Anglicanism: The Reformed Church That Could've Been

Intro: Why am I writing this?

I am writing this blog post because I love the history of the English Reformation. Not only that, but I find it extremely sad that the Church of England didn’t turn out the way it could have. Also, there are many points of connection for me with the Church of England. I myself have been shaped in many ways by what occurred with that church during the time of the Reformation. Of all figures in the long history of the universal church, my favorite are the group of men from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland known as the Puritans. They sought to purify and reform the Church and their writings have had and still have so much impact on me. In terms of denomination or which camp I fall into, I am a Reformed Baptist. In the days following the English Reformation the men in whom I descend spiritually from were known as "Baptistic Congregationalists" and then eventually became known as Particular Baptists. So really, they were the grandchildren of Anglicanism having grown out of Congregational churches. But this isn't a history of Baptists, it's about what could've been the perfect English Reformed denomination, yet it failed to continue the reform and eventually turned into something other.

A Church at the Crossroads of Tradition

John Calvin (1509-1564)

There are few movements in church history that are as filled with promise, and tension, as the English Reformation. Standing at the crossroads of the continental Protestantism of Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Turretin, Bucer, and so on; and historic catholic (lower case "c") tradition, Anglicanism had a unique opportunity to become a thoroughly Reformed national church. So much was included, like being doctrinally robust, liturgically rich, pastorally effective (mostly because of the efforts of the Puritans), and biblically faithful. Under the leadership of men like Thomas Cranmer, and later influenced by two towering figures (who are my favorite Puritans) such as William Perkins and Richard Sibbes, one can easily argue that Anglicanism could have been the ideal Reformed denomination for the British Isles and the English speaking world. And yet, history tells a more complicated story. A story that is marked by compromise, regression, and, at times, opposition to the very truths it once proclaimed.

Thomas Cranmer, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Reformed Foundations of Anglicanism

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556)

Early Anglicanism bore unmistakable marks of Reformed theology. Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), the chief architect of the English Reformation and author of the Book of Common Prayer, was deeply influenced by continental Reformers like Calvin, Bucer, and Vermigli. Especially the latter two. Martin Bucer (1491-1551) and Peter Martyr Vermigli (1500-1562) were both invited to England by Cranmer with Bucer teaching at Cambridge and Vermigli teaching at Oxford. They both influenced the BCP and its Eucharistic theology. By just comparing the 1549 and 1552 editions of the BCP you’ll be able to see how the latter reflects a more explicitly Reformed understanding of the Lord’s Supper. It rejects the corporeal (physical) presence and emphasizes a spiritual participation by faith. Cranmer’s Eucharistic theology aligned closely with men like Calvin who firmly rejected transubstantiation while maintaining a real spiritual communion with Christ. It is also clear that the BCP gave Anglicanism a unified liturgy. The Book of Common Prayer is a masterpiece of theological clarity and pastoral warmth. It shaped not only belief but devotion, teaching the doctrines of grace through repeated, structured worship. In a world where Reformed churches sometimes struggled with liturgical uniformity or depth, Anglicanism offered a model of how doctrine and doxology could harmoniously reinforce one another. I personally have used and still use the 1662 version of the BCP published by IVP, it’s deeply biblical and very devotional. You want help with your prayer life, it’s hard to find a better resource. 

The Thirty-Nine Articles: Confessional Strength

Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (1571)

Something interesting in the modern day that you will find is the fact that many Anglicans don’t really care about their confessional document. With the direction of many Anglicans moving in what’s called an “Anglo-Catholic” camp, they don’t look to the 39 Articles for what they believe. Probably because the Articles lay out doctrine with Reformed clarity, not this idea of “popeless” Catholicism. The Articles articulate doctrines such as justification by faith alone, the sufficiency of Scripture, predestination, and a rejection of Roman sacramentalism. In many ways, they stand shoulder to shoulder with the confessions of the broader Reformed tradition. For example, this is some of Article X on Free Will, “The condition of Man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith…” And then in Article XI on the Justification of Man it states, “We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or deservings.” That’s Reformed soteriology, but the Articles go into many more details with other doctrines like Predestination and Election, of Ministering in the Congregation which clearly calls for men-only church officials, and so on. Had these doctrinal standards remained the controlling force in Anglican life and practice, Anglicanism may well have developed into the most comprehensive and balanced expression of Reformed Christianity.  

James Ussher: A Model of Reformed Anglican Orthodoxy

James Ussher (1581-1656)

James Ussher stands as one of the clearest examples of what Anglicanism could have consistently been. As Archbishop of Armagh in the 17th century, Ussher combined episcopal structure with deeply confessional Reformed theology. He was no Anglo-Catholic innovator at all, but a theologian firmly rooted in the doctrines of grace with a thoroughly Protestant understanding of the church and sacraments. His Irish Articles of 1615 are especially significant. In many ways, they are more explicitly Reformed than the Thirty-Nine Articles, offering robust affirmations of predestination, justification by faith alone, and the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. There is actually much theological alignment with later Reformed confessions like the Westminster Confession of Faith. Just go and read the Westminster Confession and you'll see what I mean. 

I'll give one example here, this is Section 1 of the Irish Articles on God's eternal decree: 

"God from all eternity did by his unchangeable counsel ordain whatsoever in time should come to pass: yet so, as thereby no violence is offered to the wills of the reasonable creatures, and neither the liberty nor the contingency of the second causes is taken away, but established rather."

