High Church - Variations

Variations

Because of its history, the term "High Church" also refers to aspects of Anglicanism quite distinct from the Oxford Movement or Anglo-Catholicism. There remain parishes that are "High Church" and yet adhere closely to the quintessentially Anglican usages and liturgical practices of the Book of Common Prayer.

High Church Anglicanism tends to be more conservative and closer to Roman Catholic teaching on sexual morality. In contrast, the Evangelical wing of Anglicanism is closer to Protestant thinking. Although the conservatives tend to look favourably on Roman Catholicism, some in the High Church tradition are sympathetic to practices that, to official Roman Catholic teaching, are anathema, such as the ordination of women and the acceptance and ordination of openly homosexual people

The term "High Church" has also spread to Protestant traditions where individual congregations or ministers have undergone realignments in their liturgical practices, for example, "High Church Presbyterianism" or "High Church Methodism". Within Lutheranism there is also a historic "High Church" and "Low Church" distinction that is comparable with Anglicanism (see Neo-Lutheranism and Pietism).

In contemporary Roman Catholicism, the term "high church" is sometimes used principally for liturgical distinctions, of which there are many variations. Some High Church Roman Catholics, who favor moderating the reforms of Vatican II, sometimes called "reform of the reform", might favor the use of Latin, Gregorian chant and practices such as eastward celebration and the use of incense in the Mass of Paul VI. Others, such as Traditionalist Catholics, call for use of the Tridentine Mass.