(See "Church of England")
In a sense England had two reformations, a constitutional one under King Henry VIII (1509-1547) and a theological one under the Puritans almost a century later. Under Henry nothing changed doctrinally. England simply rejected the authority of Rome. In this move, however, England forecast the future of Christianity in modern nations. She made Christian beliefs almost altogether a private affair and considered the practice of religion an instrument of the state. Later generations called it civil religion.
[tags]BlogRodent, church-history, Church-of-England, ChurchRodent, English-Reformation, Henry-VIII, history[/tags]