensus on the precise relationship between Scripture, reason and tradition, contributing to a wide theological spectrum.

Worship, Sacraments and Liturgical Tradition

Worship within Anglicanism centres on the Eucharist—also called Holy Communion, the Mass or the Lord’s Supper. The Eucharist is understood as a communal act of thanksgiving and remembrance in which Christ’s life, death and resurrection are proclaimed. The consecrated bread and wine are held to be the true body and blood of Christ in a spiritual sense, serving as outward signs of inward grace.
Anglican liturgy allows a considerable range of expression from simple forms to highly ceremonial worship. A defining feature of Anglican identity is the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), a collection of services used in various forms across Anglican churches for centuries. The BCP has served as a central unifying influence, shaping patterns of prayer, scripture reading and sacramental life throughout the communion.

Global Structure and Diversity

The Anglican Communion consists of autonomous provinces, each with its own canon law, episcopal leadership and synodical structures. All share communion with the See of Canterbury. The archbishop convenes the Lambeth Conference, chairs the Primates’ Meeting and presides over the Anglican Consultative Council, the main instruments of unity in a communion that has no central legislative authority.
Some churches outside the official Anglican Communion also claim Anglican identity, including those in the Continuing Anglican movement and the Anglican realignment, often organised in response to doctrinal or moral disagreements with mainstream Anglican provinces.

Contemporary Perspectives

Anglicanism continues to encompass diverse theological viewpoints, ranging from evangelical to Anglo-Catholic traditions, with differing emphases on Protestant and Catholic elements. This breadth has been both a strength and a source of tension, shaping debates on theology, social issues and church governance. Despite such differences, Anglicanism remains defined by its historic liturgical tradition, its commitment to scripture interpreted through reason and tradition, and its pursuit of a balanced path between the major branches of Western Christianity.