Church and State in 21st Century Britain

Much of the formal structure of the UK state remains locked in the geopolitics of the late 17th century. The sovereign has to be a Christian monarch in communion with the Church of England, swearing oaths to support that Church and the Church of Scotland. No-one may succeed to the throne who is either a Roman Catholic or married to one. Whereas in Scotland the established Church is held distinct from the state, the Church of England remains controlled by parliament where twenty-six Anglican bishops sit as of right in the House of Lords -- a privilege unknown in any other sovereign legislature. This book argues that, in an increasingly pluralized society, the gap between form and reality has become unacceptably stretched. Disregarding facile arguments about disestablishment, the book analyses the present position afresh and examines what are the options for change, including to the religious character of the monarchy.

ISBN 023055511X   Pages 280 ISBN13 9780230555112 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Palgrave Macmillan   Weight (grammes) 454 Imprint Palgrave Macmillan   Published in Basingstoke Format Hardback   Height (mm) 223 Publication date 26 Mar 2009   Width (mm) 143 Library of Congress 2008052856   Spine width (mm) 21 DEWEY 322.10941   Academic level Undergraduate, Postgraduate DEWEY edition DC22

		Tables
1		Introduction: Mapping the Issues		1
Pt. I		Establishment in Great Britain now		15
2		Establishment in England: Main Developments since 1800		17
3		Monarchy and Legislature		34
4		Executive, Judiciary and the Legatine Powers		47
5		Financing Establishment in England		61
6		Establishment in Scotland		76
7		Recent Developments in Church/State Relations in Scotland by Marjory MacLean and Frank Cranmer and Scot Peterson		91
Pt. II		Disestablishments		109
8		Disestablishment in Ireland and Wales by John Lucas and Bob Morris		111
9		Church/State Relations in Scandinavia by Frank Cranmer		127
Pt. III		Policy Analysis		151
10		The Condition of Modern Belief		153
11		Establishment: The State of Opinion		173
Pt. IV		Establishment Futures		191
12		The Higher Architecture		193
13		The Political Representation of Religion		212
14		Towards a New Balance		226
		Notes		242
		Bibliography		247
		Index		258

'...an excellent guide.' - Theo Hobson, The Tablet 'This is a cautious and careful academic exploration of the issues posed by establishment and of the spectrum of ways in which these issues might be treated, and establishment to this or that extent amended...This book is important reading for those who want to do some forward thinking on these issues' - The Church Times

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