established church
Noun: * The official state church: An "established church" is a Christian religious denomination that is formally recognized and endorsed by the government of a nation as its official state church. It often receives legal and financial support from the state and may have a special constitutional or legal status.
The term is used to describe the relationship between a specific church and a national government. It is a formal, historical, and political term. * The Church of England is the established church in England. * Historically, many European nations had an established church, such as Lutheranism in Sweden or Catholicism in Spain. * The concept of an established church is separate from the principle of religious freedom for all citizens.
- Disestablishment: The act of removing the official status of a state church.
- The disestablishment of the Church of Wales occurred in 1920.
- State church: A direct synonym for "established church."
- National church: Often used interchangeably, though it can sometimes imply a church serving a national identity without full legal establishment.
- State church
- Official church
- Free church
- Dissenting church
- Nonconformist church (These refer to churches not affiliated with or recognized by the state.)
- Theocracy: A system of government where religious institutions rule or where religious law is the basis of civil law (different from having an established church within a secular government structure).
- Secular state: A state that is officially neutral in matters of religion, neither supporting nor opposing any particular religion (the opposite condition of having an established church).
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the church that is recognized as the official church of a nation
