Anglicanism

Anglicanism is rooted in the beliefs and practices of Christian churches which either have historical connections with the Church of England or maintain a liturgy compatible with it. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a mediæval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 meaning the English Church. Adherents of Anglicanism are termed Anglicans. The great majority of Anglicans are members of churches belonging to the Anglican Communion. However, there are a great variety of nonaffiliated Anglican churches, most notably the Continuing Anglican Churches. The faith of Anglicans is founded in the Scriptures and the Gospels, the traditions of the Apostolic Church, the apostolic succession--"historic episcopate," and the early Church Fathers. Anglicanism forms one of the branches of Western Christianity; having definitively declared its independence from the Roman pontiff at the time of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. By the mid 17th century the Church of England (and... full article at wikipedia