Comments on: Is the Church of England considered a Protestant church?

By: greyguy

greyguy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:54:59 +0000

The Church of England and its international adherents ("The Anglican Communion" – including the Episcopal Church of the USA) are indeed Protestant. As the word "Protestant" comes from "protest," it refers to the separation of denominations which protested the central authority of the Roman Catholic Church (the Vatican and the pope). Thus "Protestant" refers to more than Luther’s separation based on liturgical practice and theory. Calvin, Hus, and others split with Rome on issues of liturgy, theology, freedom to disagree, etc., creating what became known as the Reformation.
The English "Reformation" came about because of primarily political issues, mainly the refusal of the pope to grant the king of England an annulment of his marriage. Although the annulment was sought on canonical grounds, it was not for purely canonical issues that the C of E departed from Roman authority. England had long been a force for advancing change in the Roman Catholic Church, and in fact the pope who refused any accommodation with Luther was elected pope by only one vote over an English cardinal who was a supporter of Lutheran-style reforms.
After the split from Rome, the C of E adopted many positions in common with the Lutheran and Calvinist reformed churches and stipulated doctrinally that "The Church of Rome hath erred."
Thus the Church of England and the Anglican Communion like to style themselves as "the only church that is both truly catholic and truly reformed."

Edit: Not all non-Roman Catholic churches are Protestant. The Eastern Churches (e.g., Orthodox and Coptic) are not Protestant. They retain many attributes of the R.C. church – for example, the Coptic Church has its own pope, Pope Shenouda, but disagree on basic issues of theology and doctrine. The term "Protestant" is usually reserved for those denominations which split from Rome after about 1500, and is applicable only to those churches which call themselves Protestant.
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By: Bard

Bard — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:29:59 +0000

Here's an easy way to remember it: the Protestants were protesting against Catholicism. If it's not Catholic but it's still Christian, it's protestant. A church doesn't have to be part of THE Protestant Reformation in order to be protestants.
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By: jormungandr17

jormungandr17 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:41:59 +0000

It's considered Protestant as it broke away from the Catholic Church under Henry VIII, who wanted but was denied a divorce from his wife Catherine of Aragon. However, the many people in the CoE maintain the Mass a priesthood and as well as many beliefs of the Catholic Church, such as saints, which many of the other Protestant branches, such as Presbyterians, have discarded. Hence, the term Anglo-Catholic or High Church.
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By: RachelS165

RachelS165 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:11:59 +0000

Yes. The Church of England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 because King Henry VIII wanted an annullment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. Under pressure from Catherine's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Pope Clement VII refused the annulment. Eventually, Henry, although theologically a doctrinal Catholic, took the position of Supreme Head of the Church of England to ensure the annulment of his marriage and he was excommunicated by Pope Paul II.
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By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:06:59 +0000

They are a protestant church.
The Church of England was established after Luther’s reformation but is a protestant church none the less.
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