Members only: The Whole Faith: An Anglican Primer

In 1521, the good Catholic King Henry VIII of England sent Pope Leo X a copy of his *Assertio Septem Sacramentorum — * a defense of the seven sacraments. Leo had only just recently excommunicated an irascible German monk named Martin Luther, and what was to become of all of this reformation talk was still very much in the air. Henry's Assertio was his personal statement of support for the Roman religion, its Imperial Pontiff, and the traditional way of doing things. There was to be none of that Reformation business in good Catholic England. The Pope added a new title to Henry's royal style: Fidei Defensor.

But, due to a unique blend of politics, pillow talk, and high religious ideals, in 1534, Henry decided that on second thought, there would be some of that Reformation business in England and granted himself royal supremacy over the Ecclesia Anglicana. From thenceforth, the Bishop of Rome would have no jurisdiction in the realm of England.

That much was settled. Now, Henry and his squabbling army of advisors had to determine just what this ecclesia was to be.

In a nutshell, this was the moment that defined Anglicanism: Christianity, a king, and the quest for what it all means. It was a moment teeming with possibility; a moment that took English Christianity back to Constantine, the early councils, and the first time that imperial politics and the religion of Jesus intertwined. There was, to be sure, no consensus on what English Christianity either was or should become, only different voices, deep faith, and the ever-present lure of corruption. There were Catholics and Protestants, Lollards and Lutherans, Calvinists and cantankerous old men. Each knew precisely what the true faith was and how it was meant to be. And behind it all, there sat a king, quietly wondering if he had bitten off more than he could chew. It was Nicaea 2.0.