[vladimir998]

Anglicans are Protestants. Period. There is no debate here. There are only dreamers who want to pretend that Anglicans aren’t what they are.

[al_c]

If it’s not a Catholic Church, it’s Protestant. End of story.

[PAR35]

Here’s one that’s pingworthy.

[Biggirl]

There is the special use Anglican rite in the Catholic Church.

[Huber]

The article is entirely a polemical red herring and the author throws around terms like “propaganda” while propagandizing for his own view. The fact is that the modern Church of England as established by Henry VIII clearly became increasingly protestant in its theology and worship for several generations and remains formally protestant. Presumably the majority of its national offshoots are ecclesially protestant as well. While there were a fair number of protestants in England during the Tudor period, protestantism was a top down imposition on the large number of Catholics who initially constituted the majority of the population. Times were tumultuous and freedom of religion did not exist in 16th and 17th century England. Consequently English and other British catholics had the option of leaving the country, going underground or adapting as best they could to the CofE.

It is important to note that Catholicism in England pre-dated any missions from the Bishop of Rome and when Augustine of Canterbury arrived on a papal mission, he found many Celtic bishops who considered themselves fully Catholic and in full communion with the rest of the church. Catholicism in Britain pre-dated Papal claims in the same sense that it did in the eastern Orthodox world. The suppression of Catholicism by the protestants was not limited to severing ties with Papal authority but focused on the elimination of the sacramental form of worship, the Mass, the Saints, fasting, the Christian calendar - anything which the protestants linked to Catholic “superstitions”.

The point of this is that Anglo-Catholicism continued to exist under Protestant ecclesial rule and achieved a significant revival during the Oxford movement. Anglo Catholics and Anglo Protestants share many traditions from their common period, but it seems unlikely that their pathe will remain eclesiastically in common. With the current implosion of much of the Anglican communion the evangelical protestants are simply moving in one direction and the traditional Anglo Catholics in another.

So, if the author is simply arguing that the Church of England and Kate Schori and Vicky Gene's Episcopal Church are protestant, there is no argument. If he is arguing that the continuing Anglican churches are not part of the Anglican communion, he is also correct. We are not in communion with the CofE or TEC. However his claim that Anglicanism is not Catholic is simply historically ignorant. Only protestant Anglicanism is protestant, and even protestant Anglicans run the gamut from those who are similar to Luther to full bore Puritans to New Age Wiccans, Spongian agnostics and apparently, one Muslim priestess.

[suzyjaruki]

Marking for later read.
Hi Alex!

[AnAmericanMother]

Hoo boy!

This prof is a bit nutty on the issue of Anglo-Catholics.

I used to be one, so I'm apparently a good deal better informed than he is (or pretends to be). He glosses completely over the early history of Queen Elizabeth and the Anglican Church, and he misrepresents a good deal of later history (e.g. the Oxford Movement and the Tractarians).

He clearly has an axe to grind. I would not take him seriously if I were you.

[neb52]

Placed marked.

[Ciexyz]

btt

[MEGoody]

Anglicanism: Protestant or Catholic

Who cares? I don't see this categorization being relevant to how Jesus will receive us in eternity.