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Introduction
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How did the Church of England evolve over the years?- The emergence of Arminianism
*The Church of England inherited by Charles I was an apparently effective means of limiting religious conflict and ensuring respect for royal authority.
*Nevertheless, there weee signs of change by 1625, the most obvious being the growth of an Arminian theology. It was accurate to label the English Arminian’s as anti- Calvinist (puritan).
*By 1620s, there were signs of an anti- Calvinist reaction, not least on the part of James himself, who found the strident anti- Catholic reaction of many Calvinists in, and out of parliament to be an irritating reaction.
*Anti- Catholic feeling was already well established, as Englands great rivals, France and Spain were ruled by Catholic monarchies.
How did the Church of England evolve over the years?- The early Arminian challenge
*To many Protestants, the Catholic Church was a force for evil, which had corrupted the early Christian church and destroyed the essential doctrines of salvation by faith alone.
*The Arminians argued that church should be decorated with the colour, statues and carvings of the early Church.
*English Arminians were apparently offensive to Puritans and many others- it threatened the rights of the individual to a direct relationship with god, and it reeked of Catholicism.
How did the Church of England evolve over the years?- Charles I and potential Arminianism
*The fears of a Catholic conspiracy expressed by the fears of parliament before it was dissolved in 1629, were undoubtedly an overreaction on the part of Puritan members of parliament.
*Given Charles’ personality, love of order and interest in the arts, the Arminians were his natural companions in religion, and given their respect for hierarchy and dislike of Puritan attitudes, their support for royal authority was inevitable.
*The situation was exacerbated by the existence and behaviour of an actively Catholic queen, the appointment of Catholics to important offices in government and a background of Catholic aggression in Europe.
*Neither Charles nor Laud were Catholic in belief, but the changes they were making in the church through the 1630s raised fears they might be, and even if not they were making the Church of England an institution where Catholics could find a place and work towards further change.
How did the Church of England evolve over the years?- Laudian reforms
*When Laud became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633, they focused in the decoration of churches and the conformity of the clergy, also focusing on the role and status of bishops.
*Organs were installed (Puritans deemed music a distraction from prayer and bible study).
*Fonts were decorated.
*Statues and colour returned to churches.
How did the Church of England evolve over the years?- Protestant disapproval
*The changes to the Church of England offended the sensibilities of many Protestants, not only those of Puritan persuasion.
*When the opposition found its voice in the parliament of 1640, the most serious attacks were directed against Laudian bishops, with the complaints also holding a political as well religious character.
*Some of these complaints were directed at the activities in government, rather than in Church. With many of these bishops coming from humble beginnings (like Laud) they were entirely dependent on royal favour for their advancement.
How did the Church of England evolve over the years?- The rejection of Arminianism in the long parliament 1640-43 (Episcopacy)
*In 1640, the opposition to Charles within parliament was able to launch an attack on the bishops, and on the wider effects of Arminian influence with substantial support in the House of Commons.
*The abolition of the prerogative courts centred on the nature of law, but it also removed some of the most repressive apparatus used to control the Church and the ability of Individualds to discuss it.
*In December 1640, the Commons received a Root and branch petition (attempt to remove the perceived root of all problems in the church: the rule of bishops) was signed by 15,000 Londoners listed religious grievances relating to the treatment if the clergy, restrictions on preaching and the encouragement of Arminian and Catholic ideas. (The abolishment of episcopacy).
*The leaders of the opposition in the Commons (distinctly Puritan attitudes) were able to draw on widespread support to force the king to remove the bishops from the Privy council and pass a bill in the commons to exclude them from the House of Lords, but the attempt to abolish episcopacy failed.
How did the Church of England evolve over the years?- Radicalism and reaction during the civil war
How did the Church of England evolve over the years?- The rump and radicals
How did the Church of England evolve over the years?- The protectorate
*When Cromwell took power after the dissolution of the Rump and the failure of the barebones parliament, he had 3 aims: To reform government, To help build a godly society, and To encourage ‘Reformation of manners’ ensuring people adhered to the word of gods and lived moral lives.
*The church has continued to function during the years of the commonwealth, and those who met outside of the church were largely left in peace as long as they were discreet.
*The church was now placed in control of two committees of minsters, the Triers and the Ejectors, whose role was to ensure that the ministers who served in it were competent, well educated and capable of preaching the word of God.
