The People and the Book: Negotiating Religious Change in Reformation England and Beyond

by Caroline Litzenberger

Overview

This book tells the story of the people's experience in dealing with profound changes in religion during the English Reformation. Continental Protestantism influenced the changing nature of English religion, but Catholicism was still the familiar old religion. Official religious policy swung back and forth between different forms of Protestantism and Catholicism, probably causing some to experience some form of spiritual whiplash. But, most clung to their old, familiar faith. Official religious policies provide the backdrop for this story with the people taking the lead. Over time, especially during Elizabeth I's reign, Protestantism became more familiar, leading most people to accept some form of that new religion by the end of her reign. However, religion continued to change, or at least to shift in subtle ways. And so, the book's story doesn't end with Elizabeth's death. It continues through key religious developments in England and beyond, answering the question of how the church of Elizabeth's day became the global Anglican church of today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666751109
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	10/21/2022
Series:	Cascade Companions
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	182
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Caroline Litzenberger is an Episcopal priest and associate professor of history at Portland State University. She is author of The English Reformation and the Laity.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This clear, vivid, and engaging book stresses the participation of laypeople, including women, in the English Reformation and its aftermath, as the decisions and deaths of four monarchs changed England’s official religion four times in the early seventeenth century. Protestant women provided food and clean shirts to their coreligionist priests in prison; later, Catholics prayed the rosary during Protestant services. The story continues, showing how today the international Anglican Communion maintains diversity within unity.”

—Marianne Novy, University of Pittsburgh



“With admirable clarity, Caroline Litzenberger strips away the myths and sets out what the English Reformation was really about. Most significantly, she shows that lay women and men, not just the clergy and theologians, played central roles in shaping Anglicanism from the start. This is the ideal introduction for general readers, and especially for American Episcopalians seeking to understand the roots of their church.”

—Eric Carlson, Gustavus Adolphus College



“This book offers a concise, lucid, and thematically consistent introduction to the English Reformation as it relates to the Episcopal Church. It will be helpful to anyone attempting to

discern that tradition’s strengths and weaknesses as it explores its place in the evolving American religious landscape, as well as the gifts it can bring to (and receive from) the wider church.”

—Thomas Breidenthal, author of Christian Households: The Sanctification of Nearness

Editorial Reviews

This clear, vivid, and engaging book stresses the participation of laypeople, including women, in the English Reformation and its aftermath, as the decisions and deaths of four monarchs changed England’s official religion four times in the early seventeenth century. Protestant women provided food and clean shirts to their coreligionist priests in prison; later, Catholics prayed the rosary during Protestant services. The story continues, showing how today the international Anglican Communion maintains diversity within unity.”

—Marianne Novy, University of Pittsburgh



“With admirable clarity, Caroline Litzenberger strips away the myths and sets out what the English Reformation was really about. Most significantly, she shows that lay women and men, not just the clergy and theologians, played central roles in shaping Anglicanism from the start. This is the ideal introduction for general readers, and especially for American Episcopalians seeking to understand the roots of their church.”

—Eric Carlson, Gustavus Adolphus College



“This book offers a concise, lucid, and thematically consistent introduction to the English Reformation as it relates to the Episcopal Church. It will be helpful to anyone attempting to

discern that tradition’s strengths and weaknesses as it explores its place in the evolving American religious landscape, as well as the gifts it can bring to (and receive from) the wider church.”

—Thomas Breidenthal, author of Christian Households: The Sanctification of Nearness

From the Publisher