Oppressed and stifled by the strict church rulings, ones that had no relation to actual religious obligations, the people of England began to abandon their original faiths in favor of new ones. Each faith appealed to some part of society, but ultimately could not please all of the classes, which led to the religious disarray.
The Anglican Church, or the Church if England, was the official church of England after the separation from the Roman Catholic Church in 1530. ( Black, XLVIII) The Anglican Church “from the time of the Elizabethan settlement on” (The Victorian Web), attempted to serve as a distinctive middle way between Catholicism and Puritanism, with varying degrees of success. (The Victorian Web) However, under Charles II, Puritans were purged from the church and non-Anglicans were, in the years to come, barred from holding position in Parliament as well as receiving degrees from Oxford and Cambridge.
With such dramatic changes, the Anglican Church grew vulnerable to the spiritual challenges made by other churches and soon fell into the hands of the aristocracy. (The Victorian Web) Dependent of the young aristocrats for funds, the Church grew unpopular with society which led to the disinterest in religion and the ‘growing number of urban poor.‘ (The Victorian Web)
The introduction of Evangelicalism brought about a solution to the Church’s problem. The Evangelicals “worked to restore the church and the country to a semblance of a morality” (The Victorian Web) and specifically targeted bringing the “belief and, morality of the upper class into conformity with their profession of faith.” (The Victorian Web) This ideas were exhibited in various texts which similarly argued that without true reformation of the wealth...
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Cody, David “Evangelicalism.” The Victorian Web. http://www.victorianweb.org/religion/evangel1.html 25 February 2010
Schlossberg, Herbert. “The Evangelical Movement in the Church of England.” The Victorian Web. http://www.victorianweb.org/religion/herb5.html. 25 February 2010
Everett, Glenn. “ High Church: Tractarianism.” The Victorian Web. http://www.victorianweb.org/religion/tractarian1.html. 25 February 2010
Schlossberg, Herbert. “The Tractarian Movement.” The Victorian Web. http://www.victorianweb.org/religion/herb7.html. 25 February 2010
Landow, George P. “The Broad Church Party in the Church of England.” The Victorian Web.http://www.victorianweb.org/religion/brdchrch.html.25 February2010
Landow, George P. “Tom Brown at Oxford on Muscular Christianity.” The Victorian Web. http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/hughes/muscular.html. 25 February 2010
Evangelicalism by its very nature is hard to define. In fact, Douglas Sweeney, Chair of the Church History and the History of Christian Thought Department at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School states, “precious little consensus exists among those who have tried to describe the evangelical movement.” Nevertheless, Sweeney does an excellent attempt by briefly explicating the diverse history of the evangelical movement in his book, The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement. Sweeney, a Lutheran and expert in American religion and culture not only introduces
This mass enterprise is reviewed through five traditions in the early nineteenth century: the Christian movement, the Methodists, the Baptists, the black churches, and the Mormons. Hatch explains that these major American movements were led by young men who shared “an ethic of unrelenting toil, a passion for expansion, a hostility to orthodox belief and style, a zeal for religious reconstruction, and a systematic plan to realize their ideals” (4). These leaders changed the scope of American Christianity by orientating toward democratic or populist ideals. Their movements offered both individual potential and collective aspiration, which were ideas ready to be grasped by the young and booming population. These early leaders had a vision of a faith that disregarded social standing, and taught all to think, interpret, and organize their faith for themselves. It was a faith of “religious populism, reflecting the passions of ordinary people and the charisma of democratic movement-builders” (5).
Religion of the protestant church was an important factor in the pre-war timeline culture. The Second great awakening, which occurred in the 19th century, greatly impacted American society. This new point of view in terms and matters of faith led northerners to cherish the theory of Christian perfection, a theory that in fact was applied to society in an attempt to eliminate social imperfection. On the other hand, southerners reacted by cherishing a faith of personal piety, which focused mainly on a reading of the Bible; however, it expressed very little concern in addressing society’s problems.1
In a land intended to be dumping grounds for Britain’s moral filth, Reverend Richard Johnson worked hard at laying the foundations of Christianity in Australia. Born in 1757 at Welton, England, he was educated at Magdalen College, Cambridge. He graduated with a BA in 1783, and was appointed a deacon and priest by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1786. Only five months before the First Fleet set sail, Richard Johnson was recommended and approved for the position of Chaplin, to establish the Church of England in Australia.
