established church

A church that a government officially recognizes as a national institution and to which it accords support.

A religious organization is established if the State recognizes it as having a unique or superior claim to the allegiance of the population in religious matters. However, there is no precise line to be drawn between established churches and those which have some other form of special status. For example, England has an established Church, the Anglican Church, which is Protestant and Episcopalian. The Queen, as head of State, is also head of the Church; she is also a member of the Church of Scotland, which is considerably different from the Church of England theologically and she, like her predecessors, worships in the appropriate Church depending on which side of the border she is at the time. Neither Wales nor Northern Ireland now has an established Church. The Republic of Ireland has no established Church, but its constitution acknowledges a ‘special place’ for the Roman Catholic Church in the hearts and minds of its citizens. There can be no doubt that this ‘special place’ has proved far more potent than has established status in England, where the specifically Anglican influence on policy has been very little.

Most Western constitutions have followed the American model and firmly eschewed all possibility of an established Church. However, forms of the Lutheran Church are still established in Denmark, Norway, and until 2000 Sweden, even though religious observance in Scandinavia is much lower than in most of Europe. (See also religion and politics).

— Lincoln Allison

A religious denomination that receives financial and other support from the government, often to the exclusion of support for other denominations. (See under “World Literature, Philosophy, and Religion.”)

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the church that is recognized as the official church of a nation

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into State religion. (Discuss)

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An established church is a church officially sanctioned and supported by the government of a country, e.g. the Church of England and the Church of Scotland in the United Kingdom. Such a sanction is discouraged in some countries, such as the United States, where this is covered by the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Contents 1 United Kingdom 1.1 Church of England 1.2 Church of Scotland 2 See also

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland remain established, although the Church of Ireland and the Church in Wales were disestablished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries respectively.

Church of England

The Church of England is the established church in England, of which the monarch is constitutionally the supreme governor. The system is Erastian, in that the church is theoretically subject to the government of the United Kingdom.

Until 1920 the Church of England also held the same position in Wales and the Church of Ireland had the same position in Ireland prior to 1871.

A strong push was made by liberals and dissenters for disestablishment in England in the late nineteenth century as well; although unsuccessful, the issue has never entirely gone away. Bishops continue to be appointed by the Crown (in practice, by the Prime Minister) and sit in the House of Lords.

Church of Scotland

Although the Church of Scotland is the established church in Scotland, it is entirely independent of the state, and has no formal representation as a body.

Since the Revolution of 1688 the Church of Scotland has been the established church in Scotland. After King William III and his wife Queen Mary II landed in England and replaced James II, a settlement was reached where Scotland would have a distinct church. From that point on the Church of England was Episcopalian and the Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Because of the National Covenants, which were important to the people of Scotland, the relationship between church and state is organized differently in that the church is independent of parliament rather than being subject to it.

See also

• State religion

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