Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Religion/Laudianism
Laudianism
Laudianism was a movement in the Church of England that was based on the ideas of William Laud, who was named the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633 [1]. Even before Laud’s ascendancy as Archbishop, there was much support from the King for his policies [2]. Laudianism is similar in practice to Arminianism.
The Laudians believed in the doctrine of free will, which by God’s grace was open to all, and that an individual could achieve salvation through good works, seeing that it was fatal for the Calvinists to ignore piety and obedience [3]. According to Laud, the Calvinist idea of predestination made “God the most unreasonable tyrant in the world” [4]. This was seen as an attack on the doctrine of predestination that was found in the earlier theology of the Church of England. In a Laudian service, there was a greater emphasis placed on the sacramental and ceremonial aspects of the service [5]. These factors created a chasm within the Church as it was not a separate sect of the Church, but more of a set of practices held by some members within the Church of England. The Laudians also created much controversy by moving the communion table from the middle of the church to the east-end and then erecting rails [6]. Additionally many altars were embellished with pictures of the crucifixion [7], as well as strict uniformity enforced by the Prayer Book [8]. Many people saw these as signs of Laud being a Papist and saw his changes as a threat as there was an increase in the interference of clerics in secular life, especially in respect to finances and prosecuting activities like adultery and drunkenness [9].
Charles I religion was aligned with these views, in part because of his association with William Laud, and also because he did not prescribe to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination [10]. The Laudian Bishops, although they had slightly differing views from one another, became very influential during the early reign of Charles I often holding many of the best bishoprics and becoming powerful in court.
- ↑ Kenneth Fincham and Peter Lake, “The Ecclesiastical Policies of James I and Charles I.” In The Early Stuart Church, 1603 – 1642 London: Macmillan Press, 1993: 41
- ↑ Claire Cross, Church and People: England 1450 – 1660 Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1999: 153
- ↑ Nicholas Tyacke, “Archbishop Laud.” In The Early Stuart Church, 1603 – 1642 London: Macmillan Press, 1993: 65
- ↑ Tyacke, 66
- ↑ Tyacke, 62
- ↑ Fincham and Lake, 46
- ↑ Tyacke, 69
- ↑ Cross, 157
- ↑ Fincham and Lake, 47
- ↑ Fincham and Lake, 42