O'Brien, Susan. 1986. “A Transatlantic Community of Saints: The Great Awakening and the First Evangelical Network, 1735-1755”. The American Historical Review 91 (4). [Oxford University Press, American Historical Association]: 811–32. doi:10.2307/1873323.
The Second Great Awakening impacted the social scholarly literature. The traditional school of thought has tended to portray the time period as one of widespread secularization and the concomitant efforts of church elites to bring wandering Christians back into the ecclesiastical fold. The Second Great Awakening appears as a process of renewal, as churches tried to co-opt Evangelical activism by dressing in new clothes, rather than the old traditional. By concentrating on the impulses of the Presbyterian and Congregationalist establishments, but neglecting the Second Great Awakening outside New En...
In 1534, King Henry VIII formally instigated the English Reformation. He therefore passed the Act of Supremacy, which outlawed the Catholic Church and made him “the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England” (Roark, 68). Puritans were looking for a more Protestant church and received what they wanted. Along with it, came the King’s total control over the Church. This is what the Puritans didn’t want. Puritans believed that ordinary Christians, not a church hierarchy, should control religious life. They wanted a distinct line between government and the Church of England. Puritans also wanted to eliminate the customs of Catholic worship and instead focus on an individual’s relationship with God developed through Bible study, prayer, and introspection (Roark, 68).
...y from the Church of England. Puritanism was weakened at its core because of this strict and finicky hierarchy within its church. It drove people away, leaving it in great need of loyal members. “In effect, strict religious purity was sacrificed somewhat to the cause of wider religious participation” (Kennedy, 73).
Wilson, Douglas. "The Anglo-Saxon Evangel." Touchstone: A Journal Of Mere Christianity20.6 (2007): 30-34. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
The Anglicans and other Christian groups viewed charity differently in the nineteenth century. Each religion had and preached its own concept. We learn that the Anglicans’ views are more in opposition to charity when Cheryl Walsh indicates that, "Through this type of religion, there was very little encouragement for the development of a social conscience—of recognition of any kind of responsibility for the welfare of fellow human beings"(353). Walsh also mentions that Anglicans "Felt neither responsible for the suffering of the poor nor called on to help alleviate that suffering"(353). The belief of not being responsible for the misfortunes of the poor and not attempting to help them in any way draws the notion that Anglicans clearly didn’t favor charitable acts. On the other hand, according to St. Paul, Christianity’s view on charity was more an act of duty than the expected one of kindness.
... Victorian England: Male Opposition to Sacramental Confession in the Anglican Church.” EBSCOhost, http://www.hchs.hunter.cuny.edu:2053/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=19&sid=a776509f-f9fd-46ed-b993-a80a54c97895%40sessionmgr4&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=17406788 (accessed April 11, 2011). (Primary Source/Academic Source)
King Henry VIII replaced the Church of England as the head due to his personal satisfaction this caused the church to break officially with Roman Catholic Church in Rome. Church lost most of property though it was popular and still is popular today.
Burns, Julia. "Notes MLA 6318". Church and State in Early Modern England. Fall 2013. Dr. D. David.
A Century of Theological and Religious Studies in Britain, 1902–2007 by Ernest Nicholson 2004 pages 125–126
The Victorian Era is marked by Queen Victoria’s reign in England from 1837-1901 (Eras of Elegance). It is known for its attention to high morals, modesty, and proper decorum, which was inspired by the Queen and her husband, Prince Albert. Importance was placed on civic consciousness and social responsibility, including equality towards all. Science, technology and Christianity thrived. Humanitarian and religious organizations, such as the Salvation Army, reflected the Victorian concern for the poor and needy. The Church was wealthy and powerful. Only the rich could afford education, so most were left uneducated, unable to think critically. The people believed the word of the Bible and that was all that mattered. However, growing industrialization led to numerous challenges to Christianity. Education became available to all, so they had the ability to form opinions. Urbanization took effect. Problems included growing trends on materialism, nationalism, communism and higher criticism of the Bible (Eras of Elegance).