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In Anglican Christianity, low church refers to those who give little emphasis to ritual. The term is most often used in a liturgical sense, denoting a Protestant emphasis, whereas "high church" denotes an emphasis on ritual, often Anglo-Catholic.
The term was initially pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 17th century, commentators and others—who favoured the theology, worship, and hierarchical structure of Anglicanism (such as the episcopate) as the true form of Christianity—began referring to that outlook (and the related practices) as "high church", and by the early 18th century those theologians and politicians who sought more reform in the English church and a greater liberalisation of church structure, were in contrast called "low church".
The term low church was used in the early part of the 18th century as the equivalent of the term Latitudinarian in that it was used to refer to values that provided much latitude in matters of discipline and faith. The term was in contradistinction to the term high church, or high churchmen, which applied to those who valued the exclusive authority of the Established Church, the episcopacy and the sacramental system.[1]
Low churchmen wished to tolerate Puritan opinions within the Church of England, though they might not be in agreement with Puritan liturgical practices. The movement to bring Separatists, and in particular Presbyterians, back into the Church of England ended with the Act of Toleration 1689 for the most part. Though Low church continued to be used for those clergy holding a more liberal view of Dissenters, the term eventually fell into disuse.
Both terms were revived in the 19th century when the Tractarian movement brought the term "high churchman" into vogue. The terms were again used in a modified sense, now used to refer to those who exalted the idea of the Church as a catholic entity as the body of Christ, and the sacramental system as the divinely given means of grace. A low churchman now became the equivalent of an evangelical Anglican, the designation of the movement associated with the name of Charles Simeon, which held the necessity of personal conversion to be of primary importance.[1]
At the same time, Latitudinarian changed to broad church, or broad churchmen, designating those who most valued the ethical teachings of the Church and minimised the value of orthodoxy. The revival of pre-Reformation ritual by many of the high church clergy led to the designation ritualist being applied to them in a somewhat contemptuous sense. However, the terms high churchman and ritualist have often been wrongly treated as interchangeable. The high churchman of the Catholic type is further differentiated from the earlier use of what is sometimes described as the "high and dry type" of the period before the Oxford Movement.[1]
Modern use
In contemporary usage, "low churches" place more emphasis on the Protestant nature of Anglicanism than broad or high churches and are usually Evangelical in their belief and conservative (although not necessarily traditional) in practice. They may tend to favour liturgy such as the Common Worship over Book of Common Prayer, services of Morning and Evening Prayer over the Eucharist, and many use the minimum of formal liturgy permitted by church law. The Diocese of Sydney has largely abandoned the Prayer Book and uses free-form evangelical services.
More traditional low church Anglicans, under the influence of Calvinist or Reformed thought inherited from the Reformation era, reject the doctrine that the sacraments confer graceex opere operato (e.g., baptismal regeneration) and lay stress on the Bible as the ultimate source of authority in matters of faith necessary for salvation.[1] They are, in general, prepared to cooperate with other Protestants on nearly equal terms.[citation needed] Some low church Anglicans of the Reformed party consider themselves the only faithful adherents of historic Anglicanism and emphasise the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England as an official doctrinal statement of the Anglican tradition.[citation needed]
Ecumenical relationships
United churches with Protestants in Asia
Several provinces of the Anglican Communion in Asia have merged with Protestant churches. The Church of South India arose out of a merger of the southern province of the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon (Anglican), the Methodist Church of South India and the South India United Church (a Congregationalist, Reformed and Presbyterian united church) in 1947. In the 1990s a small number of Baptist and Pentecostal churches joined also the union.
In 1970 the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon, the United Church of North India, the Baptist Churches of Northern India, the Church of the Brethren in India, the Methodist Church (British and Australia Conferences) and the Disciples of Christ denominations merged to form the Church of North India. Also in 1970 the Anglicans, Presbyterians (Church of Scotland), United Methodists and Lutherans of Churches in Pakistan merged into the Church of Pakistan. The Church of Bangladesh is the result of a merge of Anglican and Presbyterian churches.
In 1982 the United Reformed Church voted in favour of the covenant, which would have meant remodelling its elders and moderators as bishops and incorporating its ministry into the apostolic succession. The Church of England rejected the covenant. Conversations and co-operation continued leading in 2003 to the signing of a covenant between the Church of England and the Methodist Church of Great Britain.[3] From the 1970s onward, the Methodist Church was involved in several "Local Ecumenical Projects" (LEPs) with neighbouring denominations usually with the Church of England, the Baptists or with the United Reformed Church, which involved sharing churches, schools and in some cases ministers.
