What's the difference between high and low Anglican? Is one more conservative than the other? Do they have slightly differing beliefs?
What is an Anglican's view on transubstantiation, veneration of relics and praying to saints? Is the Anglican church still open to Calvinist doctrine?
Also, please state if you are high or low church.
Interested in reading your replies!
Hi there leo!
The difference between high and low anglican basically comes down to worship styles (although this sometimes carries some theological differences). High church anglicans worship with a liturgy that is often quite elaborate and defined, while low church is usually more casual and informal.
For instance, the high church cathedral that I used to attend would have a procession of the clergy (who were all dressed in clerical clothing and vestments), lots of incense, a structured liturgy, and a fabulous choir that sang the ordinaries of the Mass, usually to settings that were writte nin the renaissance.
At the low church parish I now attend, the ministers are dressed in casual clothes, we sing contemporary worship music, we don't have a fixed order of service and the whole thing is more laid back. We do still do things such as reciting the creeds together and regularly celebrating the eucharist (which is actually done in the same way, and with the same prayers, as in high church liturgy).
Often (though not always) high church Anglicans will have certain beliefs about the sacraments and such that are different to low church Anglicans. Traditionally, low-church/evangelical Anglicans are reformed in their theology (though this is not always the case).
Some anglicans, often known as anglo-catholics, will hold to a belief in transubstantion and practice veneration of saints etc. Low church Anglicans, who tend to be more protestant, don't. Some hold to a memorialist view of the eucharist, some still believe in real presence but don't try to define it in anyway, and would never say that they believe in transustantiation.
I go to a low church parish which I love, but I don't have anything against high church worship or think it is wrong or anything - in fact I quite like it! Some people get their knickers in a knot over which is the "correct" style of churchmanship, but I figure everyone is different..