Our
Anglican Heritage The Episcopal
Church in the United States, tracing its ancestry to the Church
of England, is part of what is known as the Anglican Communion.
The Anglican Communion refers to those churches in about 70 nations
around the world which are linked through the Archbishop of Canterbury
as offspring of the Church of England. Anglicans comprise one
of four groups or categories into which Christian churches may
be classified. These are:
The Eastern Orthodox Churches:
Composed of many of the earliest Christian bodies, these churches
still predominate in the Middle East, Greece, and Russia. In the
11th century the Eastern Orthodox Churches separated from the
then-universal Roman Catholic Church when the two groups declared
one another to be heretical. They have recently come to a degree
of rapprochement and now consider each other to be "sister
churches."
The Roman Catholic Church: By
the 4th century the Bishop of Rome had emerged as the leading
bishop of the entire Church. The Western, or Roman Catholic, Church
became a distinct body after its split with the Eastern churches.
It still contains the largest number of Christians worldwide.
Strongly influenced by the legal structure of Roman thought and
emphasizing tradition, this church is led by the Bishop of Rome,
the Pope.
The Protestant Churches (Lutheran, Presbyterian, etc.)
broke away from the Roman Church in the 16th century. The
primary causes of this separation were differences over theological
issues and differences in beliefs and practices concerning the
interpretation and primacy of Holy Scripture. In addition, there
were issues related to the organization of the church, to politics
and economics. Other bodies formed after this time include Baptists
(17th century) and Methodists (18th century) which emerged from
the Church of England, and such American 19th century groups as
Churches of Christ and Disciples of Christ, Seventh-Day Adventists,
the Church of Christ, Scientist and, in the 20th century, Assemblies
of God and other Pentecostal groups.
Anglican Churches have their origins in the Catholic Church
in England which broke with Rome in the 16th century primarily
for political (rather than theological) reasons. Because of this,
Anglican Churches are similar to Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches
in their faith, worship and clerical structure (bishops, priests,
and deacons), but differ in the manner in which decisions are
made. Anglican Churches are more collegial in nature and often
involve laity in decision making. They join other Christians in
not recognizing the universal authority of the Bishop of Rome.
Often Anglicans are seen as a "via media"
a "bridge," a middle way between Catholics
and Protestants. One of the reasons for this is that Roman Catholics
look to Scripture and Tradition as the source of authority for
faith while most Protestants (though not all) look only to Scripture.
Anglicans look to Hooker's famous three-legged stool, Scripture,
Tradition, and Reason, to find the source of authority for faith.
Anglicans have always understood themselves as Catholics but with
some measure of reform (from the beginning using the language
of the people in worship, allowing clergy to marry, etc.).
Being a middle way between Roman Catholics and Protestants, many
Episcopal parishes find that 60% or more of their members have
come from other faith traditions.
Persons may join the Episcopal Church by requesting a letter from
their previous Episcopal congregation or through liturgical commitments
known as Baptism (if one has not been Baptized), Confirmation,
or Reception.
In the United States
we are known as "The Episcopal Church" because, after
the American Revolution, it was felt to be no longer appropriate
to be known as the ''Anglican" or ''English'' Church. Since
at that time we were the only non-Roman Church with bishops (Episcopoi
in Greek) we were known as the Protestant Episcopal Church.
In recent years the word "Protestant" has been dropped
from our legal name to avoid confusion.
Nationally our numbers are small, nearly three million, and we are a widely varied and diverse group. Over the years a proportionally large number have been quite influential in the life of our nation. As of the year 2000 eleven U.S. presidents, including George Washington, have been Episcopalians, and 8 vice presidents. Over the years our ranks have included many members of Congress, state governors, Supreme Court Justices, and leaders of industry. In the year 2000 the Episcopalians in American government included 41 members of Congress, 2 Supreme Court justices and 5 governors.
(Adapted with permission from St. Paul's, Dedham, Maine)