Wednesday, January 21, 2026

It is the 21st of January 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

If you are listening to this show, I think it’s fair to suggest that you are interested in the variety of Christian experiences and beliefs. And today’s anniversary takes us to our friends in the church that might be called “Anglican” or “Episcopal” or “the Church of England” or any of its satellite churches that trace their origins back to the 16th century and that sometimes amorous and cranky king, Henry VIII. Yes, he wanted a divorce from Catherine of Aragon- his first wife, who happened to be married to his deceased brother and was the aunt of the Emperor… And so the English Reformation and its church start with the Church of England breaking from Rome over authority and annulment- but there is a good bit more to that.

Let’s say you walked into an Anglican or Episcopal church today (different branding, different bodies, but same origin story)- what would they do? What do they believe? 

Take one step back- how do you figure this out for any church you might walk into? Before websites and “who we are” and “what we believe” tabs, you would track down the confessions or statement of faith- Lutherans dig the Augsburg confession, many Presbyterians dig the Westminster Confession, and we have variations on these in different times and places. But what about the Anglicans?

They have more than a book of belief- they have a book of worship- a book of “common prayer” which takes us back to this, the 21st of January in 1549.

Henry VIII kicks it all off as king with his failure to sire a legitimate son and heir (he had other sons, just not legit…), and after Mary and Elizabeth from the first two wives, the third age gave him a son: Edward.  

Henry had been amenable to some aspects of the Reformation, but had remained largely conservative and tied to his older Catholic theology- the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, wanted to move closer to the European reformers but couldn’t under Henry. But with Henry’s death in 1547, his son, tutored by Protestants, would come to rule.

Edward began with injunctions for uniformity under the direction of Cranmer, who saw this new reign as an opportunity to push Protestant worship. Cranmer would work on his text to guide the church, which wouldn’t be just a confession, or just a liturgy, or just a collection of prayers, but rather all of those rolled up together in what is called the Book of Common Prayer.

It was on this, the 21st of January in 1549, that the Act of Uniformity was passed by the British Parliament- decreeing that the church in England would henceforth be guided by a common liturgy and prayer book- it would include all that was necessary for a country parson to fill out the year of church services and special ceremonies.

And so, if you want to know what your Anglican or Episcopal worship service might look like, you have this book, passed by an act in 1549, such that all the churches might use it. BUT- the church of England and its satellite churches will argue about which is the right one to use. After 1549, we get a 1552 revision and a 1559 version after the Catholic queen Mary dies and the Protestant Elizabeth takes over.

The Book of Common Prayer will continue to get new editions to the chagrin or delight of others- there’s a 1604 and then 1662 version which reflect the tensions with Puritans and in the 20th century we have a 1928 edition and a 1979 edition and some people love them and others might have to take a deep breath if they learn you are using one of those “new ones”.

Nonetheless, the language of the book of Common prayer- from “till death do us part” to “ashes to ashes” the language of the Anglicans has infiltrated the rest of English speaking Christendom- and it began with a book of prayers and worship services and scripture readings- the first Book of Common Prayer- which was implemented by law with the Act of Uniformity passed by the British Parliament on this, the 21st of January in 1549.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Matthew 9:

14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 21st of January 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who once foolishly tried to sew a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment… it made it worse… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who hears the modern man prefers wine bottles… but I hear a cleaned-out animal stomach works too… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.