What Is Anglicanism? Its History, Beliefs & Practices

At one level, Anglicanism is simply the church of the “Angles,” the people of England. However, the English eventually exerted control over the entire island of Britain and Ireland before creating an empire that stretched across the whole world. Wherever the English empire went, the Anglican Church went with it. Anglicanism is now found worldwide, even in nations the English never colonized.

Today, with approximately 85 million adherents worldwide, the majority of whom are located in Africa and Asia, the Anglican tradition is one of the most globalized versions of Christianity, more so in places where English is a spoken language.

To be Anglican is to be part of the Church of England, or to belong to an Anglican province that is in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. (Although as we will soon see, that latter historical definition of Anglicanism has become somewhat complicated, and is encountering some pushback in Anglican provinces, especially those in the Global South.)

In the following article, we will discuss the history, theology, and key practices of Anglican churches.

The foundations of Anglicanism

Anglicanism roots itself in the history of Christianity in England going back to Anselm of Canterbury and proudly recognizes its heritage in the Latin theological tradition of Western Europe. Anglicanism emerged through the English Reformation as it evolved over the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, combining theological reform with institutional continuity. This historical development produced a settlement that values Scripture and tradition, Reformed doctrine and Catholic consensus, preaching and liturgical worship, episcopal governance and congregational participation.

However, Anglicanism is not a via media (“a middle way”) between Protestantism and Catholicism, as if it were simply trying to split the difference and attain a hasty compromise or form a hybrid church located somewhere between the two. Rather, the English Reformation was a thoroughly chastening experience for English Christians, so that the Church of England became fully Protestant both in its doctrine (seen in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion) and in its worship (seen in the Book of Common Prayer). Anglicanism was an attempt to respect its Catholic heritage and spurn radical visions of Protestantism while threading the needle between Calvinistic and Lutheran varieties of Protestantism.

In regards to doctrine, worship, ethics, and ministry, Anglicans consider Scripture to be paramount. This is because Scripture is the ultimate norm of the faith:

Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. (Articles of Religion VI)

Regarding practice, Anglicans are called to “hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” all of Scripture, as it says in the Book of Common Prayer.

A brief history of Anglicanism

Anglicanism’s origins lie in the sixteenth-century English Reformation. The formation of the Church of England proved to be a complicated process.

King Henry VIII

Whereas King Henry VIII received the title Fidei Defensor (“Defender of the Faith”) from Pope Leo X in 1521 for his treatise critiquing the writings of the German Reformer, Martin Luther, later King Henry would break with the Church of Rome in 1534 when the Pope failed to grant his divorce to Catherine of Aragon. This break resulted in a formal, institutional separation, while genuine theological reformation only transpired gradually through subsequent reigns.

Henry’s Act of Supremacy (1534) declared the English monarch the “Supreme Head of the Church of England” and led to Henry confiscating monasteries and other Roman Catholic properties. Yet Henry remained doctrinally conservative, maintaining traditional Catholic theology while asserting royal rather than papal authority over church affairs. By Henry’s death in 1547, the Church of England resembled pre-Reformation Catholicism in most of its theological tenets.

Thomas Cranmer

Substantial Protestant reform occurred later under Henry’s son, Edward VI (r. 1547–1553).

The key protagonist for introducing Protestant ideas during this period was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. He composed the Book of Common Prayer (1549; revised in 1552), which incorporated Protestant theological principles and was published in English, not Latin. These changes reflected influence from continental Reformers, particularly Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr Vermigli, who had shaped the burgeoning English Reformation.

Mary I

After Edward VI’s death, Henry’s daughter, Mary I, came to power (r. 1553–1558). She reversed Cranmer’s religious reforms and restored Roman Catholicism throughout England, along with formal relations with the pope. Mary also executed approximately 280 Protestant leaders, including Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, and Hugh Latimer.

At this point, the English Reformation had only made marginal inroads into popular Christianity in England, and the resurgence of Catholicism met with a mixed reception.

Elizabeth I

However, Mary I soon died, leaving her sister Elizabeth to reign after her. Mary’s mother was Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife, and a devout Catholic. In contrast, Elizabeth’s mother was Anne Boleyn, Henry’s mistress and then queen after he divorced Catherine. Anne was by necessity and inclination a Protestant (only Protestants recognized Henry’s marriage to Anne as lawful).

Elizabeth I’s long reign (r. 1558–1603) meant that her religious reforms lasted and outlasted her and defined the enduring shape of Anglicanism as a Protestant church. Elizabeth quickly set out to resolve religious disputes through a series of laws known to historians as the Elizabethan Settlement (1559–1563). Elizabeth sought to retain episcopal governance and liturgical traditions while affirming Protestant doctrine and permitting some flexibility on interpretations of the Lord’s Supper. The Book of Common Prayer (1559) and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (1563) became the definitive Anglican formularies, balancing Catholic heritage and Reformed convictions. Elizabeth also accepted the lesser title of “supreme governor” of the church rather than “supreme head” of the church, which belonged uniquely to the Lord Jesus.

