What Is Anglicanism 101?

Anglicanism 101 meets for instruction on topics including (but not limited to) liturgical elements of the Anglican worship service, Anglican church structure, Anglican history, and ecclesiastical polity, as well as the elements of, and explanation of, vestry, clergy, and the sacraments.

 

 

What Is Anglicanism?

Many people first encounter Anglicanism through its worship—beautiful, reverent, and filled with a sense of the sacred. But Anglicanism is far more than a style of liturgy. It is a way of being Christian that treasures Scripture, honors ancient tradition, and embraces sacramental life. Anglicanism offers a living expression of the historic, catholic (universal) faith within the Anglican family worldwide.

• ​Anglicanism: Ancient Roots, Living Faith

• Worship That Reflects the Mystery of God

• The Eucharist at the Center

• The Sacraments as Channels of Grace

• Scripture, Tradition, and Reason

• A Spirituality of Prayer, Beauty, and Holiness

• Faith Expressed Through Service​

 

It offers a way of following Christ that is ancient, vibrant, and deeply grounded.

 

 

A Journey Through Anglican History

With that foundation in mind—our Anglican history can be organized into distinct periods:

 

1. Christianity Before Augustine (Pre-597 A.D.)

The story begins long before Augustine of Canterbury. Christianity arrived in Britain by the second century, resulting in a vibrant and missionary Celtic Church. This opening post explores:

• early British Christians, martyrs, and bishops

• missionaries such as Ninian, Patrick, Columba, and Aidan

• the independence and distinctive spirituality of Celtic Christianity

• the meeting of Celtic and Roman missions in Anglo-Saxon England

 

This ancient foundation shaped the English Reformers’ understanding of Anglican identity.

 

2. From Augustine to Henry VIII (597–1530s)

The arrival of Augustine brought new organization, Roman influence, and centuries of development. This installment covers:

• the establishment of Roman ecclesiastical structure

• the pivotal Synod of Whitby (664)

• the flowering of monastic learning (Bede and others)

• Viking invasions and Alfred the Great’s revival

• the Norman Conquest and ongoing tension between crown and papacy

• medieval calls for reform, including John Wycliffe

 

By Henry VIII’s time, England had already spent centuries negotiating its relationship with Rome.

 

3. From Reformation to Realignment (1500s–2009)

This section follows Anglicanism from its Reformation beginnings to its global expression today:

• Henry VIII’s break with Rome

• Cranmer and the early Book of Common Prayer

• Elizabeth I and the Anglican via media

• Anglicanism in the American colonies

• the formation of the Episcopal Church after the Revolution

• missionary expansion and internal theological currents

• modern doctrinal controversies and the Anglican realignment

• the formation of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) in 2009

 

This shows Anglicanism as both rooted in tradition and responsive to new challenges.

 

4. The Diocese of Quincy: Anglicanism in the Heartland

The final installment brings the story into the American Midwest:

• colonial Anglican beginnings

• westward expansion and frontier missions

• Bishop Philander Chase and Jubilee College

• the formation of the Diocese of Quincy (1877)

• parishes, schools, and mission growth across western Illinois

• demographic changes and 20th-century transitions

• Quincy’s role in the Anglican realignment and its place today in the ACNA

 

This shows how global Anglican history takes root in local communities.

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Join us for Anglicanism 101

Where we explore a tradition rooted in ancient faith, educate on fundamental liturgical elements of the Anglican worship service, explain Anglican ecclesiastical polity, and journey through Anglican history from the second century in Britain all the way to our Diocese and Parish today.