Now here is the Westminster Confession Chapter 3 Section 1 on God's Eternal Decree:

"God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established"

 If Anglicanism had followed the trajectory of Ussher and the Irish Articles, like the Westminster Divines, it is not difficult to imagine a church far more unified with the broader Reformed world.

William Perkins, Richard Sibbes, and the Push for Further Reformation

William Perkins (1558-1602)

Richard Sibbes (1577-1635)

If you know me, you know I love the Puritans. They have shaped me spiritually, theologically, and practically more than anyone. But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for the Puritans. If you know their history, you know there was much persecution and eventual collapse of the Puritan movement. The very structure of Anglicanism, as a state church, meant that theological clarity was often subject to political pressure. The Elizabethan Settlement (the religious policy of Queen Elizabeth I) while stabilizing the church outwardly, allowed for various interpretations that would eventually dilute doctrinal precision. That's a story as old as time. What was intended as a via media (middle way) between Rome and the Reformed churches increasingly became a theological ambiguity rather than a principled Reformed identity. The concerns of the English Puritans highlight these tensions. William Perkins, known as the "Father of Puritanism" and one of the most influential Reformed theologians in England, and Richard Sibbes, a beloved pastor-theologian, both operated within the Church of England but pushed for further reform. I have the works of both of these men. Cherished they are in this home. Perkins, just for example, strongly opposed kneeling at the Lord’s Supper, seeing it as suggestive of adoration directed toward the elements of the Supper, a practice dangerously close to Roman Catholic error. For him, posture was not a trivial matter but a theological statement. The debate over kneeling illustrated a broader issue: ceremonies and practices that, while perhaps defensible in isolation, carried the weight of theological implication to the rest of the church. Though other Puritans that separated from the Church of England even went as far as refusing to use the Prayer Book, Perkins and Sibbes continued to do so, though they were still cautious of ritualism. Their focus was on right preaching of the Word, and they were masters of it. In those days the homilies and sermons were written out for the preachers to read, the Puritans refused to do something so religiously cold. If only that focused remained.

Second Commandment Violations

Another concerning element was the persistence (and eventual reintroduction) of practices that directly contradicted Reformed convictions. The use of images, particularly depictions of Christ, posed a serious violation of the Second Commandment as understood by the Reformed tradition. While early Reformers in England worked to remove such images such as Thomas Cranmer and John Jewel, later developments within Anglicanism, especially in Anglo-Catholic movements, reopened the door to visual representations and ceremonialism that blurred the line between genuine Reformation and Rome.

The Rise of the Anglo-Catholic Movement

John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Drifts in theology and practice like 2CVs became more pronounced in the centuries that followed. The rise of Anglo-Catholicism in the 19th century, through movements like the Oxford Movement (1833-1841), signaled a decisive shift away from the Reformed theology embedded in the Articles and early Prayer Book. This movement was led by men like the infamous John Henry Newman. Emphasis on apostolic succession, sacramental efficacy, and liturgical ritual increasingly overshadowed the doctrines of grace. What had once been a church moving toward genuine reform began, in many respects, to look back toward Rome. In so many ways, Anglicanism has never been the same since.

Martyrs of the English Reformation: Tyndale, Latimer, Ridley, Cranmer

Burning of Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer

Perhaps the most tragic irony in this history is the treatment of the Reformers themselves. Figures like William Tyndale, who gave the English-speaking world its Bible, were martyred for their commitment to the gospel. Cranmer, after helping shape the theological and liturgical identity of the church, was burned at the stake under Mary I, famously known as "Bloody Mary." Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley suffered the same fate. We have that famous scene of Hugh Latimer speaking to Ridley handed down to us with these words: "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as shall never be put out." That prophecy was true in many ways, yet that flame is dim for England today. Regardless, these men were not fringe figures, they were central to the English Reformation. And yet, the very church that would later claim continuity with the Reformation bore, at times, the marks of having resisted it violently. I could even include the way Bishop William Laud treated the Puritans. He ruthlessly suppressed the Puritans by fining and imprisoning them to enforce religious conformity in the Church of England, favoring high-church ritualism over Calvinism. This jumbled chaos of reform, not reform, reform again, compromise and so on underscores a sobering reality: institutional identity does not guarantee doctrinal faithfulness. Anglicanism had all the ingredients of a great Reformed church. It had deeply biblical doctrine, rich liturgy, influential theologians, and national reach. But without consistent reformation, even the best foundations can erode.

What Might've Been: The Necessity of Semper Reformanda

This brings me to a crucial principle: Semper Reformanda. This is the idea that the church must always be reforming according to the Word of God. The story of Anglicanism is not merely a historical case study; it is a warning and a call. No church and no tradition is immune to drift. Faithfulness requires continual return to Scripture, continual evaluation of practice, and continual submission to the authority of Christ. Anglicanism could have been the perfect Reformed denomination. In many ways, it came remarkably close. But its history reminds us that proximity to truth is not the same as perseverance in truth. The task of reformation is never finished and the cost of neglecting it is always high. The Anglican Church today still needs that reform. For the first time ever, a female "bishop" is now leading the Church of England. On March 25, 2026 Sarah Mullally was installed as the Archbishop of Canterbury. I don't even need to go into why this is wrong. It would be one thing if something went against tradition, it's another thing is something is unbiblical. In the case of this female "bishop", this whole ordeal is both untraditional and unbiblical. How the mighty have fallen. Like I've said, it could've been the perfect English Reformed option, instead it itself gave birth to more denominations who were willing to reform like the Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, and Methodists. The idea of schism is another argument for another time, but the point remains, Anglicanism of old should have been the one option for the English world yet it became a classic case of "what could've been."