Richard Hooker

Anglicanism continued to develop, having to maintain its resistance to both the Catholicism of European powers (France and Spain) as well as fighting rear-guard actions against Puritans who wanted a more rigorous mode of religious life in the British Isles (Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Baptists).

In this context, Richard Hooker’s Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1594–1597) provided theological articulation for Anglicanism’s distinctive approach. Against Puritan agitators who demanded a thorough cleansing of the church of any residual Catholicism, Hooker argued that Scripture contains doctrine necessary for salvation but permits various ecclesiastical arrangements. Anglicanism only prohibits what is contrary to Scripture. It was permissible then to retain traditions or habits that are absent from Scripture, so long as they are not inconsistent with Scripture (Articles of Religion XX). Accordingly, the wearing of vestments, the lighting of candles, the singing of hymns, the celebration of church seasons like Lent and Advent, were not prohibited. Anglicanism thus became a church that could accommodate Protestants of many persuasions as well as those who still retained Catholic sensitivities.

The Oxford movement

Some controversial innovation emerged with the rise of the Oxford movement in the nineteenth‑century. This was led by a group of clergy who wanted to reassert Anglican’s Catholic heritage by stressing the centrality of the Eucharist, apostolic succession, Latin spirituality, and connections to the medieval church, combined with a concern for the poor living in English slums. Eventually this Anglo-Catholic party began to adopt a more liberal view of Christian doctrine and ethics, joining high-church ecclesiology with an openness to biblical criticism, doctrinal development, and modern thought on issues like evolution.

Soon it dominated the English Church over and against an “evangelical” minority. It was this species of Anglo‑Catholicism with its spirituality, liturgy, social concern, and liberal theology that took hold of much of Anglicanism in provinces not shaped by missionary expansion.

British colonialism

British colonialism spread Anglicanism globally from the seventeenth century onward. The first Anglican diocese outside Britain was established in 1787 in Nova Scotia, Canada. By the nineteenth century, Anglican churches existed throughout the British Empire, including in many parts of Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Oceania, Australia, New Zealand, and North America.

Many regions were placed under the aegis of newly appointed Anglican jurisdictions in places like Canada and India. Eventually, English bishops were sent to provide episcopal oversight to these colonies, but by the twentieth century, often coterminous with decolonization, local Anglican clergy soon became the episcopal leaders of these burgeoning Anglican churches.

A worldwide Anglican Communion

As with any global Christian denomination, ruptures and fault lines began to emerge in worldwide Anglicanism. The first meeting of global Anglican bishops took place in 1867 at Lambeth, the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. This meeting was called to address disputes in South Africa related to the deposition of the controversial Bishop John Colenso and to consider mechanisms for inter‑Anglican relations between the various provinces.

This meeting agreed on the need for regular episcopal consultation, determining that the bishops of the Anglican provinces would gather every ten years for a meeting chaired by the Archbishop of Canterbury. This Lambeth Conference was neither a college nor a synod, but a forum for discussion—a bellwether for the mind of the Anglican Communion.

Today, the Anglican Communion comprises forty-two autonomous provinces, with large memberships in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, and other nations in the Global South. This geographic shift has introduced theological tensions, particularly regarding biblical interpretation and ethics, as well as mechanisms for dealing with disputes between provinces.

Interested in other Christian traditions? See our definitive guide to denominations.

Leading Anglican figures

From the turmoil of the English Reformation to its modern global expansion movement, the Anglican way was paved by a diverse lineage of thinkers across five centuries. Among notable Anglican leaders and theologians are:

• Thomas Cranmer
• Richard Hooker
• Hugh Latimer
• J. C. Ryle
• William Temple
• C. S. Lewis
• John Mbiti
• Leon Morris
• John Stott
• J. I. Packer
• Alister McGrath
• Desmond Tutu
• N. T. Wright
• Emily Onyango
• Elizabeth Tish Warren
• Titus Chung
• Rowan Williams
• Kathryn Tanner
• Katherine Sonderegger

Anglican theology and practice

Global Anglicanism represents a constellation of churches born from Latin Christianity, shaped by the English Reformation, connected to British colonialism, indebted to the labors of Protestant missionaries, marked by Anglo-Catholic proclivities in some quarters, and often informed by local currents. Anglicans are committed to the authority of Scripture, justification by faith, the ministry of Word and sacrament, freedom of conscience in secondary matters, and the promotion of the gospel.

While Anglicanism is diverse, the shared and enduring features of Anglican theology and practice can be found in the Thirty-Nine Articles and the Book of Common Prayer.

Creeds and the Thirty-Nine Articles

According to the Thirty-Nine Articles, Anglicans affirm:

• the Trinity,
• Jesus’s full divinity and humanity,
• Scripture’s sufficiency,
• election by grace,
• justification by faith alone, and
• only two sacraments—Baptism and the Eucharist.

