The Encyclopedia of World Religions

Anglicanism S 17

most exalted conceptualization, as in the Pure Land, they represent the wonderful joy of the world of gods and buddhas. The Taoist ( see T AO ISM ) immortals also have some angelic characteris tics, and live in beautiful places in heaven or Earth accompanied by other worldly beings of angelic character. Lately there has been a renewal of interest in angels in popular culture in the United States. These beautiful beings appear to have meaning to many moderns, just as they did for people of the past. Further reading: Gustav Davidson, A Dictionary of Angels (New York: Free Press, 1971); Rosemary Guiley, Encyclopedia of Angels (New York: Facts On File, 1996). Anglicanism The form of C HRISTIANITY repre sented by the Church of England and churches in other parts of the world in “communion” or official association with it. In the early 1530s King Henry VIII (1491–1547) of England wanted to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon (1485–1536). The pope refused to grant him an annulment, so Henry and Parliament, in the Act of Supremacy of 1534, declared the English church to be indepen dent of the PAPACY and the King to be the earthly head of the church, with the Archbishop of C AN TERBURY remaining its ecclesiastical leader. Henry preserved Catholic teachings and practices. After Henry’s death, strong forces favored the more rad ical changes of the Protestant R EFORMATION . Hen ry’s daughter Elizabeth I (1533–1603) mediated between Catholic traditionalism and Protestant reform. Under her the Church of England as we know it took shape. Anglican churches see themselves as pursu ing a middle way between R OMAN C ATHOLICISM and P ROTESTANTISM . Since Elizabeth’s time several movements have stressed one side or the other of its rich heritage. In the 18th century the Church of England experienced revivals that emphasized conversion experiences. A leader in this movement was John W ESLEY (1703–91). He never actually left the Church of England, but his followers estab

lished an independent M ETHODISM . In the 19th cen tury the Oxford Movement sought to reaffirm the Catholic identity of the Anglican tradition. English colonization from the 17th through the 19th century helped spread Anglicanism overseas. Originally Anglicanism was the established or offi cial religion of the American colonies of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia. After the Revolution ary War, American Anglicans formed an indepen dent Episcopal Church ( see E PISCOPALIANISM ). This church was in communion with the Church of England but did not pledge allegiance to the British throne. Since then other Anglican churches have arisen throughout the world. They are referred to collectively as the Anglican Communion. The churches of this communion are independent but recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury as “first among equals.” Their bishops meet roughly every 10 years, in what are called Lambeth Conferences, after the name of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s headquarters in London. Anglicans have not defined themselves by a detailed set of beliefs, as some churches have. They do, however, generally respect a set of Thirty Nine Articles adopted in the 1560s. According to these and other statements, Anglicans acknowl edge the B IBLE as the ultimate authority in matters of faith. Unlike adherents of F UNDAMENTALISM , they have generally been open to modern methods of biblical interpretation. They also acknowledge the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene CREEDS , and they teach the views of the TRINITY and the INCARNATION devel oped in the ancient church. Anglicans have defined themselves much more by practice than by belief. In doing so, they have emphasized WORSHIP as central to the church’s work. The most important document of the church has always been the Book of Common Prayer. Renowned for its beautiful language, it translates into English revised versions of the worship ser vices used before the Protestant Reformation. It has forms for the administration of the traditional seven SACRAMENTS , of which BAPTISM and the E UCHA RIST are said to be most important. Another distinctive mark of the Anglican churches is their emphasis on bishops. They have