Evangelical Anglicanism
[1] In contrast to the high-church party, evangelicals emphasize experiential religion of the heart over the importance of liturgical forms.
Harp also claims that Evangelicals stress the need for a conversion experience, however Packer specifically denies that this is the case.
It was also demonstrated by political campaigns in the British Parliament, the most important being the movement to abolish slavery led by William Wilberforce.
[citation needed] Nineteenth-century evangelicals were fascinated with biblical prophecy as it related to future events, and some also promoted Christian Zionism, the belief in the restoration of the Jews to Palestine.
In the 1830s, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, a leading evangelical, helped persuade Lord Palmerston, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to sponsor Jewish settlement.
The number of evangelical bishops grew afterwards, especially during Lord Palmerston's time as prime minister since he relied on Shaftesbury's advice when making appointments.
[3] Evangelical insistence on the necessity of conversion provoked controversy within the Church of England over the doctrine of baptismal regeneration.
Evangelicals rejected this doctrine, a position summarized by the Bishop of Winchester, who wrote, "I must look, notwithstanding his baptism, for the Scriptural evidence of his being a child of God.
[citation needed] From the 1870s into the early 20th century, evangelicals came to feel increasingly marginalized as ritualism became more commonplace within the Church of England.
Influential organisations include the Reform network and the Proclamation Trust, which have worked to oppose women's ordination and permissive attitudes toward homosexuality in the Church of England.
According to Peter Brierley, a researcher on church statistics, 40 per cent of Anglicans attended evangelical parishes.
[24] In December 2014, it was announced that the suffragan see of Maidstone would be filled again in order to provide alternative episcopal oversight for particular members of the Church of England who take the conservative evangelical view on male headship and object to the ordination of female bishops.
[31] While the high-church party disapproved of participation in inter-denominational voluntary societies, evangelical Episcopalians strongly supported them.
According to church historian William Manross, evangelicals often preached to the "outcast and the underprivileged", which made them more aware of social problems and, therefore, more enthusiastic supporters of efforts to reform antebellum America.
[32] Participation in voluntary societies reflected evangelical Episcopalians' beliefs that every Christian had a responsibility to spread the gospel and righteousness in preparation for the millennial reign of Christ on earth.
Bishop John P. K. Henshaw, Benjamin Allen (rector of Old St. Paul's in Philadelphia) and other Episcopal ministers published books or magazines dedicated to millennialism.
[36] In 1873, some of these evangelicals led by George David Cummins and Charles E. Cheney organized the Reformed Episcopal Church.
[36] Broad church Episcopalians sought to promote theological openness and tolerance, as well as social ministry and higher criticism of the Bible.
This was the case of leading broad churchman Bishop Phillips Brooks, who was educated at the evangelical Virginia Theological Seminary.
[43] The new evangelicals would provide the strongest opposition to the liberal trajectory of the Episcopal Church, especially regarding progressive views on homosexuality.
In the late 1980s, evangelicals began to form organizations aimed at promoting and defending their understanding of Anglican orthodoxy and changing liberal church policies.
In 1996, Alden Hathaway, the Bishop of Pittsburgh, founded the American Anglican Council to represent evangelicals at the national level.
This is due largely to the fact that in much of East Africa Anglicanism was introduced by the evangelical Church Missionary Society.
It is not unusual for church services to feature spontaneous prayer, greater leadership from lay people, and praise and worship music.
