The Church Union
Encyclopedia
The Church Union is an Anglo-Catholic advocacy group
within the Church of England
.
The organisation was founded as the Church of England Protection Society on May 12, 1859 to challenge the authority of the English
civil courts to determine questions of doctrine. It changed its name to the English Church Union in May 1860 and was active in defending Anglo-Catholic priests such as Arthur Tooth
, Sidney Faithorn Green
and Richard William Enraght
against legal action brought under the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874
. In 1933 it merged with the Anglo-Catholic Congress to form the present organisation.
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
within the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
.
The organisation was founded as the Church of England Protection Society on May 12, 1859 to challenge the authority of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
civil courts to determine questions of doctrine. It changed its name to the English Church Union in May 1860 and was active in defending Anglo-Catholic priests such as Arthur Tooth
Arthur Tooth
Arthur Tooth SSC was a Ritualist priest in the Church of England and a member of the Society of the Holy Cross . Tooth is best known for having been prosecuted in 1876 under the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 for using proscribed liturgical practices...
, Sidney Faithorn Green
Sidney Faithorn Green
The Rev. Sidney Faithorn Green was a British clergyman who, during the Ritualist controversies in the Church of England, was imprisoned for 20 months for liturgical practice contrary to the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874.-Background:...
and Richard William Enraght
Richard William Enraght
Richard William Enraght SSC was an Irish-born Church of England priest of the late nineteenth century. He was influenced by the Oxford Movement and was included amongst the priests commonly called “Second Generation” Anglo-Catholics.Fr...
against legal action brought under the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874
Public Worship Regulation Act 1874
The Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, introduced as a Private Member's Bill by Archbishop of Canterbury Archibald Campbell Tait, to limit what he perceived as the growing ritualism of Anglo-Catholicism and the Oxford Movement within the Church...
. In 1933 it merged with the Anglo-Catholic Congress to form the present organisation.