Ideology in Doxology: A Comparative History of Anglican Liturgy in South Africa, 1795–1992
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2412-4265/20905Keywords:
history, liturgy, Anglicanism, Tractarian, evangelical, worshipAbstract
This study examines and compares the liturgical histories of two Anglican churches in South Africa from the colonial period to the early 1990s. It elucidates the historical causes for differing understandings of Anglican liturgy practices of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA) and the Church of England in South Africa (CESA). It examines the history of the division between the two denominations and their attempt to localise Anglican liturgy while seeking to maintain a link to their understanding of the historical Anglican theological heritage. The comparison contributes to the history of Anglicanism by beginning to fill the historical gap of the liturgy of Evangelical Anglicans in South Africa.
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Accepted 2026-03-03
Published 2026-07-14