In the Church of England, Anglo-Catholics are often opposed to unity with Protestants, which can reduce hope of unity with the Roman Catholic Church. Accepting women Protestant ministers would also make unity with the See of Rome more difficult.
In the 1990s and early 2000s the Scottish Episcopal Church (Anglican), the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the United Reformed Church were all parts of the "Scottish Churches Initiative for Union" (SCIFU) for seeking greater unity. The attempt stalled following the withdrawal of the Church of Scotland in 2003.
In 2002 the Church of Ireland, which is generally on the low church end of the spectrum of world Anglicanism, signed a covenant for greater cooperation and potential ultimate unity with the Methodist Church in Ireland.[4]
^ abcdOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Low Churchman". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 72.
Cross, F. L. (ed.) (1957) The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. London: Oxford U. P.; Low Churchmen, p. 824
External links
Catholic Encyclopedia: Low Church
High Church vs. Low Church: Documentary Narrative of an Ecclesiastical Joke compiled by Richard Mammana and Cynthia McFarland for Anglicans Online
Igreja Anglicana Reformada do Brasil
January 20, 2023
church, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, november, 2009, lea. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Low church news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information July 2017 In Anglican Christianity low church refers to those who give little emphasis to ritual The term is most often used in a liturgical sense denoting a Protestant emphasis whereas high church denotes an emphasis on ritual often Anglo Catholic The term was initially pejorative During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 17th century commentators and others who favoured the theology worship and hierarchical structure of Anglicanism such as the episcopate as the true form of Christianity began referring to that outlook and the related practices as high church and by the early 18th century those theologians and politicians who sought more reform in the English church and a greater liberalisation of church structure were in contrast called low church Contents 1 Historical use 2 Modern use 3 Ecumenical relationships 3 1 United churches with Protestants in Asia 3 2 Britain and Ireland 4 Church of England 4 1 Notable parishes 4 2 Notable organisations 4 3 Notable theological colleges 5 Notable churches and dioceses 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksHistorical use EditThe term low church was used in the early part of the 18th century as the equivalent of the term Latitudinarian in that it was used to refer to values that provided much latitude in matters of discipline and faith The term was in contradistinction to the term high church or high churchmen which applied to those who valued the exclusive authority of the Established Church the episcopacy and the sacramental system 1 Low churchmen wished to tolerate Puritan opinions within the Church of England though they might not be in agreement with Puritan liturgical practices The movement to bring Separatists and in particular Presbyterians back into the Church of England ended with the Act of Toleration 1689 for the most part Though Low church continued to be used for those clergy holding a more liberal view of Dissenters the term eventually fell into disuse Both terms were revived in the 19th century when the Tractarian movement brought the term high churchman into vogue The terms were again used in a modified sense now used to refer to those who exalted the idea of the Church as a catholic entity as the body of Christ and the sacramental system as the divinely given means of grace A low churchman now became the equivalent of an evangelical Anglican the designation of the movement associated with the name of Charles Simeon which held the necessity of personal conversion to be of primary importance 1 At the same time Latitudinarian changed to broad church or broad churchmen designating those who most valued the ethical teachings of the Church and minimised the value of orthodoxy The revival of pre Reformation ritual by many of the high church clergy led to the designation ritualist being applied to them in a somewhat contemptuous sense However the terms high churchman and ritualist have often been wrongly treated as interchangeable The high churchman of the Catholic type is further differentiated from the earlier use of what is sometimes described as the high and dry type of the period before the Oxford Movement 1 Modern use EditIn contemporary usage low churches place more emphasis on the Protestant nature of Anglicanism than broad or high churches and are usually Evangelical in their belief and conservative although not necessarily traditional in practice They may tend to favour liturgy such as the Common Worship over Book of Common Prayer services of Morning and Evening Prayer over the Eucharist and many use the minimum of formal liturgy permitted by church law The Diocese of Sydney has largely abandoned the Prayer Book and uses free form evangelical services Some contemporary low churches also incorporate elements of charismatic Christianity More traditional low church Anglicans under the influence of Calvinist or Reformed thought inherited from the Reformation era reject the doctrine that the sacraments confer grace ex opere operato e g baptismal regeneration and lay stress on the Bible as the ultimate source of authority in matters of faith necessary for salvation 1 They are in general prepared to cooperate with other Protestants on nearly equal terms citation needed Some low church Anglicans of the Reformed party