They also affirm the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.

Anglicans reject the notion of purgatory, the necessity of priestly celibacy, and the authority of the pope in the English churches. Rejected too is the Catholic view of the transubstantiation of the elements of bread and wine during the Lord’s Supper; instead, it is asserted that “The Body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten … only after an heavenly and spiritual manner” (Articles of Religion XXVIII). Yet Anglicans affirm Jesus’s real presence, received spiritually by faith. As such, the 1662 Prayer Book asserts that communicants of the supper “spiritually eat the flesh of Christ, and drink his blood.”

The Book of Common Prayer

No document has shaped Anglican identity more than the Book of Common Prayer. Thomas Cranmer’s liturgical masterpiece established English as the language of worship and created a common liturgical framework uniting Anglicans across the ages. The 1662 edition was a slightly revised version of the Prayer Book that attempted to encourage liturgical unity in the aftermath of Oliver Cromwell’s protectorate and the restoration of the English monarchy.

The Prayer Book’s contents extend beyond public worship. It contains various prayers, readings, and scriptural selections which have formed Anglican spirituality for centuries. Its catechism teaches doctrine; its Ordinal defines the nature of various ministries; its baptism, marriage, and burial services mark life’s key passages.

While most Anglican provinces have developed their own native liturgies, the Book of Common Prayer remains normative for Anglican faith and practice. It has provided the substructure and culture for the continuing expressions of Anglican worship.

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Government and organization

In terms of church governance, Anglicanism retains the threefold episcopal order of bishops, priests, and deacons, which is regarded as orders of ministries established by the apostles. The Church of England’s General Synod comprises three houses: bishops, clergy, and laity. Major decisions require approval from all three houses in order to pass. Most Anglican provinces employ synodical structures where laity, clergy, and bishops jointly make decisions.

An Anglican parish is typically led by a vicar who leads in collaboration with a vestry of lay persons called wardens. Anglican churches are usually part of a local network of churches called a deanery and led by a dean. A number of deaneries make up a diocese led by a bishop. Larger Anglican dioceses are led by an archbishop, often with assistant bishops called suffragan bishops.

Today the instruments of global Anglican unity are:

1. The Archbishop of Canterbury as primus inter pares (first among equals) among bishops in the Anglican Communion;
2. the Lambeth Conference, with its ten yearly meeting of the Anglican Communion’s bishops;
3. the Primates Meeting, where the head of each Anglican province gather together annually; and
4. the Anglican Consultative Council, which is a meeting of Anglican clergy and laity to work on cooperative ventures together.

Importantly, there is no Anglican pope and no global synod to legislate doctrine or to enforce discipline. This arrangement reflects Anglicanism’s emphasis on unity without uniformity. Provinces maintain independence while recognizing their historic bonds of affection and shared tradition centered on the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The state of the global Anglican Communion today

The Anglican Communion faces significant and grievous theological divisions, particularly regarding biblical authority and sexual ethics. Many Global South provinces maintain traditional teachings on marriage and sexuality, while some Western provinces have ordained partnered-LGBTQ+ clergy and blessed same-sex unions.

These disputes have begun tearing the fabric of the Anglican Communion apart. GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) is a network of provinces which emerged in 2008 due to concern with the theological drift of their largely Western counterparts and the inability of the Anglican Communion to exercise discipline over them. Since 2008, theological divisions have only hardened and little has succeeded in healing the divisions.

Then, as of October 2025, GAFCON declared that it and it alone is the authentic Anglican Church and communion with Canterbury is now a disqualifying mark rather than a qualifying mark of Anglican identity.

Conclusion

Anglicanism at its best is what the Roman Catholic Church would have looked like if it embraced the Protestant Reformation. Contrary to popular criticism, Anglicanism is not “Catholicism-lite” or “Temu-Catholicism.” It is a Protestant tradition that has appreciated its Catholic heritage, has committed itself to missionary endeavors, and has remained at the forefront of many social justice concerns—from ending the slave trade to protecting ecological sustainability.

Anglicanism represents a distinctive Christian tradition valuing Reformed theology, Catholic traditions, episcopal governance, and liturgical worship. Emerging from the English Reformation and the British Empire, Anglicanism has become a vehicle for both the promotion of the gospel and the uniting together of men and women of Christian faith from every part of the globe. As Article XIX states, the visible church comprises of “a congregation of faithful men [and women], in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered.” By these marks, Anglicanism continues to proclaim the Lord Jesus across five centuries and six continents, maintaining an ancient faith, embodying a missional spirit, and engaging contemporary contexts.

Mike Bird’s recommended resources on Anglicanism

• Bevins, Winfield. Simply Anglican: An Ancient Faith for Today’s World. Anglican Compass, 2020.
• Chapman, Mark. Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2006.
• Hunter, Todd D. The Accidental Anglican: The Surprising Appeal of the Liturgical Church. InterVarsity Press, 2010.

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