consider themselves the only faithful adherents of historic Anglicanism and emphasise the Thirty Nine Articles of the Church of England as an official doctrinal statement of the Anglican tradition citation needed Ecumenical relationships EditUnited churches with Protestants in Asia Edit Several provinces of the Anglican Communion in Asia have merged with Protestant churches The Church of South India arose out of a merger of the southern province of the Church of India Pakistan Burma and Ceylon Anglican the Methodist Church of South India and the South India United Church a Congregationalist Reformed and Presbyterian united church in 1947 In the 1990s a small number of Baptist and Pentecostal churches joined also the union In 1970 the Church of India Pakistan Burma and Ceylon the United Church of North India the Baptist Churches of Northern India the Church of the Brethren in India the Methodist Church British and Australia Conferences and the Disciples of Christ denominations merged to form the Church of North India Also in 1970 the Anglicans Presbyterians Church of Scotland United Methodists and Lutherans of Churches in Pakistan merged into the Church of Pakistan The Church of Bangladesh is the result of a merge of Anglican and Presbyterian churches Britain and Ireland Edit In the 1960s the Methodist Church of Great Britain made ecumenical overtures to the Church of England aimed at church unity These formally failed when they were rejected by the Church of England s General Synod in 1972 In 1981 a covenant project was proposed between the Church of England the Methodist Church in Great Britain the United Reformed Church and the Moravian Church 2 In 1982 the United Reformed Church voted in favour of the covenant which would have meant remodelling its elders and moderators as bishops and incorporating its ministry into the apostolic succession The Church of England rejected the covenant Conversations and co operation continued leading in 2003 to the signing of a covenant between the Church of England and the Methodist Church of Great Britain 3 From the 1970s onward the Methodist Church was involved in several Local Ecumenical Projects LEPs with neighbouring denominations usually with the Church of England the Baptists or with the United Reformed Church which involved sharing churches schools and in some cases ministers In the Church of England Anglo Catholics are often opposed to unity with Protestants which can reduce hope of unity with the Roman Catholic Church Accepting women Protestant ministers would also make unity with the See of Rome more difficult In the 1990s and early 2000s the Scottish Episcopal Church Anglican the Church of Scotland Presbyterian the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the United Reformed Church were all parts of the Scottish Churches Initiative for Union SCIFU for seeking greater unity The attempt stalled following the withdrawal of the Church of Scotland in 2003 In 2002 the Church of Ireland which is generally on the low church end of the spectrum of world Anglicanism signed a covenant for greater cooperation and potential ultimate unity with the Methodist Church in Ireland 4 Church of England EditNotable parishes Edit See also List of conservative evangelical Anglican churches in England All Saints Church Peckham All Saints Church Ecclesall Sheffield All Souls Church Langham Place Busbridge Church Surrey Christ Church Walshaw Bury Hambledon Church Surrey Holy Trinity Brompton Holy Trinity Church Cambridge Jesmond Parish Church St Ebbe s Church Oxford St Helen s Bishopsgate St Matthew s Church Millbrook Jersey St Mark s Church Kennington St Martin in the Bull Ring Birmingham St Mary s Church Islington St Nicolas Church NewburyNotable organisations Edit Alpha course Anglican Mainstream Christianity Explored Church Army Church Society Crosslinks Reform Anglican Notable theological colleges Edit Oak Hill Theological College Southgate London Ridley Hall Cambridge St John s College Durham St John s College Nottingham Trinity College Bristol Wycliffe Hall Oxford Moore College Sydney Ridley College MelbourneNotable churches and dioceses EditAnglican Episcopal Church Anglican Orthodox Church and the formerly Traditional Protestant Episcopal Church Anglican Diocese of Sydney Anglican Diocese of Tasmania Anglican Diocese of North West Australia Anglican Diocese of Armidale Free Church of England Church of Ireland Church of England Continuing Extra provincial Anglican churches Church of England in South Africa Church of South India Church of North India Diocese of the Great Lakes Diocese of the Carolinas Reformed Episcopal Church Reformed Anglican Church USA United Episcopal Church of North AmericaSee also EditAnglo Catholicism Broad church Central churchmanship Conservative Evangelicalism in Britain Church of England Church of England Continuing Evangelical Anglicanism High Church Open Evangelical Provincial episcopal visitor RitualismReferences Edit a b c d One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Low Churchman Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 17 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 72 Church of England Methodist Church Covenant Church of England Methodist Church Covenant Church of Ireland Methodist Church Covenant Further reading EditCross F L ed 1957 The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church London Oxford U P Low Churchmen p 824External links EditCatholic Encyclopedia Low Church High Church vs Low Church Documentary Narrative of an Ecclesiastical Joke compiled by Richard Mammana and Cynthia McFarland for Anglicans Online Igreja Anglicana Reformada do Brasil Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Low church amp oldid 1113753940, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
